Being involved in a motor vehicle accident is one of the most traumatizing experiences a person can go through. Victims often suffer from devastating injuries that can dramatically impact their lives. Typically, you’ll need to take time off of work to focus on your recovery.
The resulting lack of income can leave your family in financial trouble due to your mounting medical expenses and household bills that may go unpaid while you’re out of work. Fortunately, you have the opportunity to pursue a civil claim against the people responsible for your wreck and resulting injuries. Continue reading to learn more about obtaining the compensation you deserve for a car accident.
Contacting an Experienced Attorney
After you’ve been injured in an auto accident, reach out to an experienced attorney. Although having a lawyer isn’t required for you to file a car crash claim, having one on your side is likely to be beneficial to your case.
Your attorney will thoroughly investigate the cause of your collision, which will allow him or her to establish liability. This is critical to the success of your case. By gathering photographic evidence, video footage, witness statements, police reports, and other supporting evidence, your attorney will be able to build a powerful case against the at-fault party.
Generally speaking, this at-fault party could be the driver of the other involved vehicle, a government road authority, or the vehicle parts manufacturers or technicians who performed maintenance on either vehicle.
In addition to gathering evidence, your attorney can negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf. Insurance adjusters are notorious for taking advantage of claimants so insurers can settle for less than victims deserve. Due to modified comparative negligence laws, the insurer can minimize the amount it’s required to settle for if it can establish that you hold blame for the crash that injured you.
While you may still be able to secure some compensation for your losses, your award will be reduced by the percentage of fault you carry. Your attorney at Lane Brown, LLC will be prepared to deal with these types of auto insurance tactics and won’t allow you to be taken advantage of.
Quantifying Your Damages
After liability has been established, your attorney can quantify your losses. Unless you’re well-versed in tort law, you probably aren’t aware of just how much your claim is worth. Your lawyer can go over every single detail to ensure that you get the most out of your claim. Some of the types of damages frequently seen in car accident claims include the following:
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Property damage
- Medical expenses
- Loss of consortium
- Lost wages
- Pain and suffering
- Damage to your earning potential
- Loss of household services
- Mental anguish
These are just a few of the damages that can be included in your claim. Your lawyer will work closely with your treating physician so that both your current losses and those expected to occur in the future are accounted for when calculating the value of your claim.
Contact a Chicago Car Accident Lawyer
When you’ve been injured in a motor vehicle collision caused by someone else’s negligent actions, reach out to a knowledgeable Chicago car accident lawyer at Lane Brown, LLC. Our firm will do what it takes to win the compensation you deserve.
You can schedule your no-cost consultation by giving our office a call at 312-332-1400 or by completing the convenient contact form at the bottom of this page.
