AUTO ACCIDENTS

According to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), Illinois was home to approximately 313,316 motor vehicle accidents in 2015. Of those accidents:

• 65,744 resulted in injuries

• 914 resulted in fatalities

• 5,013 involved pedestrians

• 3,446 involved motorcyclists

• 3,446 involved bicyclists

• 11,906 involved tractor-trailers

• 6,892 occurred in work zones

These statistics are alarming, especially when you take a moment to consider how many of these injuries and fatalities were caused by drivers being distracted, reckless, or simply careless.

Car Accidents & Personal Injury Cases

When you or a loved one gets hurt in an accident that wasn’t your fault, you have what the legal world refers to as a personal injury case. In other words, it is your legal right to seek fair payment in order to help you pay for:

• Medical bills

• Physical therapy and similar services

• Lost wages from missing work

• General pain and suffering

• Funeral and burial expenses (in the event that you lost a family member in the accident)

• Any other costs that are directly connected to the accident

As far as you’re concerned, getting payment for these things should be simple and straightforward. You were hurt. You suffered a loss. It’s only fair that you get an appropriate settlement to help you recover financially, physically, and emotionally. However, there are a few things you should know about the personal injury process before you make any arrangements with the insurance company.

You Have a 2-Year Window of Opportunity

In Illinois, the statute of limitations (or, more simply, the time limit) to file a personal injury lawsuit is two years. This means that you have a maximum of two years to seek the compensation you need after a car accident. If you wait too long and your claim gets denied, your window of opportunity will close, and you will not be able to file a lawsuit in order to pursue your claim more aggressively.

To avoid this legal and financial headache altogether, the best thing you can do is meet with a personal injury attorney as soon as possible after your accident. That way, you will know from the get-go what your case is worth, how aggressive you (or rather, your legal team) will need to be, and approximately how long it will take to put this whole thing behind you.

Insurance Companies Are Pushy

When you talk to an insurance adjuster about your case, you are almost guaranteed to hear that your case is worth little to no money. They may tell you that the accident was actually your fault, that your case is worth half of what it’s actually worth, or — even worse — that your case isn’t worth any money at all.

Don't let them push you into a deal. Instead, set up a free consultation with our firm and find out the truth about your case. The insurance adjuster’s job is to pay you as little as possible. Ours is to get you as much as we possibly can and to deal with all those insurance personnel so that you don’t have to.