If you suffered injuries due to someone else’s negligence, you should not have to shoulder your medical bills and losses. You could be able to take legal action and receive compensation. We understand that being a victim in an accident can be traumatic and life-altering, and you may not know what to do for the best. Your Skokie personal injury lawyer can help to advise and guide you if you are thinking of holding a negligent party to account.
Personal injury cases can come in many forms, for example, car accidents, nursing home abuse and neglect, medical malpractice, and slip and fall accidents, to name just a few. Any type of accident you suffered damages or injuries in, through someone else’s negligence, has the potential to become a personal injury lawsuit.
After getting injured in an accident, the focus should always be first and foremost on your health, and on moving forward from an upsetting experience. However, you will also want to consider your future. How serious are the injuries, how costly are the medical treatments, and when will you be able to return to work?
Your Skokie personal injury lawyer will consider all the variables and can fight to protect you not only from any current financial losses due to an accident, but also from future medical bills and future lost earning potential, if applicable. Having legal representation to defend your best interests can be crucial in personal injury cases.
Illinois Statute of Limitations
Acting in a timely manner when it comes to filing a personal injury lawsuit can be important. Consulting with a personal injury lawyer as soon as you can after an injury can help your case by giving a lawyer time to prepare and research your case thoroughly. Preparation is important for building a strong case in your favor.
Acting quickly is also of the essence since the Illinois statute of limitations’ time limit for personal injury cases is generally only two years from the date of an accident, according to the Illinois General Assembly. While it might be tempting to wait with any legal action, consider that it takes time to gather evidence and witnesses, and potentially consult expert witnesses for your case.
It is also important to act swiftly if you want to sue the government in a personal injury case. You generally need to file any claims against a county or city in Illinois within one year, although there are exceptions.
Awards in Personal Injury Cases
The types and amounts of compensation for your personal injury case depend on many factors, such as the severity of your injuries. Serious injuries could result in larger settlements for medical bills, as well as higher amounts of compensation for any pain and suffering. Having a personal injury lawyer fight for you could influence the type and amounts of compensation you could receive. Typically, compensation received in personal injury cases is split into economic and noneconomic awards. Economic awards are quantifiable in monetary terms and often come with bills and receipts. Some examples of economic awards are:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Transportation costs
- Costs for medical equipment
- Property damage
Noneconomic damages are harder to quantify in monetary terms and can include:
- Loss of enjoyment
- Emotional anguish
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of future earning capacity
Your Skokie personal injury lawyer will be able to advise you in detail regarding a financial award you could receive, depending on your specific case. Contact Pintas & Mullins Law Firm today to find out whether you can claim compensation for your injuries: (800) 223-5115
For a free legal consultation with a Personal Injury Lawyer serving Skokie, call (800) 223-5115
Negligence and Liability
As the plaintiff in a personal injury case, the burden to prove negligence falls on you. In a personal injury case, you will need to prove several elements to potentially be successful. Firstly, the defendant has to have a duty of care.
In a premises liability case, for example, a slip and fall case, the property owner generally has a basic duty of care for anybody frequenting that property. It is up to the property owner to ensure that the property is reasonably safe and free of dangers, for instance by securing cables that could cause a tripping hazard and wiping up spillages that could cause a slip and fall. Putting up a warning sign could also fulfill the duty of care.
Another element in a personal injury case is proof that a defendant acted in a way that breached their duty of care, either by intent or carelessness. A property owner possibly knew about the spillage, for example, but failed to address it in a timely manner or failed to put up a warning sign. This could constitute a breach in duty of care.
The next important step in proving negligence in a personal injury case is causation. A careless or reckless defendant’s actions or inactions need to have directly caused your injuries. This can happen, for example, if a reckless driver ignores traffic signs and crashes into your car, causing your injuries.
Finally, you will have to show damages, such as injuries and financial losses, as a result of the accident caused by the defendant’s breach in duty of care.
It can be complicated and time-consuming to prove personal injury cases, as you will have to supply ample evidence in order to prove your case. Having legal presentation and a professional personal injury lawyer can help with gathering the evidence needed for all the elements of a personal injury case.
Skokie Personal Injury Lawyer Near Me (800) 223-5115
Contact Pintas & Mullins Law Firm Today
If you suffered injuries and financial losses in an accident that was no fault of your own, we can help. We do not shy away from challenging cases and will fight for your rights. You do not have to worry about any out-of-pocket expenses or attorney’s fees as we work on a contingency basis. We get paid when you get paid.
Call Pintas & Mullins Law Firm today for a free case assessment and to find out if we can help you get compensation for your injuries: (800) 223-5115.
Call or text (800) 223-5115 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
