Stop, call 911 — Illinois requires immediate police notice for any crash with injury or over $1,500 in damage — exchange information, and photograph everything. You generally have two years to file an injury lawsuit (735 ILCS 5/13-202), but only one year if the crash involved the City, the CTA, or another local government body.
At the scene: what Illinois law requires
After a car accident in Chicago, Illinois law is strict about the first minutes. You must stop and remain at the scene (625 ILCS 5/11-401, 11-402), give your name, address, registration, and license, and render reasonable aid to anyone injured (625 ILCS 5/11-403). Leaving a damage-only crash is a Class A misdemeanor; leaving an injury crash is a felony. You are allowed to move a drivable vehicle off the roadway to the nearest safe spot — Chicago traffic is its own hazard.
Call 911. Police must be notified immediately when a crash involves injury, death, or property damage over $1,500 (or $500 if any driver is uninsured) under 625 ILCS 5/11-407. One outdated rule to forget: Illinois repealed the old 10-day written motorist report to IDOT back in 2021 — the police report is the official record now, which makes getting officers to the scene even more important.
While you wait: photograph vehicle positions, damage, signals, and street signs; collect the other driver's insurance card and plate; and get a name and number for every witness. Say nothing about fault — not to the other driver, not on camera.
How to get your Chicago crash report
For crashes inside the city, the Chicago Police Department sells crash reports online for $6.00 through its traffic crash report portal (crash.chicagopolice.org). Crashes on the expressways are usually handled by the Illinois State Police instead, which sells reports through its own ePay portal for $5.00 plus a card fee. Your report number from the scene makes either lookup faster — and the report anchors the date, parties, and officer observations your car accident claim will be built on.
In the first days after the crash, CPD also runs a Driver Information Exchange portal where recent crash parties can pull each other's insurance details — useful when the scene was chaotic and something didn't get written down. Order the full report as soon as it's ready and read it: errors are easier to correct early.
The deadlines that decide Chicago cases
Illinois gives you two years from the crash to file an injury lawsuit (735 ILCS 5/13-202) and five years for vehicle damage (735 ILCS 5/13-205). But Chicago has a trap built into it: if your crash involved a CTA bus, a city vehicle, or any local government entity, the Tort Immunity Act cuts your window to one year (745 ILCS 10/8-101).
Fault-sharing follows Illinois's modified comparative negligence rule (735 ILCS 5/2-1116): you can recover if you were 50% or less at fault, with your award reduced by your share — but you're barred entirely at 51%. That makes the evidence you preserved at the scene worth real money.
How insurance works in an at-fault state
Illinois runs on fault: the at-fault driver's liability insurance pays, with required minimums of $25,000 per person / $50,000 per crash for injury and $20,000 for property damage (625 ILCS 5/7-601, 7-203). Illinois does not use no-fault PIP — your medical bills route through the at-fault driver's insurer, your own health coverage, and your medical-payments coverage if you bought it.
Every Illinois policy must also include uninsured motorist coverage of at least $25,000/$50,000 (215 ILCS 5/143a) — your protection when the at-fault driver has no insurance or flees. Before you give any insurer a recorded statement, talk to an attorney: at Dream Team Law, our Chicago team reviews crash cases free, and you pay nothing unless we win.
Frequently asked questions
Do I still have to file a written crash report with the State of Illinois?+
No — Illinois repealed the old 10-day motorist report requirement in 2021 (Public Act 102-0560). Your duty now is immediate notice to police at the scene for injury or $1,500+ crashes; the responding officers file the official report.
How much does a Chicago police crash report cost?+
$6.00 per report, purchased online through the Chicago Police Department's traffic crash report portal. Expressway crashes handled by the Illinois State Police cost $5.00 plus a card service fee through the ISP ePay site.
Can I still recover if the crash was partly my fault?+
Yes — Illinois's modified comparative negligence rule (735 ILCS 5/2-1116) lets you recover if you were 50% or less at fault, with your damages reduced by your percentage. At 51% or more, you recover nothing.
This article is for general information only and is not legal advice; reading it does not create an attorney-client relationship. Deadlines depend on the specific facts of your case — consult a licensed attorney in your state about your situation. Attorney advertising. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome.