One bad accident is all it takes to seriously disrupt your life, possibly for a long time. What is worse is that many accidents are caused by careless others. If this happens to you, you do not have to accept the consequences of someone else’s negligent behavior. Speak to an attorney about getting justice and financial compensation for your injuries and losses.
Personal injury cases must involve some sort of injury to your body, although numerous other claims might be filed alongside your personal injury claims. Many injuries stem from common accidents like slip and falls or car crashes. While these kinds of accidents might be common, that does not mean that injured victims cannot obtain justice. Our attorneys can help you claim numerous damages in your case, including financial costs of your injuries, pain and suffering, and possibly more. Talk to our team as soon as possible. You have limited time to file a claim, and you do not want to miss the deadline.
Get a free, private case review from our Joliet, IL personal injury attorneys by calling the Rhatigan Law Offices at (312) 578-8502.
How Your Personal Injuries Might Have Occurred in Plainfield, IL
What is often difficult to explain about personal injury claims is that a personal injury might involve almost any kind of bodily harm. People sometimes misconceive personal injury claims as claims involving any sort of personal loss, but this is not entirely accurate. A physical injury must be present. How and why your injuries occurred may determine specifically what kind of claim you have and what kind of help you need. Below are some, but not all, of the cases our personal injury attorneys have worked on and can help you with.
Slip and Fall Accidents
Even something as seemingly minor as a slip and fall accident can cause severe injuries to unfortunate victims. People sometimes try to dismiss these claims as frivolous, but they are anything but. Injured victims might have broken bones, hand and arm injuries from trying to break their fall, neck and back injuries, or even brain injuries if they hit their head. The person responsible for safely maintaining the premises for guests may be held liable.
Vehicle Crashes
Car accidents are some of the most common causes of injuries and personal injury cases. Again, these accidents may vary from relatively minor incidents to catastrophic crashes. Insurance can sometimes be helpful, but it can also pose a serious legal complication, and it is best to hire a lawyer to help you. Not only do you deserve compensation for your injuries, but you deserve compensation for the loss of your vehicle, which might be an integral part of your daily life.
Injuries at Work
Some accidents happen in the workplace. While we often think of inherently dangerous jobs when considering work-related accidents, like factory work or construction, they also happen in seemingly mundane places, like a normal office, store, or shop. You might have strong legal claims for damages if you were injured by malfunctioning heavy machinery or simply slipped on the stairs in your office. Your employer might be responsible in some cases, but we should also examine other parties to determine who caused the accident.
Potential Damages Available in Your Plainfield, IL Personal Injury Case
A personal injury does not have to be severe to warrant legal action. Even minor injuries that fully heal may be grounds for a lawsuit. After all, medical care for minor injuries is still expensive, and you might still have costly damages to claim. Even so, the greater your injuries, the greater your damages are likely to be.
Compensatory Damages
Plaintiffs typically claim a whole host of compensatory damages. These damages encompass various economic costs of the accident in addition to non-economic injuries that might not have a direct financial cost. Some of these damages might be obvious, but others can be easily missed, and you should have a lawyer make sure all your damages are accounted for.
Your medical bills might be a significant contributing factor to your economic damages. Even minor injuries tend to require costly treatment. If your injuries are more severe, your medical bills are probably much greater.
Not only might your injuries require expensive care, but they might prevent you from working for a while or forever. If you cannot return to work due to your injuries, talk to your lawyer about claiming lost income. The longer you cannot work, the more compensation you deserve.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages may be awarded in cases where the defendant’s behavior is especially egregious. These damages are awarded not only to punish the defendant but also to deter future bad behavior. According to 735 I.L.C.S. § 5/2-1115.05(a), punitive damages are limited to three times the value of economic damages.
According to subsection (b) of this law, we must prove by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant acted with an evil motive or with reckless indifference to a highly unreasonable risk of harm that demonstrates a conscience indifference to the safety and rights of others. Cases of ordinary negligence may not be eligible for punitive damages.
This is a very difficult burden to meet, and many personal injury cases do not have the necessary facts or set of circumstances even to be eligible for punitive damages. Even so, they are occasionally awarded and might be worth significant financial compensation.
Time Limits in Filing Personal Injury Cases in Plainfield, IL
It is understandable to need some time to recover from your injuries and consider your legal options before hiring a lawyer. However, you should avoid taking too much time before taking action. Under 735 I.L.C.S. § 5/13-202, the statute of limitations for personal injury claims, you have only 2 years from the date of the accident to file a case. If this time limit runs out, you might lose your right to file the case.
The statute of limitations is not without a few exceptions. For example, under § 5/13-211(a), if a plaintiff is under the age of 18 or experiencing a legal disability that prevents them from understanding their injuries or rights, the statute of limitations may be tolled. Tolling essentially pauses the clock on your claim. The 2-year time limit would not begin until minors turn 18. For those with legal disabilities, the time limit would not start until the disabilities are lifted.
Speak to Our Plainfield, IL Personal Injury Attorneys for Assistance
Get a free, private case review from our personal injury attorneys by calling the Rhatigan Law Offices at (312) 578-8502.
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