When an accident strikes, injured people need reliable guidance they can confidently turn to. In Chicago alone, there were 2,215 people seriously injured in car accidents in 2023, to say nothing of the many people who suffer injuries from slip-and-falls, medical malpractice incidents and many other types of dangerous accidents each year. At The Collins Law Firm, we are Rogers Park personal injury attorneys who proudly serve Chicago and all of Illinois.
In the minutes, days and weeks after an accident, you might understandably feel overwhelmed by the disruptions to your daily life and the legal complexities of pursuing compensation for your damages. Working with a Chicago, IL personal injury lawyer ensures you have knowledgeable support every step of the way. The right legal team will carry the burden of your case so you can focus on recovery.
At The Collins Law Firm, we handle a wide variety of personal injury cases, including:
The role of a personal injury lawyer can start before you even contact the insurance company. We can offer guidance on what to say to insurance representatives. We can even file a claim on your behalf and collect evidence to strengthen your case. You will never need to negotiate with the other party’s insurance company yourself, and working with The Collins Law Firm also means having strong representation if you decide to take the matter to court.
In a personal injury lawsuit, you and your legal team will file a claim with the civil courts against the at-fault party and their insurance company. These cases usually conclude before ever going to trial, with the other party offering a financial settlement to resolve the claim if you accept.
Reaching a favorable settlement usually requires months of back-and-forth negotiations, however. Your legal team will gather evidence to demonstrate how much compensation you deserve and strive to reach an agreement with the other party that fully covers your losses.
Sometimes, harm isn’t an accident – it’s intentional. If someone purposely causes you injury, you may have the right to pursue legal action through an intentional tort.
In an intentional tort, you will still file a personal injury claim in the civil courts. However, intentional torts can also lead to criminal charges against the other party. A criminal conviction can serve as undeniable proof that a breach of duty occurred, which may increase the compensation you can recover.
As the person claiming a personal injury, the burden of proof lies with you and your legal representation. You must prove that the other party had a duty of care toward you and that they breached that duty. There must also be a clear link between that breach of duty and the damages you incurred as a result of the accident.
Thorough documentation goes a long way toward proving the other party’s negligence. If possible, take photographs of the accident scene and the resulting damage. Collect copies of your medical records to demonstrate the extent of your injuries. If your accident occurred within or near a place of business, your attorney can seek security camera footage that captured the moment of the accident.
If you sustained any damages, you should consider filing a claim because you may deserve compensation. Illinois enforces a statute of limitations of two years from the date an accident occurs, meaning you cannot pursue compensation for your injuries after this time elapses.
Even if two years seems generous, be aware that evidence can be lost to time, and recoverable damages you were not even aware of could come to light as part of your attorney’s investigation. An experienced legal team will maintain an appropriate timeline so you do not have to worry about “when” or “how long” during the claim process.
If you have concerns over whether your claim is worth pursuing, you might be uncertain about when you should file or whether you should do so at all. If you suffered any hardship, it is worth exploring your options for compensation. There are ways to verify that your claim is valid and evaluate how much it may be worth.
First, contact your personal injury attorney. The Collins Law Firm offers free consultations, giving you easy access to a lawyer who can help you explore your legal options and walk you through the next steps as you decide whether or not to file a claim.
You might also have doubts about filing a claim if you feel as though you are partially responsible for what happened. You might have feelings of guilt, but that does not mean you do not deserve the financial recovery that will help you return to normalcy after a disruptful accident.
The comparative negligence laws in Illinois allow you to recover damages even if you contributed to the accident, so long as your degree of fault is not 50% or greater. While receiving a percentage of the fault will reduce the amount of compensation you can recover proportionately, it is still in your best interest to file a claim with the other driver’s insurance company as soon as possible.
When your attorney demands a settlement from the insurance company on your behalf, you can expect to receive compensation for all of your economic damages as well as certain non-economic damages you incurred because of the accident.
It is important to know what types of damages the other party owes to you so you can make an informed decision about whether or not to accept the proposed settlement. If the insurance company repeatedly fails to offer suitable compensation for all of these damages, it might be necessary to take the matter to court to achieve a more favorable result.
Economic damages are the financial losses you suffer as a result of an accident. In a personal injury case, the types of economic damages you can recover include:
It is usually simple to quantify the value of your economic damages by examining medical bills, repair receipts and employment documentation.
Non-economic damages refer to losses that do not have a direct financial value but are still valid in a personal injury case. Common types of non-economic damages include:
These damages are much more difficult to quantify compared to economic damages, so it is important to seek expert evaluations to strengthen your case and maximize your compensation.
When you suffer an accident because of someone else’s negligence, it can feel like an injustice. That is why our team at The Collins Law Firm will fight relentlessly to get the fair result you deserve. Contact us today for a risk-free consultation.
"*" indicates required fields
"*" indicates required fields
