Litchfield Car Accident Lawyer

Thousands of car accidents occur throughout the United States each year, sometimes with devastating effects on those involved. While some drivers who experience minor accidents are able to resolve these issues relatively easily through insurance, others suffer losses that insurance alone cannot repay. If you or a loved one recently experienced a car accident in the Litchfield, IL area caused by another driver’s misconduct or negligence behind the wheel, you have the right to seek accountability for the damage they have done.

Experienced Legal Counsel for Litchfield, IL, Car Accident Cases

The team at Brandenburg & Rees, LLP, has years of experience helping clients in Litchfield and surrounding areas with complex personal injury cases, including those pertaining to vehicle accidents. Our firm has faced some of the largest insurance companies in the area on behalf of our clients, often securing much better results than they could manage alone. In addition, when further legal action is required for our client’s full recovery, we take time to carefully review all their options before proceeding with their recovery efforts.

If you are struggling in the aftermath of another driver’s actions, we can help you hold them responsible for the losses they caused you to suffer. It’s understandable to feel lost and uncertain when managing your legal concerns and your medical recovery all at once, and our firm is committed to providing completely client-focused legal representation in every case we accept.

How Can a Litchfield Car Accident Attorney Help After an Accident?

While it’s technically possible to resolve a vehicle accident case without an attorney, the reality is that the average person is prone to making significant mistakes that can cost them dearly in terms of the final recovery they obtain. You may think you have a solid understanding of the scope of damages you can seek from the defendant and how to go about holding them accountable for the injuries and economic losses they caused. However, the right Litchfield car accident attorney can offer a much better outcome.

When you choose Brandenburg & Rees, LLP, to represent you in your recovery, we will do everything in our power to carefully explain the full scope of the legal options available to you at the outset of your case. Most people who experience car accidents begin their recoveries with auto insurance claims. Unfortunately, the state’s auto insurance laws require all drivers to have insurance coverage that meets the state’s minimum coverage requirements, and while these amounts may seem generous at first, they may not fully compensate the victim’s total losses.

Your Litchfield car accident attorney can streamline the insurance claim process, resolving any conflicts that may arise between you and the other driver’s insurance carrier and ensuring the final settlement offer you receive reflects the terms of the other driver’s policy accurately. However, if you have outstanding losses that insurance can’t cover, your attorney can then move to building a personal injury claim on your behalf, expanding your ability to recover your damages.

Ultimately, hiring an experienced Litchfield car accident attorney is an investment into your own peace of mind and future financial security after a damaging accident. Any vehicle accident has the potential to be a life-changing experience for everyone involved, and legal representation you can trust can help you approach this difficult situation with greater confidence and peace of mind.

Most Common Causes of Car Accidents in Litchfield

Car accidents can happen in many ways, but the determining factor when it comes to the recovery process you are likely to face is whether another driver is directly responsible for causing it. Some of the most commonly cited causes of car accidents in the Litchfield area that generate civil cases include:

• Distracted driving. Across the United States, inattentive driving is the leading cause of all motor vehicle accidents, from minor fender-benders to catastrophic multi-vehicle accidents. Proving distracted driving can be difficult, but a seasoned Litchfield car accident attorney can assist their client in securing traffic camera footage and/or drivers’ cell phone records to substantiate their case.
• Speeding. Unfortunately, it’s quite common to see drivers disregarding posted speed limits, putting themselves and all others around them at risk. Speeding makes it harder for a driver to slow down or stop in time to avoid a crash when traffic conditions suddenly change. Accidents at high speeds are also more likely to cause catastrophic or fatal injuries.
• Moving violations. Drivers are expected to follow posted traffic signals and obey the rules of the road. When a driver performs an illegal turn, runs a red light, or fails to appropriately navigate an intersection, they can easily cause an accident.
• Reckless and/or aggressive driving. Some drivers engage in dangerous maneuvers out of frustration or general disregard for the safety of others on the road. Excessive speeding, tailgating, and other reckless and aggressive driving can easily cause serious accidents. Drivers at fault for such incidents face not only liability for victims’ civil damages but also criminal charges depending on the scope and severity of their behavior.
• Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. It is illegal for any driver to operate their vehicle while intoxicated. Penalties for a conviction for this offense typically include fines, jail time, and driver’s license suspension, and these penalties can increase dramatically if the defendant hurts or kills another person while driving under the influence.

Ultimately, car accidents happen unexpectedly every day for a variety of reasons. When you believe another party is directly responsible for causing your recent accident, it’s imperative to consult an experienced Litchfield car accident attorney as soon as possible to have the best possible chance of maximizing your recovery.

Filing Your Auto Insurance Claim After an Accident

Every driver in Illinois must have car insurance that meets the state’s minimum coverage requirements. At a minimum, a driver’s insurance policy must provide:

• $25,000 or more in bodily injury liability coverage for a single person.
• $50,000 or more in bodily injury liability coverage for all persons injured in an accident.
• $20,000 or more in property damage liability coverage.

