Chesterville Personal Injury Lawyer

Personal injuries of all kinds happen every day in the Chesterville area and throughout Illinois. A victim can face a host of complex challenges, from substantial economic losses to tremendous pain from severe injuries, when they suffer a personal injury. They are also likely to have many pressing legal questions they cannot answer on their own. In these situations, injured victims of personal injuries need trustworthy legal counsel to guide them through the difficult recovery efforts they must attempt to secure compensation for their damages.

Helping Chesterville Clients Recover From Personal Injuries With Confidence

Brandenburg & Rees, LLP, has a team of Chesterville personal injury attorneys with more than a decade of experience. We know the challenges you will face as you seek accountability for the personal injury you experienced and the losses the at-fault party inflicted on you with their negligence or misconduct. We have helped many past clients recover substantial case awards in various types of personal injury cases, and we are ready to leverage this experience in your personal injury claim.

Benefits of Working With Chesterville Personal Injury Attorneys

It’s technically possible to file a personal injury claim without an attorney. There is no state law that requires you to hire a lawyer for your civil suit. However, you would face a series of risks if you tried to handle your personal injury claim alone. First and foremost, you would be compelled to handle very strict procedural requirements while also struggling with the aftermath of your injury. If you were severely injured, it would be incredibly difficult to meet the court’s filing requirements and proceed with your claim unassisted. Second, you risk settling for less than you legally deserve or making mistakes that could jeopardize your claim for compensation.

When you have an experienced Chesterville personal injury attorney handling your case, you can rest and recover with peace of mind knowing your claim is in capable and trustworthy hands. Instead of scrambling to meet court filing deadlines while managing your medical needs, your attorney can handle the procedural aspects of your claim and keep you updated on your case’s progress. While you may be able to assess some of your immediately noticeable damages, your attorney will know how to accurately calculate the full financial impact of your injury, maximizing your recovery.

The attorneys at Brandenburg & Rees, LLP, approach every personal injury claim we accept with the goal of securing as much compensation for our client as possible as efficiently as possible. We will work closely with you to determine the full economic impact of your injury, identify the key evidence that will help you firmly establish liability for your damages, and guide you through whatever proceedings will be necessary to ensure full accountability for your losses.

Common Types of Personal Injury Cases We Handle

When you intend to file any type of personal injury case, it is crucial to find an attorney who has solid experience with cases like yours. At Brandenburg & Rees, LLP, our team routinely provides legal counsel in a variety of cases, including the following:

• Car accident cases. Recovering after a car accident will likely mean filing an insurance claim against the at-fault driver, followed by a personal injury claim. We have helped many clients face the largest insurance carriers in the state, and we know the tactics they use to try to avoid financial liability for the accidents their policyholders cause. We will work to maximize your auto insurance settlement and proceed with a personal injury claim against the at-fault driver if necessary.
• Truck accidents. An accident with a big commercial truck will likely generate more complex legal disputes than a standard passenger vehicle accident. Vicarious liability may apply if the truck driver’s employer bears any fault for their driver’s actions, and truck accident claims commonly involve more substantial damages than most other vehicle accident claims.
• Motorcycle accident claims. Motorcycles are inherently some of the most dangerous vehicles anyone can operate as they protect no part of you in an accident. Even the most experienced and cautious riders are at the mercy of the other drivers around them and can potentially suffer life-changing injuries unexpectedly.
• Claims for premises liability. If you or a loved one experienced a slip and fall or similar injury on someone else’s private property in the Chesterville area, you could have grounds to file a claim of premises liability. Property owners are required to take appropriate care of their properties, and any failure to address a foreseeable safety hazard could lead to liability for any resulting damages.
• Medical malpractice. Thousands of residents trust their doctors and other medical professionals to provide safe and effective treatments for injuries and illnesses. If a medical professional violates the standard of care their patient requires and causes any injury, they can face liability for medical malpractice. While within the purview of personal injury law, medical malpractice claims are subject to specific state laws, and you need seasoned legal counsel for any such claim in Chesterville.

Most of the personal injury cases filed each year arise from acts of negligence, but it is also possible for intentional misconduct to result in life-changing personal injuries. If you believe any other party bears fault for the personal injury you recently experienced, it is crucial to secure trustworthy legal counsel to help you recover your losses.

Proving Negligence in a Chesterville Personal Injury Case

The term “negligence” refers to a failure to exercise reasonable care in a given situation. When negligence results in actual harm to another party, this can form the foundation of a personal injury claim. Negligence takes many forms, and it’s possible for one party to inflict severe injuries on another through even a momentary lapse of attention and care. There are four elements to proving negligence in a personal injury case:

1. The plaintiff must identify the defendant responsible for their personal injury and prove they held a duty of care. An adult has a duty of care in all types of situations, from driving their vehicle to maintaining their property.
2. The plaintiff must then show how the defendant breached this duty of care. For example, a driver has a duty of care to operate their vehicle attentively and using a cell phone while driving would be a clear violation of this duty of care.
3. The plaintiff must have suffered actual harm from the defendant’s actions. You can only file a personal injury claim if you suffered actual harm, meaning the defendant’s actions directly and negatively impacted your life. Actual harm can include economic losses as well as non-economic losses, such as physical pain and emotional distress.
4. The plaintiff must prove causation, meaning they need to show proof that their claimed damages are the results of the defendant’s breached duty of care and not some other cause.

These four elements of negligence may seem straightforward enough, but you are more likely to successfully establish these components of negligence with an experienced attorney’s assistance. Your legal advocate can help secure physical evidence from the location where your injury occurred, eyewitness testimony from any parties who saw the injury happen in real time, and other forms of evidence, such as expert witness testimony.

Alternatively, it is possible for a personal injury to arise from illegal misconduct. Driving under the influence (DUI), reckless driving, intentional violence, and other illegal misconduct can lead not only to civil suits for damages from affected victims but also criminal charges from the state. If you were injured by any other party’s illegal activities, you need an experienced Chesterville personal injury attorney to provide guidance and support through the challenging proceedings ahead of you.

Claiming Compensation for a Personal Injury in Chesterville

The purpose of a personal injury suit is so the plaintiff can recover the financial compensation needed to recover their losses. Under Illinois law, the plaintiff has the right to seek full repayment for any and all economic damages the defendant caused. They may also claim pain and suffering compensation to reflect their experience.

Financial damages are typically straightforward, proven with the appropriate documentation linking them to the defendant’s actions. Commonly cited economic damages in most Chesterville personal injury claims include:

• Property losses. If a defendant caused a car accident, damaged your home, or did anything else resulting in damage to your personal property, these qualify as financial damages in your personal injury case. Your attorney will help you calculate repair and replacement costs and add these to your civil suit.
• Medical expenses. When a defendant injures you physically, they become liable for the total cost of medical treatment you will require to reach maximum medical improvement from your injuries. This includes both immediate and future medical expenses. So, if you suffered a serious injury that demanded immediate emergency care, the defendant is likely to face liability for both your hospital bills and your ongoing rehabilitation costs.
• Lost income. When your personal injury has left you without the ability to work for an extended time, the party who caused the injury absorbs liability for the money you cannot earn while recovering. This applies to any vacation time or other paid time off you have accrued that you were forced to use after your injury.
• Lost future income. Unfortunately, some personal injuries cause irreparable harm to plaintiffs, leaving them unable to return to work in the future. If this applies to your situation, the defendant who injured you is responsible for the future income you are no longer able to earn. Your Chesterville personal injury attorney can help calculate how much you would have reasonably expected to earn in the future had the defendant not injured you.

You might have minimal trouble calculating immediately noticeable losses like vehicle repair costs and hospital bills, but accurately calculating projected future losses is more challenging. If you do not have trustworthy legal counsel advising you, you run the risk of settling for less than you legally deserve. Not only can the right Chesterville personal injury attorney help you maximize your claimable economic damages, but they can also help you make a compelling case for a sizeable award for your pain and suffering.

