Car Accident Attorney Lake County

Chicago car accident settlement

Chicago car accident settlement

Chicago car accident attorney Barry Zlotowicz, just secured a recovery on behalf of a client injured in a bizarre car accident at a Chicago dry cleaners.

The Chicago car accident took place in 2013. Our client, a tailor, was seated at in her chair working on her sewing machine when an automobile driven by a young woman, hit the gas and drove her car through the front window of the cleaners. The crash destroyed the front entryway and caused furniture, chairs and the sewing station to slam into our client. The client ended up on the ground fifteen feet from her work station. Our client sought medical attention that day at her local hospital where she was diagnosed with severe contusions/bruising. She then sought medical physical therapy/chiropractic treatment where she was diagnosed with a back strain/sprain.

After several months of treatment, our office approached the insurance company to obtain appropriate compensation. After a month of negotiating, our office obtained a recovery on behalf of our client that paid all her medical bills, paid her attorneys’ fees and also left her adequately compensated for her injuries.

In order to facilitate the settlement, meaning, to optimize our client’s recovery, our office was required to reduce her medical bills which we did by one-third. That put more money in our client’s pocket. In addition, we negotiated with Illinois Medicaid to resolve her bills paid by IDHS.

While most of the Chicago auto accidents we deal with are garden variety T-bone accidents or rear-enders, if you have been injured in any type of Chicago car accident, you should know that our office is well prepared to assist you in recovering for your pain and suffering. Contact Barry Zlotowicz, a Chicago car accident lawyer for a free consultation at 847-305-4105 or 877-LAW-4312.

Chicago Car Accident Lawyer – Soft Tissue Injuries

Your Chicago car accident lawyer has handled countless personal injury accidents where the injuries of our clients were what is called “soft-tissue injuries.” In fact, the vast majority of injury accidents result in soft tissue injuries as opposed to more serious accidents that result in fractures, herniated discs or brain injuries.

Soft tissue injuries can occur as a result of any type of accident such as a car accident, motorcycle accident, slip and fall, or bicycle accident. These types of injuries may include:

Sprains
Strains
Bruises or contusions
Whiplash

In terms of settlement value, soft tissue injuries are generally worth less than other injuries. Nevertheless, they cause serious pain and suffering and should be compensated.

Often times, soft tissue injuries can be remedied through mild pain medication, visits to a chiropractor and/or physical therapy.

These types of injuries are generally caused by trauma, like that caused in a Chicago car accident, where a victim’s body is thrown back and forth, often in a whiplash motion. However, our office has handled cases where victims hurt parts of their bodies other than their necks. Torn ligaments are often considered to be a soft tissue injury. Victims of car accidents often suffer torn or stretched ligaments in their shoulders, elbows, hips or knees.

The result of soft tissue injuries can often be chronic long-lasting pain that interferes with a victim’s everyday activities.

If you or someone you love is the victim of a soft tissue injury, he/she may be entitled to compensation for:

Pain and suffering
Reimbursement for medical bills
Lost wages

It’s important after suffering soft tissue injuries in a car or other accident that you do not wait to obtain medical treatment. We receive calls all the time from clients who were injured through no fault of their own but who wait to get medical treatment. This makes our job in recovering for your pain and suffering much more difficult. Insurance companies will attempt to pay you as little as possible. A common argument by an insurance adjuster is that there was a large “gap in treatment” by our clients and/or that they weren’t diagnosed with their injury (often a bulging or herniated disk) for months after an accident. As such, it is imperative to get medical treatment as soon as possible.

Finally, engaging an experienced personal injury lawyer to represent you, help you obtain medical treatment and ultimately assist you in recovering for your injuries, is essential.

If you have suffered a soft tissue or another injury in a Chicago car accident, we can advise you on Illinois personal injury laws and help you file a claim. Contact Barry Zlotowicz at 847-305-4105.

You can recover for injuries suffered in an Illinois car accident, even if you are partially at fault!

Our office recently received a call from the victim of an automobile-on-pedestrian accident. The victim of the accident walked out from behind a bus and entered the cross walk without looking for cars. He was subsequently struck by a passing car and suffered a broken leg. He inquired of our office whether he could still recover for his injuries even though he may have been partially at fault for the accident. This fact scenario raises a good question. Can someone recover for injuries suffered in an accident where they were at least partially at fault? The answer is — it depends — but it is possible.

Illinois is like many states in that it weighs the “comparative fault” of the parties to a Chicago car accident in order to determine whether the victim of an accident can recover for his or her injuries. But it’s not easy. In this economic climate, insurance companies are not in a settling-mood. More and more insurance companies are fighting traditional liability claims where they might have otherwise assumed liability quickly. This prolongs litigation and increases your attorney’s expenses. This is particularly true for cases where liability is disputed and/or shared.

So what does “comparative fault” mean and at what point are you NOT entitled to recover for your injuries? In short, a plaintiff (the party bringing the lawsuit) is at fault for his own injuries if he was negligent and his negligence contributed to his injuries. Pursuant to Illinois statute 735 Ill. Comp. Stat. Ann. § 5/2-1116, the plaintiff will thus be barred from recovering damages if he is more than 50% at fault for his injuries.

What does this mean to the victim? Let me explain by an example: Suppose you bring a lawsuit against the driver of another car who hit you. The jury finds that the other driver is 75% responsible for the accident, that you are 25% responsible, and then awards you $1,000.00. Since you are 25% responsible for the action, your award is reduced by 25% or $250.00. Your total recovery would therefore be $750.00. If the jury found that the plaintiff was more than 50% responsible for his injuries, he would not be entitled to any recovery at all.

The Chicago Legal Group refers our personal injury cases to Chicago automobile accident lawyer Paul Wolf. Mr. Wolf has extensive experience dealing with the comparative negligence maze. If you or a loved one has been involved in an injury where you may be partially at fault, you should contact our office immediately to protect your rights.

Recent settlement!

Mr. Wolf recently litigated a case involving comparative negligence. Mr. Wolf’s client’s car broke down in the middle of the road during rush hour. The defendant driver was not paying attention and negligently rear-ended the plaintiff’s stalled car killing her. Sounds like an open and shut case doesn’t it? However, the plaintiff was also potentially negligent. The plaintiff failed to adequately care for her car resulting in the malfunction that caused the car to become stranded in the road way. In addition, the plaintiff was under the influence of an illegal substance when the accident occurred. As such, she was comparatively responsible for part of her own injuries. Despite these challenges, Mr. Wolf was able to settle the claim for $1.3 million dollars.

For immediate assistance from a car accident lawyer or for any other accident where you may need a personal injury lawyer, contact Paul Wolf through the Chicago Legal Group by clicking here or telephone us at 312-848-9783.