Personal Injury Law in Chicago, IL

Were you hurt due to another’s negligence in Chicago? If so, it may have far-reaching consequences such as a loss of wages or extensive medical treatment. Personal injury law allows an injured person to get damages if the responsible person acted recklessly. A personal injury attorney in Chicago, IL can help navigate the lawsuit to make sure you receive all of the compensation you deserve.

What Is Personal Injury Law?

Personal injury law in Chicago relates to the legal process of getting compensation for an injury caused by someone else’s negligent behavior. These cases involve one party, the plaintiff, trying to seek financial compensation for expenses incurred and money lost as a result of the defendant’s reckless behavior. These cases involve both parties’ insurance companies and may even settle before proceeding to litigation.

Examples of Personal Injury Claims in Chicago, IL

Some personal injury claims are more common than others. However, almost any incident that ends with a physical or mental injury could qualify, depending on the circumstances.

A few of the most common personal injury claims are:

• Car Accidents
• Slip and Fall
• Dog Bites
• Medical Malpractice
• Workplace Accidents
• Burn Injuries

Most Common Injuries in Chicago 

The Chicago Sun Times found a link in 2018 between the Chicago south side Black community, shorter ambulance rides, and a new trauma center that helped save lives. Chicago’s Department of Public Health states that heart disease and cancer were the top two leading causes of death for all Chicago residents. In addition, homicide was the 10th leading cause of death for all Chicagoans, and the 5th leading cause of death for the city’s Hispanic and Black populations.

Steps in a Personal Injury Lawsuit in Chicago, IL

Once you determine that you wish to proceed forward with a personal injury action in Illinois

A lawsuit begins when a complaint is filed with the court and served on the defendant. The complaint alleges your assertion as the plaintiff that the defendant’s negligent behavior resulted in damage to your body or mental state. As the process proceeds forward, you may have to go through depositions, independent medical evaluations and document production. This discovery process is lengthy and ends in either settlement or a court appearance.

In Chicago, if no immediate settlement can be reached, with the help of your attorney you can file a complaint to the court in order to seek damages. After filing the complaint you then endure the process of discovery, depositions, and written interrogatories, before either a settlement can be reached, or you go to trial.

Illinois Personal Injury Settlement

With most personal injury cases, insurance companies and injured parties prefer settlement negotiations rather than going to court for a trial. You may wonder how much you should seek in your settlement and factors that impact the final amount.

In cities like Chicago, with high populations and high injury rates, it becomes all the more impossible to find a true average personal injury settlement amount. The Lawsuit Information Center Blog found that the median damage awards for personal injury lawsuits that go to trial in Illinois is roughly $26,624. In addition, Chicago plaintiffs receive damages in about 51% of cases that go to trial.

If the other party has insurance, the insurance company likely wants to settle out of court. In order to avoid leaving the final settlement decision to a jury. Settlements benefit injured parties as much as they do insurance companies. This is because accepting a settlement means you receive compensation sooner rather than later. Also, by going to court in IL, that means you risk not receiving any compensation at all.

Damage Awards in Illinois

If your Illinois personal injury lawsuit goes before a judge or jury, your legal team will be ready with a request for damages. In personal injury cases, there are three types of damage awards a court may order the defendant to pay. In order to compensate you for the damage he or she inflicted.

Special compensatory damages reimburse you for things such as lost income, medical bills and insurance deductibles. You submit receipts proving these losses.

General compensatory damages are subjective. If you receive special compensatory damages, you may also collect general damages. If your injury was particularly painful, you might request that the judge order the defendant compensate you for the pain and anguish.

Punitive damages are the most rarely awarded and are up to the court. The judge or jury may determine that the defendant’s negligence was particularly heinous and the resulting injury to you was equally horrific. 

There are no damage caps for a personal injury suit in Illinois. For either economic or noneconomic damages, there is no cap on the amount of damages you can seek.

Statute of Limitations in Chicago, IL Personal Injury Law?

The injured party may have a set amount of time to file suit for a personal injury case. State law establishes statutes of limitation. Commonly, the plaintiff’s injury or discovery of the injury begins the statute of limitations. However, the latter factor is trickier, as the plaintiff will have to prove when the injury was first realized.

According to Illinois statute of limitations, you have two years from the date of your accident to file a personal injury suit.

We recommend you speak with a personal injury lawyer for this matter. Don’t wait too long and miss out on receiving the compensation you deserve for your injury. 

Work With an Experienced Chicago, IL Lawyer

Pursue a personal injury claim in Chicago against the responsible person if you are dealing with an injury caused by someone else. One of our experienced lawyers can help you navigate your personal injury claim. We can even help you connect with an attorney across Illinois state lines.

Submit a request online or call us today at (866) 345-6784 to get in touch with an experienced lawyer in your area!

About the Author

Aaron is a professional legal writer with a B.S. in English Education from Southern Illinois University – Carbondale. He has written, published, and edited thousands of legal articles for RequestLegalHelp, which has connected over 5 million people to legal help in the United States.

With over five years of experience writing thousands of legal articles for law firms across the U.S. and Canada, Aaron specializes in covering federal, state, and city-level legal issues ranging from auto accidents to wrongful terminations.