Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer

Our law firm puts your best interests first

Accidents happen fast, especially in cities like Chicago. One moment, you might be walking on Michigan Avenue or driving on Lake Shore Drive. The next minute, you’re seriously injured and being transported to John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County or another nearby hospital.

When serious accidents occur, it’s important for injury victims to understand their legal rights. This is especially true if the injury occurred due to someone else’s actions. When that happens, injury victims are often eligible to receive money for all their injury-related expenses.

Our Chicago personal injury attorneys can demand every dollar you deserve. At Ferrell Young, LLC, we understand how the legal system works in Chicago and throughout Illinois. Our knowledge comes from years of experience successfully fighting for injury victims and their families. We know what it takes to win and we’re prepared to work hard every day for you.

What is a personal injury?

A personal injury accident is a legal term used to describe an injury caused by someone else. The cause may be someone else’s careless action or inaction; either way, the person or business who caused the injury can be held legally responsible. The key to such cases is providing evidence that the at-fault party’s actions or inaction caused the incident.

In addition, injury victims need to prove they suffered a financial loss as a result of their injury. If that’s true, the at-fault party must pay the injury victim for all their financial losses. This might sound straightforward. But actually getting the money you deserve can be very hard. 

What are common personal injury accidents?

Chicago personal injury accidents can cover a wide range. Some of the most common and most serious involve:

• Car accidents, including motorists hitting other cars, cyclists, or pedestrians.
• Truck accidents, which can be especially serious since many commercial trucks, including 18-wheelers, are significantly larger than other vehicles.
• Premises liability accidents, a legal term used to describe incidents that occur on someone else’s property, including dog attacks or injuries in restaurants or stores.
• Slip and fall accidents, which often occur in Chicago in winter due to snow- or ice-covered sidewalks or walkways.
• Product liability accidents, which often involve dangerous products or defective products that cause serious injuries.

If someone dies in a fatal accident, surviving family members can seek financial compensation in the form of a wrongful death claim or lawsuit.

How does negligence cause personal injuries?

Negligence means the person who caused the injury failed to act in a responsible manner, often referred to as a duty of care. In most types of personal injury cases, injury victims must prove that negligence occurred in order to win.

There are many different ways negligence can result in personal injury accidents. This can include unsafe conditions on someone else’s property, including bad lighting, lack of security or unsafe stairs, especially in premises liability and slip and fall cases.

Other times, negligence may involve someone acting in a reckless or negligent manner. This can include someone texting while driving, driving under the influence of alcohol or another illegal activity. Whatever the circumstances, the negligent party should be held accountable for their actions.

Who investigates personal injury accidents?

Often, personal injury accidents are investigated by the insurance companies for the parties involved. This could mean the insurance companies for the business where the injury took place or the insurance providers for all the drivers involved in a collision.

This is very important to understand since these insurance companies have a financial stake in what happens. The insurance company for the person or business who caused your injury might be responsible for paying for all your injury-related expenses.

If that doesn’t sound fair to you, you’re not alone. We believe injury accidents should be independently investigated. That’s why our Chicago personal injury lawyers want to work with you and conduct an in-depth investigation on your behalf.

What expenses can I be compensated for?

If someone else caused your personal injury accident, you should be financially compensated for all your injury-related expenses, including:

• Cost of all medical care to treat your injury.
• Replacement income if you cannot work while recovering from your injury.
• Lost future income if you cannot return to work due to a permanent disability.
• Repair or replacement of damaged property.
• Pain and suffering in certain circumstances.

How much is my personal injury claim worth?

We realize injury victims want a simple answer for how much money their injury claim could be worth. But the reality is it depends on the circumstances. In addition, there’s often a great deal of debate about which expenses to include when calculating a personal injury claim. Often, the at-fault party’s insurance company will only take into account short-term expenses like emergency medical care.

The truth is you should be compensated for all your injury-related expenses, even if they occur years later. As a result, your injury claim could be significantly more than you might expect. So what’s the best way to know how much your claim is worth? Talk to a lawyer. We can help.

Should I accept a settlement offer?

Many times, the insurance company for the at-fault party will make a settlement offer soon after an accident. When they do, you might be tempted to accept such an offer, especially if you have a lot of bills.

But before you accept such an offer, remember that settlement claim is a one-time payment to settle your case, once and for all. If you agree to accept a settlement offer, you cannot ask for any more money in the future.

Often, a settlement offer won’t even come close to covering the full cost of your injuries. Always review your settlement offer with an attorney before you accept the insurance company’s money.

Should I file a personal injury lawsuit?

Sometimes, the best way to get the money you deserve for your injury-related expenses is to file a personal injury lawsuit. However, if you are considering taking legal action, there are many important issues you need to consider:

• When to file your lawsuit – Illinois has strict deadlines (known as the statute of limitations) for taking legal action. In general, you have two years from the date of your injury to file a personal injury lawsuit in Illinois, according to Illinois General Assembly Law 735 ILCS 5/13-212. But other deadlines can apply in some situations.
• Where to file your lawsuit – Depending on the circumstances of your case, you may be able to choose which court to file your lawsuit in. This is important since some jurisdictions might be more favorable than others.
• How much money to request – Ultimately, it’s your responsibility as an injury victim to demand a specific amount of damages (financial compensation) as part of a personal injury lawsuit. You need an experienced attorney to calculate the full value of your claim.

Who can I sue for my personal injury?

In general, injury victims in Illinois file a personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault party.  That might be the owner of the premises where the injury took place, the manufacturer of a defective product, a careless driver, or another at-fault party. Depending on the circumstances of your case, there could be more than one at-fault party responsible for paying you the money you deserve.

Not sure who to take legal action against after your Chicago personal injury accident? Talk to a lawyer at our law firm. We can review your case and explain your options, including who you might want to consider taking legal action against.

How can a Chicago personal injury attorney help?

The stakes are high in many Chicago personal injury cases. Depending on the severity of your injuries and many other factors, your personal injury claim or lawsuit could potentially be worth thousands of dollars or significantly more.

Insurance companies and anyone else responsible for paying for your injury-related expenses know this. That’s why they often do everything they can to reduce or even deny injury claims or lawsuits. In most cases, they’re simply focused on the bottom line.

That’s not right. That’s why we take such cases so seriously. Our Chicago personal injury lawyers believe injury victims should be paid the money they deserve for all injury expenses. We take our job seriously and are prepared to go the distance for you.

Get the Chicago law firm that gets you. Schedule a free case evaluation with an experienced Chicago personal injury attorney at Ferrell Young, LLC. Contact us online or call us today. Se habla Español.