Rockford Personal Injury Lawyer

Personal injury refers to any variety of injuries or death that occurred because of the negligence of another person or party. Under the law, if injured victims can demonstrate that another entity was legally responsible for an accident, the person, their insurance, and/or others associated with the accident can be held liable for compensating medical expenses, property damage, loss of wages, and much more.

As Rockford personal injury attorneys, our job is to help personal injury victims claim the compensation they deserve under the law when the fault of an accident lies with the other party. Find out more about personal injury claims, how we will handle your case, and why you should use our legal services after an accident.

• Simply being involved in an accident is not always enough to legally claim personal injury. A person can only make a personal injury claim in Rockford if the accident was caused by the carelessness of another person and the accident resulted in real injury. Some of the common types of injury we see as personal injury attorneys – in which we have a lot of experience – include the following:

  • Auto accidents
  • DUI accidents
  • Motorcycle accidents
  • Truck accidents
  • Pedestrian accidents
  • Bicycle accidents
  • Traumatic brain injury accidents
  • Dog Bites
  • Slip and fall accidents
  • Accidents caused by defective products
  • Unsafe premises accidents
  • Dangerous worksite accidents
  • Wrongful death

If you or someone you love was injured or killed in an accident, you likely have several concerns about medical bills, insurance claims, and how you will be able to pay for the accident. You are not legally obligated to pay for the costs of hospitalization, doctor’s visits, property damages, or funeral costs, all of these being areas where we have helped others like you before. You must consult with a personal injury lawyer to discuss your options and pursue avenues that will help you recover compensation for all damages caused at the hands of someone else’s negligence.

Illinois law provides that any person who is injured due to the fault of another is entitled to receive fair compensation for any associated monetary setbacks. These rights, among others, are afforded to those who have suffered harm, including:

• compensation for reasonable and necessary medical care
• compensation for lost time or earnings
• damages for pain and suffering from the injury
• damages for loss of enjoyment of normal life experienced or likely to be experienced

These rights should alleviate a lot of your concerns if you have been involved in a personal injury. As your legal representation, we seek to claim compensation so that the burden of monetary loss, in all of its forms, doesn’t fall on you. We also fight for just compensation that adequately covers your pain and suffering.

So call your professional Rockford personal injury attorneys today.

Our process for handling personal injury cases is time-tested and proven to get you the best compensation amount possible. We pursue several avenues to make sure your case is heard and all of the intricacies of the law are accounted for. After formally hiring us as your legal counsel, we will follow these procedures to ensure that you receive a fair compensation amount:

1. Organize and submit initial paperwork. In this step, we begin by opening claims with insurance companies (if applicable) or by drafting the paperwork for a lawsuit. This establishes with the insurance companies or individuals being sued that we have a formal complaint, allowing us to state the legal basis for our claims and detail the accident with the lawsuit’s delineated objectives. There are many other steps involved in this process, including a summons, answer, counterclaim, and much more, all of which we will handle for you as they come up.
2. Gather all necessary evidence for your case. As part of your lawsuit, both sides must engage in a “fact-finding” mission to ensure complete accuracy and no surprises when trying to settle. On our end, it means finding all of the necessary documents, photographs, witnesses, and sworn statements of the person/insurance company/entity you are dealing with. It also means preparing you for a deposition (a verbally sworn statement) and any other written discoveries – all of which we will guide you through step-by-step.
3. Represent you during negotiations, settlements, and court hearings. Requesting a lawyer doesn’t necessarily mean you will need to go to court. Far fewer personal injury cases go to court than are settled. A settlement means both parties were able to come together to reach a negotiation that will ultimately benefit you as the injury victim.If your case indeed cannot be resolved out of court, however, we are excellent trial lawyers and will represent you in all court hearings.
4. Help you claim your monetary judgments. Simply being “awarded” your compensation by settlement or through the court doesn’t necessarily mean that the other party will be able to pay it. If your compensation amount is more than a business or individual has in assets or income, it is very difficult to obtain your compensation. There are still ways to receive your judgments, however, and we will continue working with you until the full amount of your compensation is paid out duly.

It is important to remember that Illinois law also provides for a strict statute of limitations (SOL), a time limit in which claims can be made for personal injuries. It is important to start this process now and early if you or a loved one has been injured in an accident.

There are many factors which go into determining the amount of compensation a victim takes home. One critical factor is the plaintiff’s contributory fault, also called contributory negligence. Some accidents are black and white, and there is an obvious victim. In other cases, both sides are a little to blame for the accident. For example, a pedestrian might have crossed when the traffic signal told him not to cross, but a speeding motorist clipped him by running a red light. In this example, the pedestrian is not blameless.

Under Illinois law, you can’t receive any compensation if you are more than 50% responsible for an accident. The law completely bars you from receiving anything. By contrast, if you are 50% or less to blame, then your compensation is reduced in proportion to your share of fault.

Imagine our clients are 33% at fault for an accident. If their case is worth $90,000, their contributory fault reduces that amount by a third. At most, they can receive $60,000. Contributory fault is something we negotiate with the other side in settlement talks. In a jury trial, the jury allocates fault.

Another limitation is the amount of money a defendant has. Some are broke, or they might have a small insurance policy. It’s tough to receive more compensation if the defendant has no resources. Let us review.

Accident victims in Illinois need to move quickly to get a personal injury claim filed. There are many tight deadlines. Generally, Illinois law gives you two years to sue from the date of the accident. If you miss this deadline, then you can lose your ability to sue altogether.

Some accidents are caused by government workers or agencies. In that case, the Illinois Tort Claims Act requires filing a notice of your claim with the state within one year. Tuite Law can help anyone hurt in this type of accident navigate the claims process.

We have heard many myths about personal injury cases and now want to set the record straight:

• Myth #1: A lawyer is an unnecessary expense. In fact, a lawyer can often increase the amount of compensation a personal injury victim receives. We represent clients on contingency fee agreements, so you won’t pay us unless we win.
• Myth #2: Only the most serious disabilities qualify for compensation. Even moderate injuries are worth more than victims realize. We can request compensation for anyone struggling with pain and emotional distress.
• Myth #3: You’ll go to trial. Very few of our cases go to trial. Instead, we can typically negotiate fair compensation in a settlement with the defendant, making a trial unnecessary.
• Myth #4: You can come back for more compensation if your injuries are more serious than you realize. This is manifestly false. In fact, you will sign a release as part of your settlement agreement, releasing the defendant from further liability. You get one shot to obtain fair compensation.

Contact us to get the straight facts on how personal injury claims work in Rockford.

The process of claiming compensation is very complicated and involved. Individuals who decide to pursue personal injury claims on their own frequently prolong the process or negotiate a much lower settlement than that for which attorneys can negotiate. As personal injury lawyers, we have years of experience navigating through the confusing process, and we will help you expedite your settlement.

Whether we are working with insurance adjusters or other legal representatives, we will be able to represent you in every step of the process. If you have been involved in an accident or suffered a serious injury, there is no better time to speak with a Rockford personal injury attorney than now.

Call our personal injury law firm today at (815) 977-7395 or click here now for a free consultation about your injury or wrongful death case and we will get you on the right path for compensation.