If it feels like the odds are stacked against you after you suffer injuries from an accident, you deserve to have an ally who will even those odds. At The Collins Law Firm, we represent injured individuals in Forest Glen, Chicago and all across Illinois. We are ready to fight the legal battles for you so you can focus on making a full recovery.
You have the right to pursue compensation for injuries you sustain due to another person’s negligence. This process typically starts with a consultation with your personal injury lawyer. At The Collins Law Firm, we offer free consultations so you can understand what the entire process will look like.
If you decide to file a claim, we will support you every step of the way and relentlessly pursue the settlement you deserve. We can provide guidance and advice while keeping you apprised of the timeline as the process progresses.
During the case evaluation, your lawyer will examine the circumstances and give you an estimate of how much your claim might be worth. However, an extensive investigation is necessary to collect crucial evidence and determine the full extent of your losses.
Photographs, witness testimony, medical records and other forms of documentation are important to discover during an investigation. These will help establish the other party’s liability and provide proof of your damages.
After working with you to build a strong case, your legal team can proceed to file a personal injury claim on your behalf. This typically entails directly approaching the other party’s insurance company, as their coverage will likely be responsible for compensating you for your damages.
Depending on the strategy, your attorney might include a demand letter stating how much compensation you wish to receive. While the insurer will usually try to negotiate this number down, it can serve as a stable foundation for the rest of the process.
You deserve enough compensation to adequately cover your losses after an accident, which is why negotiation is so important. You do not have to settle for the insurance company's first offer. Your lawyer will make counteroffers and present additional evidence until the insurance representative is willing to sign a satisfactory settlement agreement.
If negotiations seem unproductive, your attorney might suggest mediation or arbitration to help facilitate discussions. These alternative dispute resolution methods involve bringing in an unbiased professional to guide negotiations toward a mutually beneficial outcome.
Most personal injury cases are resolved through out-of-court negotiations, but going to court might be necessary in more serious situations. When the evidence is clearly on your side but the insurance company refuses to budge, an experienced trial lawyer might suggest fighting for your rightful outcome in court.
The trial process should be a last resort. It can extend the length of your case and tends to be much more contentious. If all other attempts at securing suitable compensation fail, appealing to a judge and jury can be worth your while.
The statute of limitations for a personal injury case in Illinois is two years from the date of the accident. This means that the first step in navigating an insurance claim in Chicago is to act quickly. Two years might seem like a generous amount of time, but months can quickly pass, and evidence can become lost.
The principle of comparative negligence is another unique factor to consider. The compensation you can recover decreases proportionately if the court determines that you share any fault for the accident. Under Illinois's modified comparative negligence rule, a person loses any right to compensation if they are 50% at fault or more.
As a major metropolitan area, many insurance claims in and around Chicago involve public transportation accidents or pedestrian accidents. Navigating these types of claims requires specific knowledge of how traffic laws interact with personal injury laws. However, an experienced Chicago, IL personal injury lawyer must be able to adapt their knowledge to a wide variety of case types.
The steps you take after an accident can significantly impact your ability to secure the compensation you deserve. While it is perfectly reasonable to be frazzled after an injury, it’s important to stay as focused as possible when planning your next steps. Acting impulsively or without guidance can increase the risk of making mistakes that might hurt your claim.
Some of the most common mistakes that can harm your insurance settlement include:
Working with an attorney provides more than just knowledge of the legal process – it also offers an objective perspective. Your lawyer can help you stay on track, act promptly and make informed decisions every step of the way. Even if you’re well aware of your rights, it’s easy to overlook potential pitfalls when you’re personally involved in the situation. An attorney can help you avoid these mistakes and protect your claim.
If someone else’s negligence results in you suffering an injury, you likely have grounds to pursue a personal injury claim regardless of what type of accident occurred. Broadly speaking, though, personal injury cases typically fall into one of several accident types.
At The Collins Law Firm, our personal injury practice includes:
We also proudly represent injured individuals who suffer from exposure to pollution or hazardous chemicals. Unfortunately, these toxic tort cases are common in the Chicago area, where contamination is rampant.
The burden of proof lies with the claimant in a personal injury case, but any damages you can connect directly to the accident and the other person’s negligence can be recoverable. These include both economic damages and non-economic damages.
Economic damages are the measurable monetary losses and expenses you incur from your accident, such as:
Economic damages are relatively easy to quantify and demonstrate with thorough documentation. Medical records, repair invoices, and wage documents can be powerful evidence for demonstrating the extent of your losses during negotiations with the insurance company.
Non-economic damages are the intangible damages you suffer which do not have a direct monetary value, including:
It is more difficult to prove how much compensation you deserve for non-economic damages, but that does not mean the insurance company can dismiss them. Strong legal advocation can help you demonstrate the validity of your non-economic damages and secure suitable compensation for them.
Pursuing a personal injury claim on your own is an unfair fight that will pit you against insurance adjusters who know all the ins and outs of the law. At The Collins Law Firm, we fight on your behalf so the insurance companies cannot take advantage of you. Contact us today if you are ready to schedule a free consultation.
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