After a car wreck in Illinois, it’s natural to feel overwhelmed as you navigate putting your life back together. One of the best ways to take a significant amount of stress off your shoulders during this challenging time is to hire a car accident lawyer.
A car accident attorney can handle all of the complexities of the legal process following a car crash. While you focus on recovery, your attorney works on your behalf to protect your rights and fight for the compensation and justice you deserve. Take a closer look at why hiring an attorney is a critical step after any car accident in Illinois.
6 Ways Your Illinois Car Accident Lawyer Can Assist You
While you can file an insurance claim or pursue a lawsuit on your own in Illinois, doing so is typically not in your best interests. The ways a seasoned car accident lawyer can support both you and your case may surprise you.
Here are six key areas your lawyer can make a significant difference in for your case:
1. Communicate With Insurers, Adjusters, and Other Parties
Pursuing a claim for damages following a car accident requires communicating with several parties on numerous occasions. At the very least, you will need to contact one or more insurance companies and speak with their adjusters. If the insurance company contests your claim, you will need to contact additional witnesses to proceed.
Telephone conversations, written correspondence, and in-person meetings are time-consuming and often occur when you have little time for them. When you hire a lawyer, however, your attorney steps in and handles much of this communication — and ensures what you say in these scenarios doesn’t hurt your case.
You may still need to give a statement or answer questions as your claim moves forward, but your attorney will be present with you during these times. This can help alleviate any stress you might experience about saying the wrong thing or harming your claim’s chances of success.
2. File Your Claim for Damages
Your car accident lawyer can also present your claim to the insurance company and appropriate court within the statute of limitations. In Illinois, you must file a claim for damages within two years of the accident happening. If you fail to do this, you might not receive any compensation at all, regardless of how severe your injuries are.
Keep in mind that incorrectly filing your claim can have the same result as not filing any claim. Thus, while you might be able to meet the two-year deadline on your own, there is a risk you might not have completed your claim properly. By the time you realize you made an error, it could be too late to correct it. Hiring a competent car accident lawyer removes this risk — and the stress that comes with it.
3. Gather Evidence to Support Your Claim
If the other party involved in your wreck denies responsibility for causing it, you will need to prove their liability before your claim is paid. Meeting this obligation requires that you present testimony from witnesses who saw the crash or other evidence that establishes the other party’s negligence as the primary cause of the accident.
Meeting this obligation is usually not easy in Illinois, especially if you are trying to recover physically and mentally. Some witnesses may be difficult to locate or unwilling to assist you. Evidence like the police report, data from vehicles’ onboard computers, and cell phone records can all be challenging to obtain if you’re not familiar with the legal process.
A qualified Illinois attorney will know the methods and mechanisms for locating and securing the people, records, and tangible evidence you need to prove a disputed claim.
4. Calculate Your Damages and Losses
Medical bills and lost wages are just two financial losses you can experience from a car accident. Most people aren’t aware of the range of losses they are entitled to. This means that you could end up settling your case for far less than it is worth and be left having to absorb certain expenses yourself.
Before settling your claim, your attorney will work with you to understand and document the cost of your past medical expenses and lost wages you have incurred, as well as losses like:
- Any ongoing medical treatment or therapy you will need
- Reduced earning capacity due to your injuries
- Home health assistance, if your injuries are permanently disabling or limiting
- Pain and suffering you experienced and will continue to have
- The loss of your quality of life
Armed with the knowledge your attorney provides, you will be in a better position to evaluate potential settlement offers and make informed decisions about your case’s resolution.
5. Negotiate a Resolution
Negotiating an appropriate settlement for your claim is daunting, even if you know how much your claim is worth. Experienced lawyers working for insurance companies will often try to intimidate victims representing themselves into accepting a settlement that is too low for the victim’s needs.
With an attorney at your side, you level the playing field. Your lawyer can negotiate with these attorneys and other parties and fight for your rights and needs. While the final decision to accept any settlement is still yours, your attorney can help you make the best decision for your needs and goals.
6. Present Your Case at Trial
The best car accident lawyers aren’t afraid to take your case to trial if negotiations fail. But successfully persuading a judge or jury that the law and facts entitle you to compensation is an art and a skill. It goes beyond simply telling your story.
Trusting a lawyer to handle this complex step can give you your best chance of obtaining a positive outcome.
Consult a Top Car Accident Lawyer in Illinois Today
If you’ve been injured because of another driver’s careless decisions, you deserve a competent, aggressive, and professional attorney to fight for you. At Lawler Lawler Injury Law, our seasoned team can handle all aspects of your claim, and we don’t collect any fees unless we win.
Contact us to schedule your consultation with an experienced car accident lawyer you can count on today.
