Personal Injury

A sudden accident can lead to serious and long-term injuries. If you or someone in your family has been injured in an accident that was the fault of someone else, it is important to consult a Skokie personal injury lawyer who can protect your rights. After an accident, it can be hard to know what to do next, but we are here to help you with each step of the legal process. At Injury Lawyers of Illinois, our team is committed to providing the experienced representation that victims need following a car crash or another accident. We will take the time to listen to your story, carefully understand your needs, and come up with a legal strategy accordingly.

Personal injury law covers cases arising from accidents in which a victim was injured because of someone else’s negligence or wrongful conduct. Some common examples of accidents that can happen to people throughout Illinois include:

• Car accidents;
• Truck accidents;
• Motorcycle accidents;
• Pedestrian accidents;
• Slip and fall accidents; and
• Construction accidents.

Most accidents in Illinois can be traced back to a party’s negligence. Negligence is the legal theory that is typically used to determine who was at fault. It applies when a person causes an injury or death by failing to use the level of care that a reasonably prudent person in the same situation would have used. In order to win in a negligence claim, a personal injury attorney in the Skokie area must prove that the defendant owed the plaintiff a duty of care, the defendant breached the duty of care owed to the plaintiff, and the plaintiff’s injuries occurred in an accident that was caused directly by the defendant’s breach.

Illinois follows a comparative negligence rule, which means that fault is relatively apportioned among all of the parties to an accident. In other words, the jury will examine all of the circumstances, including the plaintiff’s own contribution to the accident, if any.

For example, the defendant may have caused a car accident by running a red light, but the plaintiff may have been speeding. In such a scenario, the jury will allocate a certain percentage of fault to the plaintiff for speeding and reduce their overall damages accordingly. For instance, if the plaintiff is determined to be 20 percent at fault for the accident, and their total damages are $50,000, that amount will be reduced by 20 percent, and the plaintiff will ultimately be awarded $40,000.

Damages is the legal term for compensation in a personal injury claim. Depending on the nature and extent of your injuries, you may be entitled to reimbursement for medical costs, costs of future medical care, lost wages, rehabilitation costs, pain and suffering, disability, and property damage. If you have lost a loved one in an accident, you may be able to seek funeral expenses, loss of companionship, and other compensation through a wrongful death lawsuit.

We understand that accidents can change a person’s life in an instant. If you have been injured in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you need to contact a knowledgeable attorney who can handle your case. At Injury Lawyers of Illinois, we are committed to helping our clients fight for the compensation that they deserve for their harm. We proudly represent victims in cities that include Skokie, Evanston, Des Plaines, Elk Grove Village, Morton Grove, Mount Prospect, Niles, and Jefferson Park, as well as other areas of the state. To discuss your case in more detail, call (847) 982-9516 or (312) 929-3807 or contact us online for a free consultation.