Experienced Rolling Meadows Personal Injury & Auto Accident Lawyers

Rolling Meadows Personal Injury Lawyers

Our Rolling Meadows personal injury lawyers live and work in the local area. While Rolling Meadows, IL may not have all of the same country charm as it surely once did prior to development, the city does feature numerous parks, including Kimball Hill Park, South Salk Park, and Florey Park.

In fact, the Rolling Meadows Park District has been a finalist for the National Gold Medal Award for excellence in parks and recreation management. In addition to outdoor activities, Rolling Meadows is considered one of the best places to live in Illinois for its high-quality public schools, nightlight, diversity, and low levels of crime.

Many families live in Rolling Meadows and in addition to family-friendly activities, there are also numerous coffee shops and dining and entertainment options.

At SJ Injury Law, our personal injury lawyers love Rolling Meadows and the various things to do that it offers, such as learning about history at the Rolling Meadows Museum or checking out the Opera in Focus. As lawyers who have worked and lived in or around Rolling Meadows and Cook County, we also have knowledge of important courts and judges here. We also know local experts who are often called upon in the personal injury claims process.

If you have been injured, our Rolling Meadows personal injury attorneys can help. We know how much is on the line and are here to support you as you learn more about personal injury claims, your rights, and the steps you need to take to get the settlement you deserve.

Personal Injury Claim Basics in Rolling Meadows

Our Rolling Meadows personal injury lawyers will guide you through the basics of a personal injury claim and help you to understand a) what a personal injury claim is, b) whether or not you have grounds to bring forth a personal injury claim, and c) how the personal injury claim process works.

What is a personal injury claim?

A personal injury lawsuit is a type of action that is filed in civil court. Typically before a claim becomes a lawsuit, though, it is negotiated between an insurance company (or multiple insurance companies) and a claimant’s attorney. In a personal injury claim, a claimant seeks to recover monetary damages from a defendant based on the claim that the claimant’s injuries would not have occurred but for the defendant’s actions. Personal injury claims are separate and distinct from criminal cases and have no criminal penalties.

Do I have grounds for a personal injury claim?

While anyone who has been injured surely deserves to be compensated for their harm, unfortunately, only a person who can prove that another’s actions were the proximate cause of their harm has grounds to file a personal injury claim or lawsuit. In order to win a personal injury suit, a plaintiff must be able to prove four elements:

1. Duty. The first thing that a plaintiff in a personal injury claim must prove is that the defendant owed them a duty of care. Usually, this is implied. For example, the driver of a motor vehicle owes a motorcyclist the duty to operate their vehicle safely; a doctor owes a patient the duty to treat them with a high standard of care.
2. Breach of duty. The second thing that must be proved is that the defendant—the party against whom the suit is being filed—breached the duty of care. Usually, a breach of the duty of care takes the form of negligence. Negligence is the failure to exercise the same level of care that a person of ordinary prudence would display in the same situation. Drinking while driving, driving while distracted, and failing to remedy a known hazard on a property are all common acts of negligence that can lead to others’ harm.
3. Causation. Third, a plaintiff must be able to prove that the defendant’s actions were the proximate cause of the plaintiff’s harm. This means being able to prove that a plaintiff’s injuries would not have happened but for the defendant’s negligence.
4. Damages. Finally, the plaintiff must be able to prove that they suffered actual damages. Damages recoverable in a personal injury claim include medical expenses, lost wages, property damage expenses, pain, suffering, and other economic and noneconomic losses.

What’s the personal injury claims process?

As soon as you are injured, the process begins with seeking medical care and filing a police report (depending on the type of accident). Within 24-48 hours of the accident, you should also call your insurance company and report the accident. If you have not been in an accident involving a motor vehicle, you may need to call another type of insurance company. For example, if you are injured in a slip and fall accident at a retail store, you will need to provide the store owner/manager with notice of the accident and get the information of the store liability insurance provider.

At this point, you should also hire one of our Rolling Meadows personal injury lawyers

The next step of the process involves an investigation. Conducting an investigation is important for gathering evidence that proves what happened, how it happened, and who’s to blame. The investigation should provide insight into who was at fault for the accident.

As part of the investigatory process, it may be necessary to hire accident reconstruction experts or other experts, send spoliation of evidence letters, and talk to eyewitnesses—Rolling Meadows personal injury lawyers can handle all of this and more.

After the investigation, you generally wait until reaching Maximum Medical Improvement (MMI) before filing a claim. Reaching MMI means reaching the maximum extent to which doctors believe your injuries will heal. After you reach MMI, the Rolling Meadows personal injury lawyers will be able to more accurately calculate the value of your losses and future losses.

Next, you’ll file a demand letter against the insurance company of the at-fault party. The insurance company will likely respond by offering a settlement that is less than the value of your injuries. You have the right to reject the settlement offer and enter into negotiations.

Finally, the case will either settle and you will receive a settlement, or it will not settle and you will maintain the right to file a lawsuit in court for damages. Your case can still settle at any point before litigation begins and during the litigation process.

Auto Accident Cases

Auto accidents are a leading cause of injury and death. Rolling Meadows personal injury lawyers have years of experience working on auto accident personal injury cases, including:

• Commercial vehicle cases
• Rollovers
• Single-vehicle and multi-vehicle collisions
• Motorcycle accidents
• Pedestrian accidents
• Large truck accidents
• Bicycle accidents
• Head-on crashes
• Rear-end crashes

If you or a loved one has been injured in an auto accident, SJ Injury Law can help you to navigate the claims process.

Nursing Home Abuse

Nursing home abuse is one of the most terrible and shocking ways in which a person can be injured. Nursing homes are meant to be safe places that provide residents with a high level of care. However, untrained staff, a poor staff-to-patient ratio, and staff with malintent can all lead to nursing home residents being injured.

Common types of nursing home accidents and injuries include slip and falls, bedsores, malnutrition, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and medication errors. If your loved one has been abused or neglected in a nursing home and has suffered a deterioration in their condition, injury, or death, SJ Injury Law nursing home abuse lawyers are here to advocate for you and hold the nursing home liable.

Construction Accidents

Construction accidents are unfortunately very common. Falling objects, working at heights, motor vehicles, electricity, and heavy equipment and machinery are all common on construction sites, putting construction workers and passersby at risk. When a construction worker is injured on the job, they have the right to file a workers’ compensation claim for benefits.

They may also have the right to file a third-party liability claim. SJ Injury Law can help you to navigate your options and pursue compensation in the way that makes the most sense for you.

Slip and Fall Claims

If a person slips and falls on the property of another, the injured party may have grounds to file a lawsuit for damages against the property owner if the injury was caused by a dangerous condition or hazard that the property owner knew of or should have known of but failed to remedy within a reasonable amount of time.

Wrongful Death

When one party’s negligence or wrongful act leads to the death of another, the family of the decedent may have grounds to bring forth a wrongful death claim for damages. Throughout a wrongful death claim, surviving family members can seek compensation for the value of the deceased loved one’s loss of earning and benefits, loss of companionship, loss of parental guidance, and more.

Why It’s Important to Work with a Local Personal Injury Attorney in Rolling Meadows

When you or a loved one has been injured and you’re dealing with significant losses, working with a personal injury attorney can be extremely helpful. Working with a local personal injury attorney in Rolling Meadows who knows the local police, who understands where to go to file claims documents, and who has interacted with civil court judges before can be advantageous.

To learn more about our Rolling Meadows personal injury lawyers and how we can help you, please call our law firm directly at 847-434-3555 or send us a message online to get started.