PROTECTING YOUR RIGHTS WHEN YOU A LOVED ONE ARE INJURED
Car Accident Attorneys in Homewood, IL
Car accident attorneys in Homewood, IL. The physical, motional and economic damages you sustain because of being injured in a car accident are devastating. You need a knowledgeable Homewood, IL car accident lawyer that you can trust to secure you the fair compensation you deserve. Call Burger Law‘s car accident attorneys now at (779) 800-HURT or contact us online for a no-risk, no-obligation consultation.
If a reckless driver injured you in Homewood or any other part of Illinois see what compensation you may be eligible for by filling out our free personal injury calculator.
You have been injured in a car accident and now you are wondering what to do. If you are not sure, you are not the only one. You may be unsure whether or not you should get medical treatment, what the process for seeking compensation is and how to secure the sense of justice you deserve. First, get the immediate medical attention you require. Then call Burger Law.
When a negligent driver injures you, you should be focused on recovering from your injuries and getting your life back on track. You should not have to argue over your financial recovery after a car accident. If the responsible party refuses to do right by you, you need someone who knows the laws to fight on your behalf. The Homewood, IL car accident lawyers of Burger Law know how important your claim is to you and are devoted to getting you the money you are owed.
We know it seems like no one will treat you fairly. Speak to an attorney at (779) 800-HURT or complete our online form now. Our auto accident law firm, does not take any fees until we successfully win your claim, and we never accept anything but full compensation. Do not settle for less than you are owed.
Homewood, IL Car Accident Attorneys That Win
With any kind of legal case, the outcome matters. You want to know that you are giving your case to an attorney who can handle it, and that they will not back down until you get the maximum compensation you deserve. Any car accident lawyer can say they will fight for you, but not all of them can prove it. Click the links below to read about some of our auto crash victories:
Steps to Take After a Car Accident in Homewood, IL
Car Accidents are traumatic events. Knowing what to do when one happens can absolutely make the difference in your case, however, it can be hard to make the right choices when you are still in shock from the accident. Below what you need to do both immediately following a crashto make sure you recover both physically and financially:
Get to the side of the road if possible — The rule of thumb is, if you and your car can both move, pull over to the side of the road. If not, stay where you are. Moving can make some injuries worse. Assess whether anyone else in the vehicle is hurt. Render aid if you are able and know how to.
Call 911 or a police non-emergency line — If someone needs EMTs and/or an ambulance, call 911 immediately. If not, call a non-emergency line and request for police to come so they can make a report. Police know how to determine liability in an accident and their report is a key piece of evidence. If you do not know if you require emergency services or not, always call 911 and let the operator decide if your accident is an emergency.
Exchange information with other driver — After it is safe to do so, communicate with the other driver. Make sure to get a copy of their insurance card and their contact info. If the other driver admits fault, ask a few more questions to see if they will admit how they were negligent. You do not have to be confrontational, you are just asking for information.
Never admit liability — When talking to the other driver or the police, you can offer a short, clear description of events as you saw them. But never say it was your fault. There may be details you do not know yet, and admitting fault will bring complications when you are attempting to seek a compensation.
Obtain evidence from the scene — Take pictures of both vehicles and the surrounding area, including any tire marks or any other property damage the accident caused. If there are eyewitnesses, get their contact information so they can back up your version of events when you make a claim.
Seek out medical treatment — If you did not need an ambulance, go to an emergency room immediately after an accident or later that day, or make an appointment with your primary care physician in the day or days after the accident. Medical treatment is not only necessary to ensure you recover physically, but you will need proof of an injury and your treatment to get compensation for your injuries.
Call Homewood, IL car accident attorneys — If you were injured because of another driver, chances are you will need to an attorney to fight for you to be fully compensated for your injuries. Have a list of questions ready to ask them, for example how they take their attorneys’ fees, if they they have experience with similar types of accident, how much they think your claim is worth and if they are ready to fight for you at trial.
Go to every medical appointment you need to — Make sure you go to every appointment, whether that includes surgery, physical therapy or spinal adjustments with a chiropractor. This is important not only so you can achieve maximum medical improvement, but can get the full extent of your damages once pain and suffering is taken into account. You discover how pain and suffering is calculated on our blog.
Most people in Homewood, IL have never had to make a personal injury claim before, and we help guide them through the entire process. Get in touch with our car accident attorneys now at (779) 800-HURT if you have any questions about what the next steps are after an accident.
What Kind of Hurdles Are There In Homewood, IL Car Accident Claims?
Ideally, you would not have to fight to get the compensation you deserve. But far too often there are difficulties that come up and the other side does not want to fulfill their obligation to compensate you. Several of the issues our car accident attorneys see the most in Homewood, IL are:
The other driver has no insurance —Illinois has minimum insurance requirements for all drivers. But some drivers do not follow the rules, and that can cause doubt about how to proceed. Our car accident attorneys have filed hundreds of uninsured motorist claims for our clients against their own insurance companies . However, just because it is your own insurance does not mean they will readily agree to pay you – an attorney is usually still required to secure a full recovery.
