Life always has something new for us. Whenever the unexpected turns your life upside down, you might wonder what you can do to get back on your feet. If you’ve been hurt by someone else’s negligence, you are entitled to compensation to make you whole again.
Whatever caused your accident in the Orland Park area, Staver Accident Injury Lawyers, P.C., are prepared to help you resolve the matter. We understand how traumatizing accidents can be. Your bills and expenses will continue to pile up, especially if your injuries prevent you from working.
We help take the pressure off of accident victims, and we can help you pursue a settlement. Call (312) 236-2900 to schedule your free consultation.
We Handle a Variety of Personal Injury Cases
Personal injury cases describe several types of accidents, and under Illinois law, you can pursue compensation. Car accidents are some of the most common examples of PI cases. However, there is a wide range of accidents eligible for compensation. For instance, slip-and-fall accidents are covered under premises liability. Or, if you’re hurt at work, you could pursue a third-party liability claim against a manufacturer for a defective product or management for neglecting to correct a hazard.
We can help you with your:
What Kind of Injuries Do Accidents Cause?
Your injuries will depend on the nature of your accident. You may experience more than one kind of injury in your accident, but each will play a part in your insurance claim.
Examples of injuries caused by Orland Park accidents include:
- Head and brain injuries
- Neck and back injuries
- Broken or fractured bones
- Knee injuries
- PTSD
- Burns
- Paralysis
What Are Illinois Personal Injury Laws?
In Illinois, if someone hurts you or damages your property, you could be entitled to a personal injury claim. This is a type of tort; there are dozens of tort laws that outline when you can file a claim and how much you can get in each claim. Our Illinois personal injury lawyers will be able to discuss your case details to calculate your possible compensation.
What is Negligence in Personal Injury?
To successfully win compensation in a personal injury case, you need to prove the at-fault party caused your injuries or damages. Your case lies on your lawyer’s ability to prove the at-fault party’s negligence. In technical terms, negligence means someone was expected to uphold a duty of care, but when they didn’t, someone else got injured.
Simply put, when someone is expected to act in a reasonable manner, but they don’t and someone gets hurt, they could be found negligent. Your attorney must demonstrate the elements of a negligence case.
Elements of Negligence
There are four parts to a negligence claim. There is duty, a breach of duty, causation, and damages. For a successful claim, your attorney must show the other party:
- Had a duty to be careful
- They acted recklessly
- They were involved in the accident that hurt you
- Their actions caused your losses
For instance, drivers need to pay attention as they’re driving. If you’re injured by a distracted driver, you’ll need to show that they should have been attentive, they weren’t, and then they harmed you. In any other reasonable circumstances, your accident could have been avoided if the other driver involved had paid attention.
What Kind of Compensation is Available in a Personal Injury Claim?
Although you might experience similar circumstances as other victims, your payout could vary. Under Illinois personal injury law, you are eligible for a variety of damages. The value is calculated by examining your monetary and non-economic losses.
Monetary losses, also known as economic damages, are your out-of-pocket losses that can be accounted for easily. You could receive compensation for your past and future expenses, things like medical bills, lost wages, and property damage.
Your non-economic losses can be difficult to compile. These are conceptual damages that result from your economic losses. You can pursue compensation for your mental anguish, post-traumatic stress disorder, or loss of consortium after an accident.
What Affects My Illinois Insurance Claim?
There are factors that can reduce your claim’s value or eliminate it altogether. There is a statute of limitations for personal injury claims. That’s the deadline to file your claim. You have two years from the accident to make a claim against the at-fault party. If you miss it, there’s a chance you won’t get any compensation for your accident.
The defendant might argue that you contributed to the accident that hurt you. This concept, called comparative negligence, could reduce your payout if they prove your actions were partially to blame for your injuries.
For instance, if you decided to walk through a crosswalk when you had a “don’t cross” sign and were hit, the defendant could argue you weren’t following the law. You might share some of the blame. That could reduce your settlement: you would receive compensation proportionate to their fault. If you won a $100,000 settlement but were found 20% at fault for the accident, you’d only receive $80,000. If you are more than 50% responsible for the accident, you cannot pursue a claim.
What Should I Do After an Accident?
It can be difficult to process an accident, and making your way through the aftermath can be challenging. There are key things to accomplish after you’re hurt in an accident, no matter if it’s a car crash or an accident at work.
- Get Medical Treatment: you need to get a medical professional’s evaluation of your injuries. Not only is this necessary for your health and recovery, but you can use their records in your insurance claim.
- Notify Insurance: You should contact your insurer and the at-fault party’s insurance company you intend to file a claim. This gets the claims process started.
- Contact an Illinois Personal Injury Lawyer: if you’ve been hurt in Orland Park, you should consider consulting a seasoned personal injury lawyer. They can support your needs and ensure you’re provided for after an accident.
What Can I Use to Prove My Case?
Even if your case seems open and shut, you need to prove the at-fault party caused your damages. That means you need evidence and a successful argument. You can start collecting evidence right after the accident.
You can use police reports, incident reports, photographs, videos, or expert testimony. You and your attorney are looking for ways to eliminate any questions about liability in your case. The type of evidence available will depend on your case and where it happens. A crash report filed by police is usually solid in nailing the at-fault party. Your medical bills and documents can be useful when proving how you were hurt in an accident.
Why Should I Call an Illinois Personal Injury Lawyer?
If you’ve been hurt in Orland Park, you could file an insurance claim on your own. However, you shouldn’t have to deal with the legal stresses of an accident as you recover and work on getting your life close to normal. After all, you might not be able to work, and your bills could be piling up in your continued absence. Depending on your case, you might not be able to work in the same role you had before the accident. An experienced lawyer can guide you through your personal injury claim.
Your attorney will understand how Illinois tort claims work. They can investigate your case, ensuring every damage is accounted for. They can work with you on your path to financial and physical recovery. They’ll identify the defendant’s weak points, and your attorney can handle negotiations on your behalf, or take it to trial if necessary. Your lawyer should care about your health and case, seeing them as one and the same.
Let Our Illinois Personal Injury Lawyers Help You
If you’ve been hurt in an accident in Orland Park, you deserve legal representation to help you recover. With Staver Accident Injury Lawyers, P.C., we understand how traumatizing an accident can be, and know that an accident can bring daunting ramifications. We’re ready to hear your case and explore your legal options to provide relief and bring justice against the at-fault party.
We are seasoned Illinois personal injury lawyers who have successfully recovered millions in compensation for our clients. We operate with a “no win, no fee” policy. You don’t have to pay if we don’t win your case. If you’ve been hurt in Orland Park, you need our help. Call (312) 236-2900 or use our online form for a free consultation.
