When Do I Need to Hire a Chicago Personal Injury Attorney?
If you or somebody you love has been injured due to the negligent or intentional actions of another individual in the Chicago area, you should be able to recover compensation for your losses. However, it can be challenging to understand what steps to take to secure compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering losses. Here, we want to discuss why you need to work with a skilled personal injury lawyer in Chicago to help you ensure your case is successful.
Proving Liability is Tough
After an injury occurs, it is absolutely crucial for the victim to establish the liability of the other party involved. The only way to recover compensation from another party is by showing that they caused the injury. However, proving liability is tough, particularly if the other side puts up a fight.
When an attorney gets involved, they will use their resources to obtain all of the evidence needed to prove liability. Some of this evidence is gathered at the scene of the incident, maybe even before an attorney has been hired. However, there may be other types of evidence that require an attorney to go through the court system and obtain subpoenas for. This can include video surveillance of the injury incident, the safety records of the defendant, statements made by employees or eyewitnesses, and more.
Properly Calculating Total Damages
Adequately calculating an injury victim’s total damages can be challenging. An attorney will work with trusted medical, economic, and financial experts during your case. They will work to calculate all economic and non-economic losses. This will include gathering bills and receipts to calculate economic damages while also acknowledging that non-economic losses, such as pain and suffering, are equally as important.
Handling Negotiations
One of the most common ways that personal injury claims get derailed is by the injury victim speaking up on their own behalf. Insurance claims adjusters for the other party are trained to get injury victims to say things that could jeopardize their claim. However, when an attorney is involved, they will be the ones to handle the communication with every other party involved. This includes the at-fault party, the insurance carriers, and any other attorney for the other side.
Your lawyer will also be the one to handle any negotiations for a fair settlement. It is very likely that the initial settlement offer will be far below what you should receive. Your attorney will send a counter offer along with a demand letter explaining why a higher amount of money is appropriate.
Taking the Case to Trial
In the event the insurance carrier refuses to offer a fair settlement, or if the other party denies the claim altogether, it may be necessary to file a personal injury lawsuit in Illinois civil court. The trial process is incredibly challenging and demanding. However, when you have an attorney by your side, your lawyer will be the one to handle discovery, continued negotiations with other parties, all court motions, and the eventual trial if one becomes necessary. In most situations, an attorney will handle a personal injury claim in Chicago on a contingency fee basis. This means that you, as the injury victim, will not be responsible for paying any upfront or out-of-pocket costs related to the case. You will only have to pay legal fees if your attorney is successful with your case.