If you suffered significant injuries in the Evanston, Illinois area due to someone else’s negligence, you may have a personal injury claim. Rosenfeld Injury Lawyer can help you navigate legal proceedings following an injury.
With decades of combined legal experience and a passion for serving justice, our legal team is here to help you navigate the nuances of personal injury cases in Evanston, Illinois.
Read on to learn everything you need to know about personal injury lawsuits, the types of cases we work with, and all the ways we can help you navigate your case.
Filing a Claim With Our Evanston Personal Injury Lawyers
Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers makes filing a personal injury claim less stressful. Here are a few things you can expect when you file an Evanston personal injury case:
- Gather information: Our Evanston personal injury attorneys will gather initial information about your case during a free consultation.
- Evaluate case: Once our team has all the details, we’ll evaluate its legal eligibility based on Illinois state law and decide if legal representation benefits you.
- Investigate the claim: We’ll complete an initial investigation after accepting your case.
- File claim: Next, we’ll file an intent to litigate with the liable party based on the information collected.
- Collect evidence: Our team will continue collecting evidence to build a strong case.
- Discovery process: During discovery, we’ll exchange information with the other legal teams.
- Negotiations and mediation: Insurance carriers or defendants sometimes offer a settlement. We’ll review the settlement offer with you and discuss your options.
- Court representation: If you feel any settlement offers you receive don’t reflect your best interests, our personal injury law firm will prepare to represent you in court.
- Trail participation: Your IL personal injury attorney will participate in the trial proceedings and argue your case on your behalf.
- Compensation follow-up: Our legal services will continue until you receive payment. Your IL personal injury lawyer will follow up with the responsible parties to ensure you received the agreed-upon or ordered offer.
Personal Injury Cases Our Lawyers Handle in Evanston, IL
Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers handles a wide range of personal injury cases, including the following:
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Nursing home abuse and neglect
- Medical malpractice
- Birth injury
- Motorcycle accidents
- Defective medical devices
- Product liability
- Premises liability
- Surgical errors
- Workers’ compensation
- Construction accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Pharmaceutical and medication error cases
Damages Our Personal Injury Law Firm Can Help You Recover
Suffering a personal injury accident often comes with extensive damages. Our Evanston personal injury lawyers work to build a strong case, allowing you to recover compensation for both economic and non-economic damages.
Economic Damages
Personal injury victims tend to have expensive medical bills, property damage, and lost wages – all of which should be included in a fair compensation offer. Economic damages are easily provable costs, like invoices from your medical team, income statements from before and after the accident, repair costs for personal equipment, or household renovation fees.
Non-Economic Damages
Personal injury victims don’t just suffer from medical bills and lost wages. Many also experience mental anguish, either from the ongoing pain of sustained injuries or constant worry from a loss of income. Personal injury lawyers should also fight for non-economic damages in a claim.
An injury could also lead to permanent disfigurement, disability, loss of life enjoyment, and loss of companionship. Accidents involving serious injuries from slip and fall accidents, motor vehicle accidents, or any other injury type can be life-changing, and that should also come at a price.
Punitive Damages
While punitive damages are less common in personal injury cases, they’re sometimes awarded to punish a person’s negligence. Evanston, IL, residents are limited to three times the amount awarded in punitive damages. Requesting a free case evaluation is the best way to find out if your personal injuries qualify for punitive damages.
The Value of Your Personal Injury Case
No two personal injuries are the same, which means there isn’t a set standard for calculating the value of a personal injury case. Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers aim to receive fair compensation for our personal injury clients. However, what’s fair depends on many factors.
Factors Affecting the Value of Personal Injury Claims
How much you receive in compensation following a personal injury depends on many factors, including the following:
- Injury severity: The severity of your injuries directly impacts how much you can expect to receive. Injured victims who require ongoing medical care and who are no longer able to work can expect a higher settlement than someone with a short-term injury.
- Liability: Who’s liable can also affect the settlement amount. A large corporation that ignores safety protocols usually has to pay more than everyday drivers in motor vehicle accidents.
- Insurance coverage: Whether or not insurance carriers cover your injuries can impact how much you receive.
- Property damages: If your personal property was damaged during the accident, you should also receive compensation for the repair or replacement.
- Income and lost wages: Your income before the accident compared to your ability to work going forward will also be calculated into the amount you receive.
- Diminished earning capability: If your injury affects your earning capability, it could lead to a higher payout.
- Current and anticipated medical bills: Your lawsuit should cover all your medical expenses, meaning you can expect a higher payout if they’re more expensive.
