A personal injury can have serious consequences including medical expenses, pain and suffering, and lost income. Because of the emotional and financial toll, you may find it hard to take care of yourself and the people you love. Thankfully, you can recover compensation for your damages. However, because it can be hard to know whether or not you have a case, you need a reliable personal injury lawyer near me to help you navigate the complexities of personal injury claims.
When you file a personal injury claim, you need the knowledge of Illinois laws. Recovering just compensation includes several activities such as negligence investigation, evidence collection, damage calculation, negotiations with insurance providers, and court arguments. Because of such challenges, you must speak with a lawyer as soon as possible. You may be entitled to compensation if:
Negligence Caused Your Accident and You Suffered Injuries
Personal injury cases are established on the principle of negligence. Under Illinois law, you can recover compensation unless you are less than 50% at fault for the crash. For the other driver to be considered negligent, they should have owed you a duty of care and breached this duty. To be able to recover compensation, you should have sustained an injury because of the at-fault party’s negligence. Also, because of this injury, you suffered damages. Damages include medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. If you can prove negligence, you sustained injuries, and suffered damages because of these injuries, contact an attorney to discuss your legal options.
The Party Responsible for the Accident Owed a Duty and Breached It
In some ways, we could owe other people a duty of care. For instance, if we get behind the wheel, we have a duty to drive safely. However, every party has different kinds of duties to think about. For instance, those who own property have a duty to maintain their premises and make them safe for visitors. Also, trucking companies must maintain their fleet, only hire well-trained and qualified truck drivers, and follow related regulations. Such duties come with responsibilities to avoid causing harm to others.
Unfortunately, such parties may breach their duties. This can happen when a trucking company pressures their truckers to drive their trucks longer than legally allowed. Another example is when a driver operates their car recklessly and causes an accident.
In general, you have a couple of years from the date you suffered an injury to recover compensation. Trying to file a claim once this deadline has expired, your case may be dismissed. Thus, you must start your claim as soon as possible.
