blog | Lane Brown, LLC

Recovering Compensation for Emotional Injuries Means Documenting Your Symptoms and Care

It isn’t easy to put a price on the emotional pain and psychological symptoms that you and your family members experience after you’ve been hurt in a major wreck. Unlike purely physical injuries, you probably won’t receive an itemized bill that reflects the real “costs” of depression, anxiety, or even the daily difficulties and suffering that you go through as part of your recovery from an accident.

While it is possible in many cases to recover compensation for emotional suffering and psychological care, you will have to carefully document your experiences in order to “prove” that you should be compensated by the other driver’s insurance company. Here a few tips to help you get the “whole picture” of your recovery on record:

Talk to your doctor. If you don’t let anyone know about the troubles you’ve been having, then you can’t get the care you deserve. Don’t be afraid to open up to your doctor if you are struggling with sadness, grief, sleeplessness, anger, nightmares, or other emotional changes that affect the quality of your life and the people around you—or seek help from a qualified mental health professional.
Keep a journal. Along with keeping your doctor informed, you can also try keeping a daily journal that includes details about how you’re feeling, your emotional state, and how your injuries are affecting your day-to-day activities.
Let your attorney know. Although it can be hard to talk about the way an injury is affecting you emotionally or psychologically, it’s important to let your attorney know that you are struggling. He or she can then help you take important steps to legally document your pain and suffering and get the help you need during your recovery.

Are you having trouble making sense of everything you need to file a successful injury claim against another driver? Don’t hesitate to contact our law office at 312-332-1400 for help—or even just take a moment to learn more by reading through a free copy of our book, The 8 Steps to Follow After Your Illinois Car Accident.

Three Things You Shouldn’t Give to the Trucking Company’s Insurance Adjuster

Before you understand your rights as the victim of a truck accident, it’s easy to make serious mistakes that might threaten your ability to recover financial compensation for what happened. If you have recently been hurt, here are three things you should avoid giving the insurance company until you’ve had a chance to talk with your own attorney:

A written statement. Outside of the initial police report, you should be wary of filling out or signing any documents you receive from the trucking company or its insurer. The written statements you submit can be twisted out of context and used to minimize your claim, so it’s important to look over each and every document you receive with an attorney of your choice.
A recorded statement. You may be asked to give a statement about the accident and your injuries—whether over the phone or in person—that will be recorded. You should never do this without understanding your rights and talking to an attorney first, and in most cases, these statements aren’t even necessary to resolve your claim.
Access to your medical records. The insurance company may ask you to sign a form that releases all your medical records to them for the purposes of resolving your claim. While that may seem innocent and reasonable enough, you should realize that the insurance company almost never needs access to your entire medical record. Instead, you can work with your legal representative to make sure that your medical privacy is protected and only relevant records are released.

Do you have questions about what to do after becoming the victim of a negligent truck driver? Don’t hesitate to contact our law office at 312-332-1400 for help—or even just request a free copy of our book, The 8 Steps to Follow After Your Illinois Car Accident.

Who Are All These People Contacting You After Your Truck Accident?

You’ve been hit by an 18-wheeler, tractor-trailer, or commercial truck. While you’re at home recovering from your injuries—or even while you’re still in the hospital receiving treatment for the accident—you start getting all kinds of phone calls from different people who want to “help” you with your potential insurance claim or “just get a little information.” They may even contact your spouse or other family members, especially if you’ve been very badly hurt. But who are all these people—and what do they want?

Numerous Insurance Adjusters and Company Representatives May Try to Contact Your Family After You’ve Been Hurt

Victims of major truck accidents are often completely unaware that the trucking companies and insurance companies involved in the accident immediately spring into action to manage—and minimize—your injury claim. As these companies prepare to defend against any potential claim of negligence, victims might be contacted by insurance adjusters from:

The trucking company’s insurance company
The commercial driver’s insurance company
Insurance companies for other driver who were also involved in the wreck

In some cases, you or your family may even be contacted by company attorneys or representatives of the trucking company. However, no matter who contacts you about a truck-accident claim, remember that anything you say could be used to minimize your claim later on—so it’s important to know your rights.

