Hoffman Estates is the village in Illinois where our Hoffman Estates personal injury lawyers choose to practice law. It is ranked as a top place to live, and as being great for families, due to its good public schools, its relatively low rates of crime, and its diversity. In addition, it’s also a great place to get outdoors or find a fun indoor activity. Top attractions in Hoffman Estates include Vogelei Park and Barn and Fabrini Park. There are also numerous dining and entertainment opportunities, too.
While Hoffman Estates is an ideal place to live in our state, no matter where you live, there’s always a risk of being involved in an accident and suffering an injury. At SJ Injury Law, our Hoffman Estates personal injury attorneys have experience representing clients in Hoffman Estates and the surrounding areas. If you have been involved in a serious accident and you think that someone else was to blame, our lawyers can help you to build your case and understand your rights. Call us today to learn more about our Hoffman Estates personal injury lawyers and your options after being seriously injured.
Our Hoffman Estates Personal Injury Lawyers Focus On These Practice Areas
The lawyers at SJ Injury Law have experience working on a wide range of personal injury case types. If you have been injured, you can count on us to provide you with free case consultation and provide you with more information about the chances of your personal injury case being successful. While we have the skill set to work on any type of personal injury case, our focus areas include:
- Auto accidents. Auto accidents are a leading cause of unintentional injury and death throughout Illinois and nationwide. Even more tragic is the fact that these accidents are entirely preventable and almost never would occur but for the negligence and wrongdoing of another driver on the road. Behaviors like drunk driving, distracted driving, impaired driving, and fatigued driving, amongst others, lead to serious injuries and deaths. If you have been involved in any type of auto accident, we can help. Common types of auto accident claims we work on include pedestrian accident claims, commercial vehicle accident claims, motorcycle accident claims, and bicycle accident claims.
- Slip and fall accidents. Most people have slipped, tripped, and fallen at some point in their life, although most people won’t be severely injured as a result of a small trip. Sadly, especially for older adults, a slip and fall can lead to serious injuries and even death in severe cases. Slip and fall accidents, like most other accident types, are usually preventable and would not occur but for a hazardous condition on a property. Hazardous conditions include things such as objects in walking ways, spills of food or drink, slippery surfaces, unremoved snow and ice, broken stairs, depressions in walking areas, and missing handrails. If you have been involved in a slip and fall that was caused by a hazard on the property, you may be able to bring forth a claim for damages against the property owner.
- Construction accidents. Construction workers are at an increased risk of injury due to their occupation. Some of the most common construction place accidents are caught-in/between accidents, machinery accidents, injuries from falling objects, falls from heights, transportation accidents, and electrocution accidents. And while workers are at a greater risk of injury due to their proximity to the work, passersby can also be injured if a construction site is unsafe. At SJ Injury Law, our construction accident attorneys can help injured workers understand their rights to workers’ compensation insurance vs. a third-party liability claim, and can also help injured non-workers pursue damages following a construction site injury.
- Wrongful death. Losing a loved one is a traumatic experience. When a loved one’s death is caused by the negligence or wrongful act of another party, surviving family members may have a cause of action to file a wrongful death claim for damages. A wrongful death claim is a type of civil suit in which the party bringing forth the claim can seek monetary compensation for the value of their loved one’s life, including medical expenses incurred prior to death, lost wages, loss of companionship, and more.
- Nursing home injuries. Nursing homes are supposed to be safe places where patients are treated with a high degree of care. Unfortunately, nursing homes are often places of neglect and abuse. Falls, bed rail injuries, bedsores, and poor nutrition are all signs of neglect. Abuse may take shape in the form of physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, or financial exploitation. When an elderly person is abused or neglected in a nursing home and suffers harm as a direct result, bringing forth a lawsuit is appropriate. Our Hoffman Estates personal injury lawyers can help you to understand your rights and how to hold a nursing home liable for harm.
How Does a Personal Injury Case Work?
When a person is injured due to another’s actions, the injured party maintains the right to bring forth a civil action and to recover compensation for their harm if they can prove the following four elements:
- The defendant owed them a duty of care. The first element that needs to be established is that the defendant owed the plaintiff a duty of care. Sometimes, establishing this is difficult. For example, in a premises liability case, a property owner owes a person who enters their property a different degree of care depending on whether the person is on the property lawfully or is trespassing. In other cases, duty of care is implied. For example, a driver owes a duty to a bicyclist on the road to adhere to traffic laws and operate their vehicle in a way that’s reasonably safe.
- The defendant breached the duty of care. The second thing that a plaintiff needs to prove in a personal injury claim is that the defendant breached the duty of care owed to the plaintiff. This means proving that the defendant did something outside of the parameters of what a person of ordinary prudence would do in the same situation. Negligence can take many forms and may look like one of the following depending on the case type:
- Speeding
- Distracted driving
- Failing to monitor a patient in a hospital or nursing home
- Failing to remedy known hazards on a property
- Failing to leash a dog known to jump on others
- The breach of the duty of care was the proximate cause of harm. One of the most important parts of a personal injury case is being able to prove that not only did the defendant do something negligent, but that the negligence was the proximate cause of the plaintiff’s harm. This means being able to prove that the plaintiff’s injuries would not have happened but for the defendant’s actions. For example, would the car crash that injured the plaintiff have occurred even if the defendant hadn’t been speeding? If so, then the defendant can’t be held liable.
- The plaintiff suffered actual damages. Finally, the plaintiff in a personal injury claim must be able to prove that they suffered actual damages as a result of the accident. Types of damages in a personal injury claim might include medical bills, lost wages, property damages expenses, and intangible damages such as pain, suffering, and emotional distress.
How Our Hoffman Estates Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help
When you have been injured and aren’t sure where to turn, our Hoffman Estates personal injury attorneys can help. We’ll work with you to improve your chances of getting a fair settlement. Ways that we support you during the claims process include:
- Investigating your case. We will handle 100 percent of the investigation into your case to determine how your accident occurred and who should be held liable. This process will likely include traveling to the scene of the accident, talking to eyewitnesses, gathering and assessing the police report, tracking down other sources of evidence, and talking to accident reconstruction experts.
- Calculating your damages. It can be difficult to know what your case is worth, particularly the value of your noneconomic losses, such as the value of your pain, suffering, diminished quality of life, and psychological injury. Our lawyers work with experts to determine how much you’re entitled to when you’ve been severely harmed due to another’s negligence.
- Negotiating your settlement. Our lawyers know that you deserve a fair settlement offer. Unfortunately, the insurance adjuster assigned to your case may not feel the same way and might try to get away with offering you a lowballed settlement. You do not have to accept a first settlement offer. Our lawyers will represent you during the negotiation process and can even file a lawsuit on your behalf if necessary, too.
Call Our Hoffman Estates Personal Injury Lawyers Today
Our Hoffman Estates personal injury attorneys know what you’re going through. Whether you live in Deer Crossing, Briar Court, Bode Road, Rohrssen, or another neighborhood of Hoffman Estates, our lawyers are available to help you. To schedule your free consultation with our team today, call us directly at 847-434-3555 or send us a message online.
