DeKalb Car Accident Lawyer

After a car accident, it can feel like your financial well-being is under attack from all sides. Let a DeKalb car crash lawyer help you recover the compensation you need to reach financial stability.

Car accidents are jarring and potentially traumatizing. Your injuries may be minor or so severe that they change your life forever. As you search for legal representation, you need to partner with a DeKalb car accident lawyer who will listen to your concerns and tell you in all honesty the best actions to take so you can get the most out of your claim.

If you choose Mahoney & Mahoney, LLC, we’ll treat you with compassion and tenaciously pursue the at-fault party to hold them accountable for the negligence that harmed you. We’ll do this for the sake of justice, but we’ll also do it to make sure your family is financially secure.

Identifying the Cause Means Finding Fault

Almost anything can cause a car to crash, but there are several common culprits to look out for. We have to identify the causes in order to track down the people or entities at fault.

There is often more than one cause, and that may mean there is more than one party to name in your DeKalb car accident claim. The following are factors that might have contributed to your DeKalb car accident and resulting injuries:

Driving while intoxicated or drowsy
Distracted while driving
Driving aggressively
Poor road conditions, such as potholes, missing traffic signs, or insufficient street lighting
Hazardous debris in your path
Unsecured construction zones
Mechanical and part failure due to vehicle design, manufacturing, or marketing defects
Failed repairs and installations

After we have established the cause of the accident, we will use the evidence we obtained to bring a claim against each liable party to ensure that you achieve maximum compensation through your lawsuit.

DeKalb Car Accident Injuries

Your DeKalb car accident might have caused you one or several serious injuries. Car accident injuries can range from bumps and bruises to traumatic brain damage and lost limbs. But, if the accident wasn’t your fault, you are entitled to compensation for your damages from the at-fault party.

An experienced Dekalb car accident attorney will ensure that each injury you’ve endured is taken seriously. We will establish the extent of the impact your injuries have had or are expected to have on your life. Some of the most frequently seen car crash injuries include the following:

Head and face damage
Neck, back, and spine trauma
Broken bones
Amputations or lost limbs
Organ injuries
Internal bleeding
Large-area severe burns

When your injuries are serious, they can have a lasting impact on your life. You could require years of both physical therapy and mental health counseling for the trauma you’ve suffered. It’s imperative that we consider the expected impact of your injuries so we can secure that loss in our calculation of the compensation you deserve.

Time Is Limited

Making the decision to file a car accident claim is difficult. Many injury victims simply don’t want to deal with the perceived hassle a lawsuit involves. Unfortunately, by the time they are prepared to move forward with a claim, the statute of limitations has passed, and they are barred from seeking damages.

That’s why it is important for you to know that we have only two years from the date the collision occurred or date of your injury diagnosis to file your claim. That time limit is cut down to one year if a government agency is the defendant in your case.

Shared Fault in a DeKalb Car Accident

When you’re injured in a car accident, it may seem pretty obvious to you that the other party was at fault. They were being careless, and you were injured for their actions. It sounds straightforward, right? Unfortunately, injury claims aren’t always so easy.

The at-fault party may say you were partly at fault for the losses you suffered. Worse, those claims could hurt your chances at compensation. Illinois employs a modified comparative negligence law that states if you’re found partly at fault for your injuries, you could lose some or even all of your compensation.

Let’s say you were hit by a drunk driver, but you were texting and driving, so you couldn’t stop in time. The at-fault party may claim you were 20 percent at fault. That means you may only receive 80 percent of your compensation.

Worse, you could lose all your compensation if you’re found to be more than 50 percent at fault for your DeKalb car accident. Your Dekalb accident lawyer understands the laws that could affect your claim, and they’ll represent you during negotiations so you don’t inadvertently accept blame and reduce your compensation.

Compensation for Your DeKalb Car Accident

Once you’ve been injured in a car accident, determining all the damages for which you deserve compensation can be a challenge. Your attorney will be trained to see all possibilities and will work closely with your doctors and rehabilitation experts to determine how serious your injuries are and how long their effects may last.

Once we have figured all that out, we’ll make sure everything that can be claimed is listed in your lawsuit. Your compensation might include the following damages:

Immediate and long-term medical costs
Current and predicted wage losses
Loss of household services
Disability accommodations to your home, car, and work area
Pain and suffering
Emotional distress
Loss of companionship, consortium, and care
Property damage
Rental cars

If the negligent party had the intention of harming you or was egregiously negligent, a court can award a sum of punitive damages as a form of punishment. Although the addition of these damages will greatly increase the value of your claim, the purpose of punitive damages is to prevent future wrongdoers from making the same mistake as the defendant in your case.

Insurance Tricks

Insurance companies will do whatever they can to avoid paying out any money at all, regardless of their client’s guilt. Insurance companies are in a for-profit industry, and they lose money every time they pay out on a claim. That isn’t in their best interests.

To protect profit margins, the insurance adjuster will do just about anything to minimize the amount the company will be required to settle for. One of the most common tactics insurers use involves twisting your words to make it sound like you’ve admitted guilt or accepted responsibility in some way.

This is, in part, because Illinois’ modified comparative fault rules diminish your compensation based on how much fault you are found to carry. For instance, if you win $100,000 but are found to be 10 percent at fault, then you’ll get only $90,000.

Additionally, because Illinois is a fault state for car insurance coverage, the person who caused the accident or their insurance company is responsible for paying for the damages. That gives the insurance company greater incentive to place unwarranted blame on you for your DeKalb car accident.

Dekalb Car Accident FAQ

When you’re injured in a car accident, you may have a lot of questions about your situation and what you can do about your losses. It’s often tough to get answers, though, because every DeKalb car accident claim is different.

The good news is, we have the answers you need for your claim. Below is a sample of our most commonly asked questions, but that’s not all we can do for you. Call your DeKalb car accident attorney for more individualized answers about your situation.

Can I seek punitive damages for my injuries?

Punitive damages are rarely rewarded because the at-fault party must have been acting with wanton disregard for safety, or they were actively trying to injure you. Although it can be tough to get compensated on these charges, your car accident lawyer can help you request these damages and seek compensation that covers them, too.

Can I sue if the at-fault party is facing criminal charges?

Even if the person who injured you is facing jail time, you have a chance to recover compensation for your injuries. The criminal trial must be completed first, but after that, you’re free to sue in civil court. You can still sue even if they weren’t convicted, and you can still use the criminal evidence against them. Criminal cases have a higher standard of evidence, so the proof you have may be enough for your claim.

What if my child is injured in a Dekalb car accident?

When your child is injured in a serious car accident, you may be dealing with a different set of laws. If your child is a minor, they may be unable to seek compensation on their own until they’re eighteen. Although the clock doesn’t start until they’re eighteen, you may need funds for their financial recovery now. Luckily, your DeKalb car accident attorney can help now to act on your child’s behalf.

Call a DeKalb Car Accident Attorney

If you would like more information about the car accident claim process or want to discuss the details of your collision, call a qualified DeKalb car accident lawyer from Mahoney & Mahoney, LLC at 815-656-4600 or enter your information into the contact form below. Schedule your no-cost, no-pressure consultation with our firm today.