Victims can incur a wide range of costly medical expenses because of an accident. These expenses can cause place a great deal of financial stress on patients and their families.
You can collect payment for medical bills after an accident by reporting your accident to the police and filing a car accident lawsuit against the at-fault driver. By taking certain actions in the immediate aftermath of your crash, you may protect your ability to recover compensation. Afterwards, you should seek prompt medical treatment and gather evidence to prove the other driver was at fault.
If you were injured because of a car accident in Illinois, get help collecting payment for your medical bills. Contact our experienced Chicago car accident lawyers by calling the Rhatigan Law Offices at (312) 578-8502 for a free case review.
How to Collect Payment for Medical Bills After an Accident in Illinois
You may collect payment for medical bills after an accident by filing a car accident lawsuit. The legal strategies that apply to your case can vary. However, after a crash, taking the following actions will help your ability to recover financial compensation:
Report Your Accident
After being injured in a car accident, you should report the crash to the police right away. 625 I.L.C.S. 5/11-401 requires that you remain at the scene until the police arrive. A motorist who flees the scene of an accident can be charged with a hit and run.
An officer must visit the scene of your crash to draft an official accident report. An officer’s accident report may provide a wide array of information regarding the circumstances of a crash. For example, an officer may include the following information in their report:
- Information regarding the people and property involved in the accident
- Statements from motorists involved in the accident
- Statements from eyewitnesses
- A drawn diagram of the accident
- Notes indicating how or why the accident happened
Accordingly, accident reports can be very helpful to our Illinois personal injury lawyers when proving another driver was at fault. Our team can help retrieve a copy of the official accident report in your case.
Previously, in addition to reporting their harmful accidents to the police, victims were required to report their injuries to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). Victims had to complete a form and submit it to the IDOT within 10 days of their crash. However, that requirement has been repealed by Public Act 102-0560. Since August 20, 2021, only employees injured while driving government-owned vehicles are required to report their injuries to the IDOT.
Gather Information at the Scene
Additionally, you should attempt to gather important information at the scene in the aftermath of your accident. First, you should collect contact information for all parties involved in the crash. Furthermore, insurance information and license plate numbers should be retrieved from other drivers. This information can be helpful when filing a car accident lawsuit.
Contact information for any eyewitnesses should also be gathered. Eyewitnesses can help explain the events that unfolded before, during, and after an accident. Therefore, their testimony can be useful when establishing fault for a crash.
Lastly, you should take photos at the scene of your accident if possible. Photos can also be used to show that another driver caused your crash. For instance, photos of a crushed vehicle can be used to show that a motorist was travelling at excessive speeds when your accident occurred. Our Joliet, IL car accident lawyers can help review photos from the scene of your accident during a free case review.
Seek Medical Attention
After your accident, you should not wait to seek medical attention for your injuries. Proper documentation of your injuries will be required in order to recover payment for your medical bills. Furthermore, if you do not seek medical treatment in a timely manner, the defendant’s lawyers will argue that you were not actually injured by the crash at issue.
Accordingly, waiting to seek medical attention could inhibit your ability to recover financial compensation in a car accident lawsuit. Our experienced Naperville car accident lawyers can help refer the right doctors for you.
Determine Who to Sue
In Illinois, you may hold drivers responsible for accidents they cause. Accordingly, you will typically collect payment for your medical bills from the at-fault driver’s insurance company. However, when determining who to sue, plaintiffs must ensure that the four following elements have been established:
- The defendant driver owed you a duty of care to act a certain way under the circumstances
- The defendant driver breached that duty of care
- You were injured because of the defendant’s breach of duty
- You suffered damages because of your injuries
Analyzing these elements can be a complicated process. Our Rockford car accident lawyers can help determine who to sue by properly applying the aforementioned elements to your claim.
Collect Evidence
Next, in order to collect payment for your medical bills, you must collect evidence that shows another driver was at fault for your crash. There are numerous forms of evidence that can be used to prove fault. The following are common types of evidence used by our team:
- Witness statements
- Expert witness statements
- Accident reports
- Traffic camera footage
- Physical evidence from the scene
- Photos from the scene
- Personal recollections
Gathering relevant evidence can be a difficult task. Some parties in control of pertinent evidence may not behave cooperatively with plaintiffs. Our Illinois car accident lawyers can help collect the evidence required to win your case.
File a Car Accident Lawsuit
Finally, you should file a car accident lawsuit against the negligent driver who caused your crash. Plaintiffs in car accident lawsuits may recover the full extent of medical expenses related to their crashes.
According to 735 I.L.C.S. 5/13-202, you will generally have two years from the date of your crash to file a car accident lawsuit in Illinois. However, you should not wait to file your claim. Relevant evidence can become difficult to collect over time. For instance, important details may be forgotten, and crucial documents may be misplaced. You should contact our Aurora car accident lawyers as soon as possible after an accident, so we may begin building your case right away.
If You Were Injured Because of a Car Accident in Illinois, Our Lawyers Can Help
If you were injured because of a car accident, seek support from our experienced car accident lawyers by calling the Rhatigan Law Offices at (312) 578-8502 for a free case review.
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