If you are being contacted by insurance adjusters and aren’t sure what to do, don’t hesitate to contact our law office at 312-332-1400 for immediate help—or even just take a moment to learn more about your rights by reading through a free and informative copy of our book, The 8 Steps to Follow After Your Illinois Car Accident.

A Few Ideas to Help You Adjust to the Time Change and Avoid Driving Drowsy

When you’re tired, it’s hard to do anything effectively—and that includes driving.

Recent research suggests that the switch to Daylight Savings Time each year may contribute to an increase in fatal car accidents for nearly a week after clocks “spring forward,” and part of the problem may be drowsy drivers who have effectively lost an hour of sleep. However, you don’t have to let the time change take you by surprise. Before you get behind the wheel on Monday morning, try a few of these ideas for adjusting to Daylight Savings Time:

Try going to bed a little earlier. You know that you’ll be “losing” an hour of sleep, so plan ahead to make sure that you’ve had enough rest to drive safely—both in the morning and on the drive home in the dark later that evening.
Practice good sleep hygiene. Making sure that you’re getting regular, healthy sleep can help you adjust more quickly to changes in routine.
Get some sunlight as soon as you get up. Light is your body’s signal to “wake up,” so make sure that you get some sunlight or turn on a bright light as soon as you get up on Sunday.
Give caffeine time to work. A cup of coffee can take 30 minutes to have an effect on alertness, so grabbing that extra cup right before you run out the door may not help you adjust to the earlier morning.

Even though you may try your best to plan ahead and stay safe on the road, accidents still can and do happen. If you have already been hurt in a wreck with a drowsy or distracted driver, don’t hesitate to contact our legal team at 312-332-1400 with your questions.

You Should Know About Any Adults Who Have Contact With Your Child at Daycare

Do you know everyone who interacts with your children while they’re away at daycare?

It may come as a surprise, but many recorded cases of child sexual abuse in daycares involve other adults who aren’t part of the direct childcare staff. Although you may know the teachers and caregivers who are there when you drop your kids of in the morning or pick them up in the evening, it’s important to be aware of any and all adults who have contact with your child during the day or may be on the premises. This might include:

Administrators and office staff
Assistant and substitute teachers
Bus drivers
Janitors and maintenance staff
Kitchen staff
In-house nurse or medical staff
Counselors or youth ministers
Specialty teachers and regular guest presenters
Relatives or friends of the staff

Make it a point to talk with the administrators or daycare owners about each and every person who may have contact with your child, and consider dropping by unannounced from time to time to make sure you can observe what you’ve been told about supervision and safety. This may be an especially important step to take if you child is enrolled in an in-home or unlicensed daycare, where supervision and security may be more relaxed. Protecting your child from sexual abuse means being proactive, and you can take steps to make sure the adults who interact with your child are safe, screened, and supervised.

If you suspect that your child may have been sexually abused by an adult at daycare, don’t wait any longer to get answers. Our experienced legal team is standing by at 312-332-1400 to help with your concerns.

Medical Orders Play a Big Part in Victims’ Claims for Lost Wages After a Truck Accident

Although records from your workplace and other evidence of your wages are key parts of the documentation needed to prove a claim for lost wages after a truck accident, don’t overlook the importance of your doctor. As you follow orders and get the treatment you need for your injuries, make sure you are communicating with your physician about your limitations and your ability to work.

While insurance companies, attorneys, your co-workers and boss, and even your friends and family may have opinions about when you should return to work or the kinds of activities you can participate, the truth is that it really comes down to you and your doctor. Medical documentation not only helps to establish your accident-related injuries, it helps to show when and why you were away from work. Your doctor is the person who makes recommendations about whether you should try to work during your recovery, when you might be able to return, and what your long-term limitations may be—and all of this documentation can help you support your claim that you lost wage income because you were hurt.

Your health and wellbeing should be the priority after you’ve been hurt in an accident with a commercial truck, but the future of your financial wellbeing matters, too. Be honest with your doctor about your limitations, and don’t be afraid to ask a doctor or an attorney about how to document the time you take off work due to an accident.

Do you have questions about proving lost wages after a truck accident? Contact our law office directly at 312-332-1400 to speak with an experienced attorney about your situation and concerns today.