The negligent party does not have enough insurance — Each insurance policy has policy limits, which determine the maximum amount of coverage available after an accident. If are owed more money than what’s on the at-fault driver’s policy limits, we can pursue a underinsured motorist claim against your own insurance. Sometimes, we can discover umbrella policies that your accident falls under.
The other party denies fault — Unfortunately, it is not surprising that some negligent people do not want to take responsibility for their actions. If the other driver will not admit fault, we will conduct a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding your accident and take sworn depositions to demonstrate how the other driver caused your injuries.
The insurance company refuses to be fair —Insurance adjusters utilize numerous different tricks to minimize claims, and you will need an attorney to stand up to them. If they continue to lowball you after we send a settlement demand letter, we will not hesitate file a lawsuit, litigate the case and start getting ready to present your case to a jury. Often, simply the presence of tough and experienced trial car accident attorneys like those at Burger Law is enough to get the insurance company to offer you what we demanded; they know they will not get a favorable outcome if they make us go in front of a judge and jury. Many high settlements are offered right before a trial is set to begin.
Our car accident attorneys always try to get fair compensation as soon as possible. However, if there are issues at play and the negligent driver and their insurance company do not want to do the right thing, we we will defend your rights at trial. We do not stop fighting for our Homewood, IL clients until they are compensated. There is not type of car accident claim we have not seen before.
Car Accident Attorneys in Homewood, IL — Resources to Help With Your Car Accident Claim
Our founder and principle has literally written the book on mistakes people make in auto accident claims, which you can download below, read through to understand your case better. You can also check out our FAQs and legal glossary to better understand the claims process.
Causes and Types of Car Accidents in Homewood, IL
Each car accident is unique, and they can happen for any reason, at any time or place. However, most causes and types of accidents can be broken down into a number of distinct categories. Some examples are:
Backup Accidents — According to the National Safety Council, a quarter of accidents occur because of improper backing techniques, and those accidents cause more than 500 deaths and 15,000 injuries annually, many of them to children in parking lots.If another vehicle backed into your vehicle, the insurance company will likely assume that you are to blame, as the trailing driver is almost always liable in rear to front accidents. Knowledgeable car accident attorneys can find the evidence needed to demonstrate how the other driver caused your injuries.
Carpool and Rideshare Accidents — Uber or Lyft accidents themselves are not too different from any other motor vehicle wreck. However, while policy limits tend to be higher, when making a claim you will be going up against a large corporation instead of a single adjuster. A car accident lawyer can help level the playing field.
Fatal Car Crashes — Nothing is worse than having someone you love taken away too soon. While nothing can replace your loss, a wrongful death claim can bring a sense of justice, and ease the financial burden their loss placed on you.
Head-on Collisions — Head-on collisions are especially dangerous because both cars are going fast, and the driver and front passenger are exposed to flying glass and debris. They make up just two percent of all traffic accidents, but account for one out of 10 driving fatalities. Beyond fatalities, they can cause incredibly serious injuries.
Multi-Vehicle Accidents — Multi-vehicle accidents are often “chain reaction” accidents where multiple drivers are negligent. Because of that, each driver’s insurance will try to pin liability on the others. Burger Law’s Homewood, IL car accident attorneys will prove how each negligent driver contributed to your injuries.
Road Construction Accidents — Construction companies are obligated to take steps to ensure their construction zones are safe for drivers, including having proper warning zones and that dangerous locations are cordoned off. In addition to another driver, we can make a claim against a construction company if they were negligent and their negligence injured you.
Speeding Accidents — Statewide in 2020, speeding contributed to almost a third of all crashes, almost half of fatal crashes and 37.3 percent of personal injury crashes. Speeding causes accidents because it increases the the probability that a driver will lose control of their vehicle and dramatically reduces stopping distance.
Burger Law’s Homewood, IL car accident attorneys have seen any type of auto claim you can think of — and won them. We know how to investigate accident cases and prove liability on the part of the negligent driver.
How Is Compensation Calculated in Homewood, IL Car Accident Claims?
Financial recoveries in car accident claims generally compensate you for two kinds of damages: economic damages, such as medical expenses and money you lost from time spent off work recovering, and non-economic damages, such as pain and suffering and mental anguish An important aspect of any car accident attorney’s job is properly calculating the full extent of someone’s damages. We will make sure the other side understands just how much their negligence has affected you, and demand they compensate you for all of it.
To determine the full extent of your damages, we first need to total all of your economic damages. This includes:
Lost wages and lost earning potential
Any medical appointments, surgeries, proscriptions and/or tests
Assistive devices such as wheelchairs
Medical costs you might incur in the future, such as additional procedures, replacement wheelchairs, or eventual replacement of artificial joints
Out-of-pocket expenses like a nanny if your injuries prevented you from caring for your children for a time
If you are likely to have future economic damages, we work with economic experts to value how much those will cost in the future, and adjust our settlement demand to incorporate expected inflation.
