Founding partner Jared Staver recently had the opportunity to sit down with Liz Spencer of NCTV17’s Business Insider program to discuss how personal injury cases work, whether a person might need to contact a Chicago personal injury lawyer if involved in an accident, and how long these types of cases usually take. Business Insider features conversational interviews with local entrepreneurs and business leaders to share more about their industry, their work, and their involvement with the community.
You can find Jared’s interview airing on local television from December 17, 2014 to January 7, 2015, or you can watch it below.
Jared’s conversation with Liz answers some common questions you may have if you have been hurt in a Chicago accident due to someone else’s negligence, including:
Immediately following any accident, make sure that you document it – talk to the involved parties, make a police report or incident report, and take stock of the situation. Many of us carry phones that have cameras these days; if you have one, take photos of the accident. Be sure to get contact information and insurance information for the other party. You also have a duty in Illinois to call your own insurance company to notify them of the accident. If you have been hurt, seek immediate medical attention.
If you have been hurt due to someone else’s negligence, it’s best to call an attorney right away. You may find yourself with insurmountable medical bills, pain, and the stress of dealing with insurance adjusters. Don’t go it alone. An experienced Chicago accident attorney can ensure that your rights are protected.
Chicago personal injury cases can be complex and there are a lot of moving parts. We begin by gathering existing medical records and bills, and from there we wait until you recover. The amount of time this takes depends on your injury – it may take a couple of months to be fully healed from being injured, or it could take years. Basically we wait and accumulate the bills, and then move forward in a 30-90 day period after the conclusion of all medical treatment to try and settle with the insurance company. If the insurance adjusters refuse to settle for a reasonable amount of money, we may have to file a lawsuit. Typically the case takes about 18-24 months to get through the court system to a jury trial.
We know that this can be a long time to wait, and that can be an issue. We encourage our clients to go back to work and maintain as much as a normal lifestyle as they can. If the pain or injuries are so debilitating that clients cannot work, we incorporate that into what we request in settlement or jury trial.
If you have been hurt in Naperville, feel free to reach out to us in a free legal consultation at (312) 236-2900. We will listen to your situation and make sure you know what your options are.
When you’re fighting for maximum compensation, we know what it takes to get it.
