Were you or someone you know recently injured in an accident? If so, the person or people who caused the accident should be held accountable and be made to pay for your expenses. This can be a tough feat to accomplish, and a lawyer can help you by filing a personal injury case. Your attorney can help you get the fair compensation you need.
Our lawyers have worked with plaintiffs on various cases, including injuries in nursing homes, bike collisions, and accidents involving planes and trains. However, personal injury law may encompass many more accidents and injuries. As accidents vary, so may damages. Be sure to ask your lawyer about economic, non-economic, and punitive damages so that you get all the compensation you are entitled to. Before you are awarded compensation, we must use evidence to prove your case. Evidence might come from almost anywhere and is sometimes very difficult to obtain. Your lawyer can assist.
Get a confidential assessment of your case for no charge from our Chicago personal injury lawyers by calling the Rhatigan Law Offices at (312) 578-8502.
Cases Our Personal Injury Attorneys Have Seen in Downers Grove
People often confuse what kinds of cases are and are not personal injuries. It is pretty common for people to mistakenly believe that any personal or private losses, particularly those revolving around money, are grounds for personal injury claims. While economic losses are part of many personal injury cases, that is not the primary criterion. All personal injury cases must involve some physical injury.
Injuries in Nursing Homes
Our personal injury lawyers have seen multiple personal injury claims stemming from accidents or mistreatment in nursing homes. People who live in nursing homes are often very vulnerable. They might be in poor health or have declining mental faculties, making them more prone to accidents or even abuse. As such, nursing homes have a duty to make sure residents are safe and as healthy as possible. If they fail to fulfill this duty, people might get hurt. Even a simple fall in a nursing home might leave a vulnerable person with debilitating injuries.
Bicycle Crashes
Downers Grove is a suburb of Chicago and is not far from the hustle and bustle of downtown. As such, many people who live and work in Downers Grove get around on bikes rather than by car or public transportation. With so many bike riders on our streets, bike crashes are unfortunately common. On top of that, bike riders are often the ones with the most serious injuries. Meanwhile, the drivers in the car that hit bike riders are relatively unharmed. If you were hit by a car while riding your bike, get emergency help immediately and contact an attorney as soon as you can.
Aviation and Train Accidents
Travel and transportation are major parts of our daily lives, especially for people who live in and around Chicago, where there are numerous train lines and the famous O’Hare International Airport. While we always hope our travels go as smoothly as possible, this is not always the case. Every year, people are hurt in accidents involving planes, airports, trains, stations, and other aspects of the transportation industry. If you are injured in your travels, talk to our team about how to get fair compensation for your injuries. Remember, these kinds of accidents can but do not always involve crashes. You can sue for injuries you sustained in the airport before you set foot on the plane or accidents on train platforms rather than onboard the train itself.
Injuries, Damages, and Compensation in Downers Grove Personal Injury Cases
It is crucial that you discuss all your injuries and losses with your lawyer, as these may form the foundation of your damages calculations. Assessing damages is often difficult, as plaintiffs may incur numerous expenses and have a hard time keeping track of them all, especially if they are dealing with severe and painful injuries. Some damages are awarded as a punishment for defendants rather than compensation for any specific losses incurred by the plaintiff.
Possible injuries and Losses
Your injuries may be unique to your case and the nature of your accident. In this way, no two accidents or personal injury cases are exactly alike. Even if two plaintiffs are in similar accidents, they might have vastly different injuries.
Physical injuries are a major component of personal injury lawsuits, and these injuries may range from somewhat minor to extreme or catastrophic. Some plaintiffs experience soft-tissue injuries, fractures, cuts, and other injuries that, while painful, will likely fully recover. Others suffer back and spinal cord injuries or head trauma that leaves them with serious and lasting complications.
Compensatory Damages
Your compensatory damages are comprised of economic losses and non-economic injuries. Economic injuries are your losses and damages that include financial costs. For example, if you need emergency medical care after an accident, you should include your hospital bills in your economic damages. Non-economic damages, on the other hand, are not tied to costs but instead rooted in your personal experiences. You may claim things like physical pain, emotional and psychological trauma, and any reductions in your quality of life. These damages may be difficult to assess but are often worth substantial compensation.
Punitive Damages
Damages awarded to punish defendants for especially egregious behavior and hopefully deter future bad behavior are called punitive damages. According to 735 I.L.C.S. § 5/2-1115.05(a), punitive damages are only available if the jury finds compensatory damages. If you are not awarded economic or non-economic damages, you may not be awarded punitive damages, even if they might otherwise be available.
Also, under this law, punitive damages are capped at 3 times the value of economic damages. So, if you are awarded $25,000 in economic damages, your punitive damages may be for no more than $75,000.
According to subsection (b), punitive damages are only awarded if the plaintiff can prove by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant either acted with an evil motive or acted with such outrageous and reckless indifference to a highly unreasonable risk of harm and a conscious indifference to others’ safety. This is an extremely difficult burden to meet, and the necessary conditions are somewhat unusual, making punitive damages rare.
For Help with Your Case, Contact Our Downers Grove Personal Injury Attorneys
Get a confidential assessment of your case for no charge from our personal injury lawyers by calling the Rhatigan Law Offices at (312) 578-8502.
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