- Comparative negligence: Whether or not you’re partially to blame also affects how much you receive.
- Non-economic factors: The extent of the accident and injury on your mental well-being can lead to a higher non-economic damage payout.
- Available evidence: The more evidence available, the better you can prove liability, which can lead to a higher payout.
Financial Compensation Amounts Our Personal Injury Lawyers Have Recovered
Our Evanston personal injury attorneys have successfully recovered compensation for many victims:
- $18,500,000 for a victim who suffered permanent injuries in a head-on semi-truck crash.
- $7,000,000 for a pedestrian injured by a company vehicle.
- $4,150,000 for the family members of a patient who lost her life after slipping and falling despite frequent calls to the staff for assistance.
- $3,500,000 for a client who suffered significant workplace injuries following a forklift accident.
You Have Limited Time to File a Personal Injury Claim in Evanston, IL
While Evanston, Illinois, allows personal injury victims to obtain compensation from the negligent party responsible for their injuries, they do set a strict time limit. For most personal injury claims, the state limits the timeline to just two years from the date of the accident.
Other types of personal injury claims, including medical malpractice, premises liability, and wrongful death, also have a two-year time limit. An Evanston workers’ compensation claim has to be filed within three years from the date of the injury.
Since it can take time for your Evanston personal injury lawyers to investigate and build your case, it’s crucial to consider your legal options soon. Some claims, including wrongful death cases, can take longer to resolve.
Common Injuries in Personal Injury Cases
Personal injury cases typically include serious injuries that may affect a person’s ability to work or enjoy the same things they once did. Some of the most common injuries our personal injury lawyers serving Evanston Il has worked with include the following:
- Head and neck injury
- Traumatic brain injury
- Fractures and broken bones
- Spinal cord injury
- Dismemberment or disfigurement
- Internal bleeding
- Temporary or permanent disability
- Ligament or tendon issues
- Burns
What (Not) to Do Following an Accident in Evanston, IL
The steps you take after experiencing a personal injury can directly impact your general well-being and the opportunity for a fair settlement. Here are a few things to keep in mind following an injury:
- Don’t leave the scene of an accident without reporting it first.
- Avoid skipping medical care following an accident.
- Skip talking to the other party’s insurance company.
- Don’t put off collecting time-sensitive evidence, like witness contact information, photographs/videos from the scene of the accident, or a copy of police reports.
- Never accept a settlement offer without first talking to an Evanston personal injury attorney.
- Try not to wait too long to reach out to an Evanston personal injury lawyer.
- Don’t admit fault even if you believe you’re to blame – you may not have all the necessary details.
The Importance of Hiring a Qualified Personal Injury Attorney
A qualified Evanston personal injury lawyer can be valuable to your case. Here are just a few reasons why the credentials and experience of your personal injury attorney matter:
- Less involvement on your part.
- Higher settlement offer.
- Faster payment.
- Ensuring you don’t miss Illinois’ strict filing timelines.
- Less stressful claim.
- The ability to recover compensation based on your actual injuries and needs.
Who Can File a Personal Injury Claim in Evanston, IL?
If you or a loved one suffered a severe injury following a negligent accident, you may be eligible to file a personal injury claim in Evanston, Illinois. The state allows the following parties to file a claim:
- Injured party
- Injured person’s spouse
- Victim’s parent or guardian
- Victim’s power of attorney
The Time It Takes to Settle Personal Injury Claims
Because every Evanston personal injury case is different, there’s no set timeline you can expect for your own claim.
The amount of time it takes to settle a personal injury claim depends on many factors, including available evidence, your legal team, and whether or not clear liability is present. Comparative negligence claims can also cause a personal injury case to take longer to settle.
Approximately 48% of Cook County cases are arbitration hearings for a personal injury case. The State of Illinois Circuit Court of Cook County aims to speed up the timeline of personal injury cases through a new, mandatory arbitration program. This new policy could result in faster lawsuits and settlement agreements.
How Much Does an Evanston Personal Injury Attorney Cost?
Hiring an Evanston personal injury lawyer from Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers doesn’t cost anything upfront. Our law office works on a contingency basis, which means you don’t owe anything unless we successfully get you compensation. Our injury victims don’t pay anything out of pocket, either. Instead, your legal fees come directly out of the settlement payment.
Contact Our Personal Injury Law Firm Today!
When you need an Evanston personal injury lawyer, contact Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers today. Call us at (888) 424-5757 to discuss your legal issues, or contact us using our online form. We work with personal injury cases of all types on a contingency fee basis. We offer decades of experience and a commitment to serving our clients right.