The Bicycle Accident Attorneys of Zneimer & Zneimer P.C. comment on an important inquiry often presented by bike crash victims: ‘Can violating a traffic law or bicycle regulation impact my personal injury claim?’ Generally speaking this question can be answered with a ‘YES,’ however, the better response is really ‘DEPENDS.’ While part of safe and responsible bicycling requires adherence to both state and local law, not every unlawful action will play a role in the outcome of a personal injury claim.
In some cases, the law expressly exempts a particular violation from being presented as evidence in civil claims extending from an accident or injury. For example, many Chicagoland communities that require minors to wear helmets have set forth an evidentiary exclusion for child helmet-use law violations. Pursuant to town/village code for Barrington, Cicero, Inverness, and Oak Park, violation of a child helmet law:
‘shall not constitute negligence, contributory negligence, assumption of risk, be considered in mitigation of damages of whatever nature, be admissible in evidence, or be the subject of comment by counsel in any action for the recovery of damages arising out of the operation of any bicycle, nor shall anything in this section change any existing law, rule, or procedure pertaining to any civil action.’