After an accident, people are quick to call for emergency help. While this is a good idea, and you should absolutely call for help if you can, there is one more call you should make. Call a lawyer. Your attorney can help you take stock of the situation and determine if a personal injury case can help you get fair compensation for your injuries and damages.
After being injured, call for help and get to a doctor. While some need to be rushed to the hospital right away, other cases might be less urgent. Even so, see a doctor and get checked out as soon as you can. When you are ready, call a lawyer and ask about the best way to get compensation. You might benefit from a lawsuit, insurance claim, or even a private settlement. To begin your case, your lawyer can help you find evidence to support your claims and assess your damages so we know what your claims should be worth. Once we have all the information we need, we can file a formal complaint to start the case.
Start your case with a free review from our personal injury lawyers at the Rhatigan Law Offices by calling (312) 578-8502.
What to Do After Experiencing a Personal Injury in Wheeling, IL
If you suffer injuries in some kind of accident, your very first step should be to call for help and get medical treatment. For some, this might mean a call to 911. If necessary, get emergency medical attention at the hospital right away. This might mean taking an ambulance or having someone drive you to the hospital immediately. However, this is not always necessary. Some people are capable of driving themselves to a doctor shortly after an accident. Even if your situation is not urgent, you should still see a doctor to be evaluated.
If possible, begin collecting evidence immediately. Take photos, exchange contact information with potential witnesses, or simply make mental notes about the accident. All this information might lead us to evidence we can use in the courtroom to prove your claims. Not only that, but our personal injury attorneys will help you collect evidence as quickly as possible. A lot of this evidence could disappear if we do not collect it fast enough. For example, if you do not exchange information with others at the accident scene, we might never find them again, and their valuable eyewitness testimony may be lost to us forever.
Finally, contact a lawyer and ask how you can get fair compensation for your damages. Even if you are not quite sure whether you want to take legal action, call a lawyer. They can review your situation and help you make an informed decision about what to do next.
How to Get Fair Compensation for a Personal Injury in Wheeling, IL
We might know that you deserve fair compensation for everything that happened to you, but proving it might be quite the challenge. Your attorney can work with you to determine the best way to get you the compensation you need. While a personal injury lawsuit is certainly a possibility, there may be other options worth considering.
File a Lawsuit
One option is to sue the person responsible for the accident. Generally, in most personal injury cases, plaintiffs must prove that the defendant’s negligence caused the accident. Negligence is not just mere carelessness, but a legal concept comprised of four crucial elements: duty, breach, causation, and damages. First, we must prove that the defendant owed you a duty of care. Next, we must show how they violated or breached their legal duty. Next, we must prove that the defendant’s breach is the direct cause of your injuries. Finally, we have to show that your injuries and damages are real.
Lawsuits are known for being time-consuming, difficult, and frustrating. However, if we can successfully prove your claims, it may be worth the effort. The court may award you the full spectrum of your damages, as long as we can prove them, and the defendant is legally bound to pay.
Insurance
Many people turn to insurance as a first course of action. This is not an unusual choice as insurance is often mandatory in many situations or at least strongly suggested. For example, after a car accident, you might file an auto insurance claim in the hopes of getting the compensation necessary to cover all your costs. If you need medical care, health insurance you buy yourself or get through an employer may be used to cover your costs. While insurance can be a major help, and some people have all their costs covered, it can be challenging. Insurance companies are known for trying to weasel out of paying, even when insurance policies clearly require them to pay. Having a lawyer by your side throughout the insurance process may increase your odds of success.
Settlements
After filing a lawsuit, you do not always have to endure a trial in a courtroom. In fact, most cases end in settlement agreements rather than trial verdicts. A settlement is an agreement between the defendant and the plaintiff. You may agree to drop the lawsuit and waive your right to file the cause of action while the defendant agrees to pay a certain sum of money to cover your damages. How much money your settlement is worth must be negotiated, and your lawyer can help you negotiate for the best possible settlement.
While settlements are common, they are not mandatory. If one of the parties chooses not to engage in settlement talks, no deal can be reached. In some cases, people try to work out settlements, but negotiations fall apart. As such, we must be prepared to go to trial, even if we are planning on accepting a settlement offer.
Speak to Our Wheeling, IL Personal Injury Lawyers About Your Case Today
Begin your case with a free evaluation from our personal injury attorneys at the Rhatigan Law Offices by calling (312) 578-8502.
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