You might take all the reasonable precautions you can think of to avoid an accident, but it only takes one other person’s negligence to cause a severe accident. If you are hurt, you should speak to an attorney about how to get fair financial compensation. Accidents are not exactly known for being cheap, and you might be unable to pay for all your injuries and other needs.
Your first step is to speak to a lawyer. Personal injury law encompasses a wide array of claims and injuries, and you need an attorney experienced in cases like yours. Our team has handled numerous injury cases including vehicle crashes, aviation and train accidents, slip-and-falls, and others. Once we know what kind of case you have, we can assess your damages, including economic losses and non-economic injuries. The greater your damages, the greater your compensation should be. While you might need time to consider your options, you should speak to an attorney soon, as you only have 2 years from the accident to file a case in court.
Get a private, free review of your claims from our Peoria, IL personal injury lawyers at the Rhatigan Law Offices by calling (312) 578-8502.
Different Personal Injury Cases in Rock Island
One of the trickiest parts about personal injury cases is that they may include an incredibly vast assortment of cases, claims, and injuries. You should work with a lawyer who knows how to handle cases like yours and how the law applies to your case. Below are a few examples of frequently filed personal injury claims that our team has handled and can help you with.
Vehicle Accidents
Car accidents are some of the most commonly claimed personal injury cases. While drivers typically must have insurance to help them with accident expenses, insurance does not always work out the way we need it to. In such cases, vehicle accident victims may file personal injury cases against other negligent drivers.
Vehicle accidents may involve cars, bikes, buses, motorcycles, trucks, and other vehicles on the road. You might not even be driving when the accident happens you might be a passenger in the car, a pedestrian, or a bike rider who gets hit by a car. Whatever the case may be, an attorney can help you sue the people responsible for the collision.
Aviation and Train Accidents
We often think of train and plane accidents as catastrophic events, but this is not always the case. While people injured in severe crashes and collisions may take legal action against airlines or train operators, many other accidents are somewhat less disastrous but still injurious.
For example, our personal injury attorneys can help you if you were injured in an airport rather than onboard a plane. You might slip on a freshly mopped floor without a wet-floor sign and break your ankle. Maybe a heavy suitcase fell on your head on a flight after the overhead compartment failed to close properly. You might even be hurt on a train platform waiting to catch a train. While these are arguably smaller incidents compared to devastating crashes, they still deserve fair financial compensation.
Slip-and-Falls
While it might seem a bit mundane, a slip-and-fall accident can lead to severely painful injuries. People are often too quick to brush off these accidents, as they often feel embarrassed at their clumsiness. However, many slip-and-falls happen because property owners fail to maintain the premises for the safety of others.
Many slip-and-falls happen in stores, restaurants, and other places where spills are common. You might slip in someone’s spilled drink in a bar. You might instead slip on a wet floor that was just mopped, but the employee who cleaned the mess never put up a wet-floor sign to warn guests. Property owners may be held responsible for these kinds of accidents.
Possible Damages You Can Claim in a Rock Island Personal Injury Case
Your damages in a personal injury case are all the ways in which you have been physically, economically, and psychologically injured. Some damages might be obvious to you, like big hospital bills. However, other damages are somewhat more elusive. You might not realize it before speaking to a lawyer, but you might have other damages that should be considered.
Economic
Your economic damages represent how the accident and your injuries cost you money. As mentioned, big hospital bills are a large part of many plaintiffs’ economic damages calculations. If you experience especially severe injuries, your hospital bills might be off the charts. You can also claim reasonably anticipated future medical costs if your injuries are permanent or have long-term complications.
Other economic damages might include the cost of property damage. Maybe your car was totaled in a car crash. Maybe you lost personal items in the accident that need to be replaced. These costs can add up fast, and you should be fairly compensated. On top of that, you might lose wages from being unable to work due to your injuries. You may also claim lost income and wages as part of your damages.
Non-Economic
Your non-economic injuries might have almost nothing to do with money or costs. Instead, these damages are assessed based on how they affect your life. For example, common non-economic damages include physical pain and mental or emotional suffering. These damages might represent much financial compensation depending on how badly you were injured. You might also claim damages for embarrassment or humiliation, mental anguish related to permanent scarring or disfigurement, and the overall reduction in your quality of life.
When You Should Talk to a Lawyer About Your Personal Injury Case in Rock Island
You should contact an attorney as soon as possible because you have limited time to take legal action. According to the statute of limitations under 735 I.L.C.S, § 5-13-202, plaintiffs have only 2 years to file cases in court. This limitation period begins on the day of your accident, so the clock might already be counting down.
If you are worried about time running out, ask your attorney whether the limitation period may be tolled. Tolling allows plaintiffs to pause the clock on their case, but only for specific reasons. Tolling is often available for plaintiffs who were minors or under legal disabilities when the accident happened, according to § 5/13-211(a).
If you were a minor, the limitation period is paused until you are 18, giving you until age 20 to file a case. A legal disability may include a psychological condition that prevents you from understanding your rights or injuries. In such cases, plaintiffs may have the limitation period tolled until their disability is lifted, but not for longer than 10 years.
Contact Our Rock Island Personal Injury Lawyer
Get a private, free review of your claims from our personal injury lawyers at the Rhatigan Law Offices by calling (312) 578-8502.
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