These coverage amounts are usually enough to resolve minor accidents, even some that result in injuries. However, it’s possible for an injured driver to face not only a host of difficult medical complications immediately following their accident but also a wide range of ongoing problems and medical expenses that will be very difficult to manage.

You have a very limited time to start a claim against another driver’s auto insurance policy after an accident. Typically, you must at least notify their insurer that you intend to start a claim within a day or two after the accident. It’s always best to secure legal representation before discussing your claim with an insurance company, so you may notify the other driver’s insurance company of your intent to start a claim, informing them that you are consulting with legal counsel before submitting your claim. It’s also vital to check your own auto insurance policy and notify your insurance carrier of the accident per the terms of your policy, even if you did not cause the accident.

Once the insurance company receives your claim, they will initiate an investigation of the accident, ensuring it is legitimate. Unfortunately, most insurance company representatives are trained to look for all reasons they can find to reduce a claim payout as much as possible or deny a claim outright. Your Litchfield car accident attorney can assist you in preventing this from occurring. In addition, an insurance company representative will be far less inclined to attempt any bad-faith handling of your claim once they see that you have an attorney advising you.

Your Litchfield car accident attorney will help you file your demand letter to the insurance carrier, verify that the settlement offer suits the terms of the policy in question, and can resolve any disputes that arise during this process. If all goes well, a good lawyer can help their client secure their settlement check within a few weeks of filing. However, if the at-fault driver does not have auto insurance, or if their insurance cannot fully compensate your losses, you must prepare to start a personal injury claim.

Building Your Personal Injury Case in Litchfield

Most personal injury claims filed in the Litchfield area pertain to acts of negligence or failure to exercise appropriate care and caution in specific situations. However, it is also possible for such a case to arise from an intentional act, even a criminal one. The basis of any personal injury claim filed in Illinois is actual harm or measurable losses suffered by a plaintiff because of a defendant’s actions.

To succeed with your personal injury claim, you must identify the party or parties responsible for causing your claimed damages. You must then prove they owed a duty of care that they failed to fulfill and then go on to prove that this failure to use reasonable care directly caused your claimed losses. Additionally, the plaintiff in a personal injury claim must be prepared to show that their claimed losses are solely the result of the defendant’s actions and not some other cause.

In the event that your car accident happened because of an intentional act, such as driving under the influence of alcohol or excessive speeding, the state may open a criminal case against the defendant. Their criminal court proceedings may unfold in tandem with your civil claim, and you could potentially secure a greater case award to reflect the illegal and/or severe nature of their actions. For example, if a defendant’s actions exceed the scope of typical negligence but do not qualify for a criminal prosecution, the judge handling the civil case may award punitive damages to the plaintiff. Likewise, if the defendant is charged in criminal court, the judge handling their sentencing may include restitution to the victim as an element of their sentence.

Available Compensation for Car Accident Claim Damages

If you successfully prove that another driver is directly responsible for the car accident you recently experienced, your Litchfield car accident attorney can assist you in holding them fully accountable for the entire scope of damage they caused. While you may be able to accurately assess your immediately recognizable losses, long-term damages are also claimable but more challenging to calculate.

Many people who suffer injuries in car accidents face not only extensive immediate medical expenses for treatment of their injuries but also ongoing medical needs. Therefore, you have the right to seek full repayment of any and all medical expenses you incur from the accident. Your attorney can assist you in maximizing the bodily injury compensation you secure from your insurance claim, but all outstanding medical expenses can be sought through your personal injury claim.

Similarly, you may not only face lost wages in the initial aftermath of your accident but also diminished future earning power due to the severity of your injuries. Under Illinois law, the defendant is liable for both immediate and future lost income resulting from the accident they caused. If you have been left permanently disabled and will not be able to return to your job, your attorney will help you hold the defendant accountable for the future income you can no longer earn.

Property damage, such as the cost of repairing or replacing your vehicle, can be recovered through your insurance claim. Again, any remainder not covered by the defendant’s insurance can be included as economic damages in your civil suit. Once you accurately calculate your immediate and long-term economic damages resulting from the accident in question, you may be surprised to see that your case is worth more than you expected. However, your attorney can enhance your recovery by securing appropriate compensation for the pain and suffering you experienced. Illinois law does not place a limit or cap on the amount of compensation for pain and suffering a plaintiff can seek for an auto accident.

Find Your Auto Accident Injury Legal Team Now

Time is a crucial factor for anyone struggling with the effects of another driver’s negligence or misconduct. When you are unsure how to proceed with recovering from an accident someone else caused, you need an experienced Litchfield car accident attorney to provide the reassurance and support required to navigate your recovery process as effectively as possible. Contact Brandenburg & Rees, LLP, today to schedule a meeting with a trustworthy legal team.