Chicago Car Accident Lawyers

Types of Auto Accidents, Injuries & Damages

Motor vehicle crashes occur for many reasons and often result in severe injuries. Sometimes establishing responsibility is obvious. Other times, it takes an investigation to determine if a driver was distracted, impaired, or negligent.

We Handle a Wide Range of Auto Accidents in Chicago

According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, more than half of all car accidents in the state occurred in Cook County. Our experienced Chicago car accident lawyers have been helping people recover physically and financially for over 20 years. In that time, we’ve secured millions and gained incredible insight into how to handle virtually any car accident scenario.

If you or a loved one have been injured in any of the following car accident, contact us:

• Head-On Collisions
• Car vs Truck Accidents
• Rear-End Crashes
• Pedestrians Accidents
• Fatal Car Accidents
• Side Impact (T-Bone) Collisions
• SUV Rollover Crashes
• Accidents Involving Bicycles
• Drunk Driving
• Distracted Driving or Texting While Driving
• Dangerous and Defective Roads
• Speeding
• Reckless Driving
• Aggressive Driving
• Work Zones
• Uber or Lyft Accidents
• Teen Driver Accidents
• Car vs. Public Transpiration
• Accidents Involving Trains
• Injured Car Accident Passengers

Common Chicago Car Accident Injuries

The severity of your car accident injuries ultimately determines your claim’s value. Be sure to attend follow-up treatment and record any medical bills, treatment documents, and insurance info.

Here are some of the most common injuries we see after auto collisions:

• Head and Brain Injuries — This involves concussions, skull fractures, or other traumatic brain injuries.
• Neck and Back Injuries — This includes Whiplash, herniated or bulging discs, or spinal injuries.
• Burn Injuries — Whether minor or fatal, burns might leave cause serious disfigurement and require skin grafts.
• Soft Tissue Injuries — Some accidents cause ligaments or muscles to tear causing lasting damage.
• Broken Bones — These injuries require surgery and a long recovery period.
• Spinal Injuries – These are devastating injuries that could alter someone’s life entirely and may result in permanent wheelchair use due to a loss of movement in the lower extremities.

Compensation for Damages & Losses in Car Accident Cases

When someone else is liable for your injuries, you have the right to pursue compensation. Your final settlement should consider all the ways your life was affected by your accident, including both monetary and non-monetary damages.

Calculating monetary damages is pretty straightforward and easily proven with proper documentation. These damages include:

• Lost wages
• Diminished earning capacity
• Childcare expenses
• Household maintenance fees
• Medical expenses

Non-economic damages are not as easy to value, but should be considered, nonetheless. These damages include:

• Loss of consortium
• Diminished quality of life
• Physical pain and suffering
• Mental anguish
• Reputational damage
• Disfigurement and scarring

Punitive damages are also available in car accident cases, but only in extreme situations. Reckless and drunk driving are common examples.

Determining the Cost of Your Car Accident Claim

Accident attorney Jared Staver explains how insurance companies try to avoid paying you compensation for your injuries, and the elements of a tort that your car accident lawyer will have to prove in order to receive compensation.

Negligence, Fault, & Liability after a Car Accident in Chicago

Most car accident cases are based on negligence. This means that another driver or some other party acted unreasonably or failed to act and caused you else harm.

Car Accident Evidence & Documentation

It may seem obvious who’s at fault in your car accident. However, you must prove that someone was speeding, distracted, or intoxicated to have a successful claim.

The burden of proof for a civil lawsuit is based on a preponderance of the evidence, which means that enough evidence exists to prove that the other party is more likely than not to have caused your injuries. Photos, eyewitness testimonies, and other forms of evidence could be used to prove fault.

Liability & Fault in a Chicago Car Accident

Your injuries alone aren’t enough to prove liability. To determine liability, you must establish the four elements of negligence. Someone must owe you a duty of care, fail to uphold that duty, and cause your damages, which require monetary compensation.

Illinois is an at-fault state for liability in a car accident. In most cases, you will file a third-party claim with the responsible driver’s insurance company or their employer if they were working at the time.

However, insurers aren’t likely to give you the compensation you need to recover. That’s why you need an accident lawyer to look out for your best interests.

Time Limits, Car Insurance Claims & Defenses

Car accident claims are complex. Insurers will quickly brush off your damages, try to blame you, or use other tactics to limit their liability.

Illinois Car Accident Statute of Limitations

You must act fast when you or someone you love were hit by a negligent driver. In Illinois, you have two years to file for a car accident and many other personal injury cases. However, if the plaintiff is a child or another variable exists, the time limit permitted to file a case may differ.

Although this may seem like a lot of time, you’d be surprised how much evidence gets lost the longer you wait, making it harder to collect the compensation you need.

Illinois Car Insurance Laws and Requirements

In Illinois, all vehicles must be covered by what’s called 25/50/20 coverage:

• Minimum of $25,000 for injury or death of one person
• $50,000 for injury or death of two or more people
• $20,000 for property damage

If you are in a car crash with someone from another state, their minimum amount of insurance may turn out to be higher or lower.

Other Car Insurance Polices and Claims

It’s important to check each relevant party’s insurance coverage. More than one policy may apply, or your own coverage may let you recover if the other driver doesn’t have sufficient insurance.

Some common insurance issues our car accident lawyers near you can help with include:

• First Party Claims
• Third-Party Claims
• Poor Communication with Carriers
• Insurance Company Imposed Time Limits
• Arbitration
• Subrogation
• Bad Faith

Disputed Liability & Car Accident Defenses

Aside from using the statute of limitations against you, the other party and their insurer will want to protect themselves and their profits. They do this by refuting your claims and using various defense strategies to reduce or deny your claim.

• The other side may raise certain procedural defenses based on existing law or failure to comply with a statutory rule.
• Factual defenses to car accident liability usually revolve around you being wholly or partially to blame for the accident, or that you inflated the severity of your injuries.