After we have calculated economic damages, we will put a monetary value on the less tangible ways your life has been affected. Most often, your attorney will use the “multiplier method,” multiplying your economic damages by a number between 1.5 and five.
For example, say you have $30,000 in economic damages, and your injuries caused you extreme discomfort for two weeks, your car accident attorney might decide your economic damages should be multiplied by three. Therefore:
$30,000 X 3 = $90,000
Your total damages would be calculated as $120,000.
Most claims use a multiplier of three, and multipliers of four and five are usually only for more serious injuries that greatly affect someone’s physical comfort, state of mind and their independence.
What Factors Go Into How Much My Claim Is Worth?
The more your injuries affect your life financially, emotionally and physically, the more your claim is worth. Factors that help determine what your claim is worth include:
The extent of your injuries
How much medical treatment you needed, and if you will need more treatment in the future
If your injuries resulted in scarring or disability
Your wage loss damages
If you can no longer earn a living as you used to and have lost earning capacity damages
If your injuries affected your quality of life and independence
If you bear partial responsibility for your accident
Often, insurance adjusters try to devalue claims by saying they only have to six weeks of treatment, you waited too long to get treatment, they do not need to pay wage loss damages if you had sick leave available or by blaming your injuries on you. We will not let them get away with that. In over 30 years of experience standing up to insurance adjusters, and to date have secured over $200 million in compensation.
How Much Time Do I Have to File a Car Accident Claim in Homewood, IL?
Each state has its own statute of limitations for injury claims. According to 735 ILCS 5/13-202, Illinois’ is shorter than most other states at just two years. There are three notable exceptions:
If you are making a wrongful death claim for the loss of a loved one, you have two years from when your loved one passed – not not from, when the crash occurred.
If you or your loved one was a minor when the accident occurred, you have two years from the date of their 18th birthday.
If you or your loved one was under a “legal disability” at the time of the accident, you have two years from the date the disability was removed. If you came under a legal disability after than accident but within the two-year time limit, that time does not count against the statute of limitations. In Illinois, “legal disability” means:
Someone who, either by mental or physical disability, is not able to manage their person or estate
A person with a mental illness or developmental disability that keeps them from managing their person or estate
Someone who, because of “gambling, idleness, debauchery or excessive use of alcohol or drugs,” cannot manage their estate to the extent that it causes them or their family to “want or suffer”
Two years is not as long as it sounds. Do not wait to call a car accident attorney right away after your accident. If you are wondering if any of the exceptions apply to you, speak to an attorney at Burger Law today at (779) 800-HURT to go over your case in detail.
Speak to Our Homewood, IL Car Accident Attorneys Today
Burger Law’s car accident attorneys are committed devoted to getting each of our Homewood, IL clients the best possible results in their claims. You did not want to be injured, and you should not have to pay simply because someone else was negligent. We will fight back against bullies like resistant insurance companies. To start on your true road to recovery, speak to Burger Law‘s car accident attorneys now at (779) 800-HURT or contact us online for a free consultation.
This law firm is absolutely amazing. They took on my case, when nobody else would! They fought hard for me when it seemed there was no hope. They kept me informed and always asked for my input before making decisions on my case. Gary puts himself into every case unlike most law firm owners. Gary and his team really care about every one of their clients, and fights hard to get you a fair settlement. They actually won my case out of court, and then reduced my fees to make sure I could get my car fixed and be able to get back to some normality. I would recommend Burger Law over and above any other firm! If you go somewhere else you aren’t getting the best!
Genevieve and Laura have assisted me in my personal injury claim and have made the process so much less stressful. They are extremely knowledgeable, professional, and attentive. Laura is always on top of everything and very sweet. I had no idea how to navigate this process and they have made me feel at ease and like they truly cared about the outcome.
Cara Barton
It has been a long 4 years, but it is finally over! Burger law did a great job handling my case. Grant Doty answered all my questions, promptly returned my phone calls, frequently kept me updated and insured me that he was fighting for me. Jennifer Zini also did a wonderful job, great customer service. It was pleasure getting to know the Burger Law team!
S. Alred
After a driver unexpectedly pulled out right in front of my motorcycle & I suffered injuries, the at-fault driver’s insurance company offered me a $10,000 settlement. I hired Burger Law & they won a $109,000 settlement. I was very happy with the outcome. They were easy to work with & fully explained each step of the process & kept me informed along the way.
At Burger Law | St. Louis Personal Injury Lawyer, we are a team of personal injury attorneys who have earned many distinctions and peer-reviewed awards for our civil litigation and trial work in Missouri and Illinois. A few of the honors we have earned include the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, Top 100 Trial Lawyer Award, a Martindale-Hubbell AV rating, Super Lawyers selection as one of the top attorneys in the field of personal injury and board certifications in Civil Litigation.
Personal injury lawyers who demand justice in Southern Illinois. The role of a personal injury lawyer in Southern Illinois should be more than just getting you a great settlement…