Will County Personal Injury Lawyer
Any personal injury is unexpected, stressful, and costly. It can be particularly frustrating when the injury could have been avoided if other people were reasonably careful. However, when someone else is at fault for your injuries, you can file a personal injury claim. This can cover your financial and emotional losses. With the help of a Will County personal injury lawyer, your claim is more likely to succeed and get the most financial compensation available.
Your Personal Injury Attorneys in Will County
Many personal injury claims deal with insurance companies, which is the last thing you want to worry about when injured. Your attorney can handle discussions and negotiations for you while keeping you updated on important information. Attorneys know the strategies used by insurance providers to limit the compensation that you receive, and they also know how to combat them.
The attorneys at Connolly Injury Law can handle the important aspects of a personal injury claim, such as:
- Investigating the cause of your accident
- Finding evidence of fault
- Calculating the extent of your damages
- Negotiating with the insurance provider
- Taking your claim to court if necessary
Our firm has worked in personal injury law for nearly 15 years. We take the time to understand your needs and your unique case to better represent your interests. We fight for you and try to obtain the highest settlement possible for your case.
Legal Deadlines for Personal Injury Claims
An important thing to consider after suffering a personal injury is the statute of limitations. This is a legal deadline by which you must file a civil personal injury claim. In Illinois, this limit is typically two years from the date of the injury. This two-year limit also applies to wrongful death claims, starting from the date of death. If you don’t file prior to the statute of limitations expiring, then you will not be able to file a successful claim and receive compensation. An exception to this rule is if the defendant is a public entity or municipality in which case the statute of limitations would be shortened to only one year.
Some claims have exceptions under the rule of discovery. This means that if you did not discover the injury or damages at the date it occurred, the statute of limitations starts on the day you do discover the injury. However, this does not apply in every personal injury case. It most frequently applies in medical malpractice cases. Even if you didn’t discover the injury for some time, all medical malpractice cases must be filed within four years of the incident occurring.
It’s important to talk with an attorney soon after sustaining or discovering an injury. If you just now found your injury, an attorney can determine if you could still file based on the rule of discovery. There are also other potential exceptions to the statute of limitations, such as if the victim was a minor or if the at-fault party took steps to fraudulently conceal their actions.
Personal Injury Claims at Connolly Injury Law
There are many types of personal injury claims in Will County. It is important to work with a skilled personal injury attorney with the resources to handle claims like yours, whether that be your type of accident or the injury you sustained. Each case is unique, but there are similar aspects between related ones. When your attorney understands these similarities, your case is likely to be resolved more quickly.
There are many types of personal injury claims that we have experience with at Connolly Injury Law. These include:
Auto Accidents
Motor vehicle accidents happen frequently, from minor fender benders to severe collisions. Serious car accidents can result in significant injuries, property damage, and even fatal harm. As an at-fault car accident state, claims in Illinois are filed with the insurance company of the at-fault driver. A car accident attorney can help you file this claim.
Motorcycle Accidents
A collision between a motorcycle and a car often causes severe and fatal injuries to the rider of the motorcycle. A personal injury or insurance claim can help a motorcyclist or their surviving family members recover compensation for a devastating loss.
Nursing Home Neglect and Abuse
The staff at long-term care facilities are responsible for residents and their care. Negligence and abuse in a nursing home are unacceptable, and the at-fault parties should be held responsible. If you or a family member is a resident who shows signs of neglect or abuse, it is important to discuss a potential personal injury or medical malpractice case with an attorney.
Medical Malpractice
Medical malpractice and negligence claims occur when a doctor, nurse, pharmacist, or other medical provider fails to uphold their professional duty of care. These cases are particularly complicated to investigate and negotiate.
Pedestrian Accidents
When a pedestrian is injured or killed because another party, such as a driver or a bicyclist, is negligent, they or their surviving family members can file a claim.
Scooter Accidents
When someone is injured on an electric scooter or because of one, claims can involve motor vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian regulations. It is important that your attorney understands these regulations and how they interact.
Serious Injuries
Serious injuries occur in many personal injury accidents. This term refers to injuries that have life-long implications for a victim. These may include permanent physical or mental disability, PTSD, scarring, and other long-term pain and impairment. A personal injury claim settlement has to account for the financial costs of these injuries for the rest of someone’s life.
Slip and Fall and Premises Liability
Both public and private property owners are responsible for the upkeep and relative safety of their properties. If a lawful visitor to the grounds is injured because a property owner was negligent in addressing hazards, the property owner can be held liable. A premises liability claim often includes slip and fall claims, negligent security, and other types of hazards.
Truck Accidents
Collisions between commercial trucks and passenger vehicles can be very serious. They frequently result in severe or fatal injuries for those in smaller cars. Truck accidents have much more costly damages, and many individual and commercial parties could be liable, making these personal injury claims complicated.
Rideshare Accidents
Rideshare accidents can be complicated if the rideshare driver is at fault. This is because claims may need to be filed with the driver’s personal car insurance or with the insurance of the rideshare company. There may be other complicated issues as well. If you are involved in an accident with a rideshare driver or while in a rideshare, such as Uber and Lyft, it is important to discuss the situation with a skilled attorney.
Wrongful Death
A wrongful death claim will not replace the immense loss of a loved one. Instead, it gives surviving family members a level of financial stability and time to grieve. It also holds the party at fault for the loved one’s death responsible for their actions.
FAQs
Q: How Long Does a Personal Injury Case Take in Will County?
A: A personal injury case in Will County can take anywhere from several days to several months to a year. Every individual case is unique. There are many factors that influence the length of your personal injury claim, including:
- How complex your case is
- The skill of the attorney you hire
- The significance of your injuries and other damages
- Whether the at-fault party and/or their insurance contests liability
- The resources of the insurance company you are filing with
- If the case can be settled in negotiations or must go to court
Q: When Should I Hire a Personal Injury Lawyer in Will County?
A: The sooner you hire a personal injury lawyer in Will County, the better. If you have been injured in an accident or other incident, and you believe that another party was at fault, it’s important to contact an attorney quickly. Many personal injury claims are first negotiated with an insurance provider, and these companies discuss cases very differently with injured parties than with skilled attorneys. Working with an attorney means that you are likely to receive much more compensation than you would alone.
Q: What Is the Personal Injury Law in Illinois?
A: For a party to be at fault in a personal injury claim in Illinois, they must have owed the injured party a duty of care, and their breach of that duty of care directly caused the accident, resulting in injuries and other damages. A party breaches a duty of care when they act negligently, maliciously, or with willful misconduct. If the injured party is partially at fault for the accident, they can still recover damages as long as they are less than 50% liable.
Q: What Is the Discovery Rule in Illinois for Personal Injury?
A: The discovery rule states that if an injured party did not know that they were injured at the time of the incident and could not reasonably have known, they could file a claim after the statute of limitations has expired. This is typically applicable in certain medical malpractice cases. If someone is in a car accident and does not discover an injury for some time, it will be harder to file a claim under the rule of discovery.
Even when any personal injury claim qualifies under the discovery rule, it still has a statute of limitations of four years overall.
Let Connolly Injury Law Help You Navigate Your Claim
A personal injury case isn’t easy to handle alone when you are injured. At Connolly Injury Law, we can handle the case on your behalf and fight for the most compensation that is available in your case. Contact our team today.
