Park Ridge is a suburb of Cook County and a stone’s throw away from our office. We’ve had clients in Park 
Ridge and have spent time personally at Shakou, the Panera Bread, and even shopped at that Whole Foods. So Park Ridge is one of the places we are proud to provide service to. If you would like to speak to a Park Ridge car accident lawyer reach out to us at 1-847-305-4105.
How much is my case worth?
This is the million-dollar question. The one thing that every client wants to know when they sign up with us. “How much is my case worth?” The problem is that the answer depends on a very large number of factors that cannot be answered so early on in the process.
We can tell you if you considered a ‘sliding scale’ whether you have a large or small case. But exactly how much you will recover is not knowable.
The reason is that there are so many factors that go into this equation. For starters, how significant was the impact involved in the crash? As an auto accident attorney in Park Ridge, we can tell you we’ve seen every type of accident severity from minor fender benders to dramatic car-totaling collisions.
How severe the impact is has an impact mostly on the psyche of those involved in assessing the value of the accident. That’s because a very minor crash can still cause significant injury. There have been countless minor accidents that resulted in significant injuries which led to large jury verdicts. Still, this is rare.
As such, if your accident was minor, chances are you’re going to have minimal damages and your case won’t be worth very much from a settlement perspective. We still take these cases quite often so if you want a consultation with an auto collision lawyer call us at 1-847-305-4105.
Another factor is how significant or severe were your injuries. This goes hand in hand with the paragraph above. In short, if you suffered a minor back sprain or strain, your case is not going to be worth as much as someone who suffered a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or herniated disc.
The amount of your ‘economic damages’ are also relevant. This includes your medical bills, lost wages, and other out-of-pocket expenses. If your medical bills are $100,000 and the insurance policy for the defendant is also $100,000, chances are you’re going to get that whole policy tendered or offered to you by the insurance company.
Perhaps the biggest factor is how much insurance there is. People are often confused by this. They think that they’re suing the insurance company that has deep pockets and as such, there will be plenty of money to compensate them for their injuries.
That’s not how it works. Rather, the insurance company contracted with their insured (the defendant driver) to cover a set amount of damages, and generally speaking, the insurance company will not be on the hook for more than that amount. There are exceptions to this but we’re not going to discuss them here.
Let’s take a hypothetical situation. Let’s say you get in a crash and call the car accident law firm the Chicago Legal Group for a consultation. You already spoke to the insurance company for the defendant driver and she has a minimum limits $25,000 Illinois insurance policy. You checked your own insurance to see if you have underinsured motorist coverage and you do – but also for just $25,000.
Even if you have a million-dollar injury, the maximum amount you are going to recover from the accident is $25,000. Now you can sue the defendant driver for the balance that you’re owed but the chances of you recovering anything from them is very slim.
How long will my case take?
After how much is my case worth? How long will my case take is the second question we get asked the most. If you want to speak with a traffic accident attorney about how long you can expect your case to take, call us at 1-847-305-4105.
Same as above – there is no set time a case will take. It depends on a wide variety of factors including some of the same factors as we discussed above. If you have a back sprain, you’ll probably be done treating within six or eight weeks. We can then order your medical records, put together your demand package for the insurance company, and try to resolve your case.
However, if you suffered severe injuries, your medical treatment could take two years. We worked on a case where a client was still treating after two years so we had to bring in a litigation attorney to file suit to protect that client’s rights.
Any Park Ridge car accident lawyer will tell you, anyone who says they can get you a million dollars or that they can wrap your case up immediately – is lying to you.
One of the benefits of working with the Chicago Legal Group is that we are transparent about everything we do. We will be totally and brutally honest about the prospects for your case from the very beginning. It’s always better to have perspectives set at the beginning rather than waiting until you’re trying to settle a case.
A Little Information About Park Ridge, IL
Our office is in Glenview which is just a short ride from Park Ridge. As such, we’re in Park Ridge often to meet with clients. We’re a straight shot south on Greenwood to Northwest Highway. As such, we can meet with you in your home or at the Starbucks in downtown Park Ridge if you prefer.
There are a lot of lawyers in Park Ridge but none will provide the customized and personalized service you will get from us – that is our guarantee.