Determining Suitable Pain and Suffering Compensation for a Personal Injury

Illinois law puts no limit on compensation for pain and suffering compensation in most personal injury claims. This means there is no cap on the amount of pain and suffering compensation you can seek from the defendant who caused your injury. Your Chesterville personal injury attorney should carefully assess the full scope of your damages to help you determine a suitable figure to include with your claim.

The two most common methods used to determine pain and suffering compensation in personal injury claims are the per diem method and the multiplier method. The former is more suitable for plaintiffs who are expected to make full recoveries, while the latter is more applicable in cases involving permanent disabilities. With the per diem method, your attorney will seek compensation for each day you spend in recovery until you reach maximum medical improvement. With the multiplier method, your attorney will multiply your total economic damages by a number that reflects your condition following the injury. So, if your personal injury resulted in a permanent disability that completely negates your ability to work and live independently, your attorney would likely seek many times the total amount of your economic losses in pain and suffering compensation to reflect the difficulty of your experience.

The attorneys at Brandenburg & Rees, LLP, accept every personal injury claim with the goal of maximizing our client’s total compensation as much as state law allows. When you have our team handle your personal injury case, you will have responsive support through every phase of your proceedings. We will aim to settle the case as swiftly as possible for as much compensation as possible, but if settlement isn’t an option for any reason, we are fully prepared to represent you in court.

Personal Injury Lawyer FAQs

Q: What Percentage Do Most Chesterville Personal Injury Lawyers Take?

A: When you find an attorney who offers contingency fee billing, they will take a portion of the total compensation recovered on your behalf as their fee. There are no upfront or ongoing fees for the duration of your proceedings, and you pay nothing if the attorney cannot secure compensation for your claim. Most contingency fees range from 20% to 40% of the total case award, but each attorney has a different billing policy, and state law restricts contingency fees for certain types of cases.

Q: When Should I Hire a Chesterville Personal Injury Attorney?

A: Ideally, you should hire legal counsel that you trust shortly after an injury occurs. Address your immediate medical needs immediately, and once your condition stabilizes, you should reach out to legal counsel. The sooner you hire an attorney, the sooner they can begin guiding you toward a positive outcome to your claim for damages.

Q: How Much Is My Personal Injury Claim Worth in Chesterville?

A: Illinois’ personal injury laws enable a plaintiff to seek full compensation for all the economic losses they suffered because of a defendant’s negligence or intentional misconduct. These losses are likely to include their immediate and future medical expenses, property damage, lost income, and lost future earning potential. State law also allows the plaintiff to claim pain and suffering compensation. The total value of your claim can fluctuate due to many other variables, so it’s a good idea to consult an experienced Chesterville personal injury attorney if you want to accurately assess the potential value of your claim.

Q: How Long Does Settling a Personal Injury Claim Take in Chesterville?

A: Most personal injury claims filed will ultimately be resolved in private settlement negotiations. The settlement process allows the parties involved in a civil suit to reach a mutually agreeable resolution efficiently as long as both parties are willing to compromise. If you cannot settle your case for any reason, or if the defendant denies liability for your claimed damages, your case will need to go to trial, and litigation will take much longer to complete.

Q: Is It Worth Filing a Personal Injury Claim in Chesterville?

A: Some people who suffer personal injuries undervalue their claims, not realizing the full scope of compensation they are entitled to claim. Others mistakenly believe that the cost of filing a civil suit would overshadow the total amount of compensation they could potentially recover. It is always worth exploring your options for legal recourse after another party has injured you in any way. The right attorney can help hold them accountable for the maximum amount of compensation available under state law.

A personal injury can change the lives of everyone involved, and it’s natural for a victim as well as their family to have many pressing legal questions in the aftermath of another party’s misconduct or negligence. Whatever your case entails, you can trust the team at Brandenburg & Rees, LLP, to provide ongoing counsel and reassurance through all stages of your recovery efforts. If you are ready to learn how our firm can assist you in your recovery, contact us today to schedule a meeting with a Chesterville personal injury attorney.