Personal Injury Legal Services

Visual evidence is an important part of evidence collection. Photos of injuries, property damage, skid marks, or other damage can be a key part of proving your injuries and demonstrating who caused the accident. Video evidence may have even captured your injuries on film, which can make a big difference in your claim.

During an accident, there may have been other people present who witnessed your accident. If you were injured in a car accident, other drivers may have seen the accident. Your coworkers may have witnessed a workplace accident. Your loved ones may have noticed a decline in your health after a defective drug made you ill. All these testimonies can count as eyewitness testimony.

Eyewitness testimony is a form of evidence coming from other people who saw the accident or otherwise witnessed your condition. These testimonies can be key to supporting your claim and getting the compensation you’re due.

If you need witnesses on your side, your lawyer can help you get in touch with the right people and make the best use of your resources. At Mahoney & Mahoney, we can contact those who may have witnessed your injuries but aren’t pursuing their own legal case. We can also determine the best way to use those witness testimonies for your claim. Reach out for guidance if you’re struggling to make the most of eyewitness testimony.

When you’re hurt, there isn’t always someone around to see your accident. You may have been seriously injured, but no one else can verify how you were injured and who injured you. In these cases, you may need an expert witness on call.

Expert witnesses are highly educated experts in their fields who provide specific guidance that’s relevant to your claim. These experts provide detailed information about your crash that you may have otherwise been unable to determine.

For example, if no one witnessed a car accident or multiple vehicles were involved in the accident, it may be difficult to determine who’s at fault for your injuries. When this happens, an accident reconstruction expert may be called in to create a simulation of how the accident happened, revealing the at-fault party.

An expert witness can also be someone close to you and the incident. For example, your doctor’s opinion on your health and recovery counts as an expert witness. Likewise, the police report that details the accident and who’s responsible can be used as expert testimony. These resources can be invaluable to your case, so reach out for help making the most use of them.

Documentation can also help prove your case. Police reports can provide an unbiased look at your case that includes relevant details. Other documentation to collect may include manufacturer safety inspection reports. It just depends on the nature of your injuries and the circumstances surrounding your accident.

It is especially important to collect medical documents. Medical records can showcase the extent of your injuries, and they may also help you prove that your condition worsened over time or that your recovery has varied. This type of evidence is vital to ensure you are fairly compensated.

These are some of the most common injury-causing events. Various parties could be to blame. In car accidents, bus wrecks, and motorcycle accidents, other drivers, parts manufacturers, and government agencies responsible for road safety could be held responsible. Meanwhile, accidents involving commercial trucks may implicate truckers, trucking companies, or those who loaded the truck’s cargo.

On average, the construction industry is one of the most dangerous work sectors in Illinois. Workers' compensation covers most workplace accidents. However, certain circumstances could call for additional compensation for losses that aren’t recoverable from your workers' compensation benefits. These can be sought in a personal injury claim against your employer or a third party.

These are accidents on other people’s property. If you slip on a slick floor at a grocery store, you might name the store owner in your claim. If you’re bitten by a dog, you might name the dog owner.

Malfunctioning brakes, exploding home appliances, tainted medications, and toxic foods are all examples of defective products. If you’re hurt by a product when using it correctly, you may be eligible for compensation from the product’s manufacturer or others in the product’s chain of distribution.

Those who abuse or neglect the elderly should be held accountable in both criminal and civil court. Has your elderly loved one suffered nursing home abuse? You could sue the assisted living facility, an individual caregiver, or a third party operating in the facility.

After you’re injured, your insurance company may be your first line of defense to get the compensation you’re due for your injuries and your recovery. However, trusting them right away can lead to difficulties in getting your compensation. Because of this, you may need a lawyer to guide you through this process.

First, you’ll need to notify the insurance company of your accident and your injuries. Typically, it’s best to say as little as possible that isn’t necessary for them to know. They’ll be investigating your claim anyway, and anything you do say can be used to reduce or dismiss your settlement.

Once they’re notified of your injuries, they’ll review your claim and determine what settlement to offer you. This is based on the severity of the damages in your personal injury claim, the cost of your medical care, and other factors covered by the insurance company.

They may also look for signs that you’re trying to commit fraud, such as acting or claiming to be injured when you aren’t. Unfortunately, this leads to many injury victims being denied because the insurance company assumes a less painful day means fraud. You may need to speak with a lawyer about protecting yourself from these accusations.

Once the insurance company has reviewed your claim, they’ll offer a settlement. Many people assume this means they’ve won and that the money will cover their needs. However, insurance companies often lowball settlement offers, meaning you may have been offered much less money than you’re actually due. Your lawyer can calculate the value of your claim and take action.

Keep in mind that accepting a settlement offer means you can’t go back if you haven’t received enough. When in doubt, talk to your lawyer before you accept a settlement offer. We can help you determine whether you’re receiving a fair settlement or whether the insurance company is acting in bad faith. No matter which is the case, we are prepared to help you recover what you’re due.

If you haven’t been given a fair offer, we can step in. We can help you write a demand letter, which details the damages you’ve suffered that should be included in your settlement offer. This demand letter shows that you know what your claim is worth and that you won’t accept less. For some insurance companies, this is all that’s needed to get the settlement you’re due.

Unfortunately, it’s not always the case. You may have sent your demand letter, only to receive a letter stating they’re not budging, or they may try to deny you the compensation you’re due. When this happens, you and your lawyer may need to move beyond negotiating and start discussing a lawsuit. If the insurance company is acting in bad faith, you may have grounds to pursue the compensation you’re actually due.

In some cases, the insurance company may continue to fight back, using their resources to hire lawyers who will try to prove you’re not due the compensation you’re seeking. This may be intimidating, but here’s the good news: you don’t have to take your claim to court alone. At Mahoney & Mahoney, we will be there to present your evidence, represent you in the courtroom, and help you make a full recovery when you’re hurt and suffering.

When you’re seriously injured in an accident, part of your compensation should cover the financial losses you’ve suffered because of the accident. The costs to recover from a collision can be expensive, and you may have a difficult time getting the funds you’re due for your injuries.

The following are some common damages:

• Current and anticipated medical bills
• Lost wages during your recovery
• Inability to return to work
• Damage to your property, including your vehicle
• Costs tied to retrofitting your home to accommodate your disability or injuries

These damages can be accounted for by adding up the costs of your recovery. Any expenses, both the current costs of your recovery and any future expenses you may have, should be accounted for and added to your compensation total. Talk to your lawyer if you’re unsure what this compensation should include.

Non-economic damages can be more complex because you’re dealing with intangible suffering you’ve experienced. This trauma can impact your life in a tangible way, but it doesn’t have a dollar value like your economic damages do. For example, your hospital bills should be accounted for, but what about the physical pain you suffered because of your injuries?

Below is just a small sample of the non-economic damages you may be facing because of your accident:

• Emotional trauma
• Reduced quality of life
• Scarring or disfigurement

Calculating these damages is more complex than it is for economic damages because your non-economic damages don’t have a set dollar amount. Because of that, you’ll need to determine the impact of your injuries and their value. This can be difficult to do, but your legal team at Mahoney & Mahoney is here to provide all the tools you need for a full recovery.

In choosing to work with Mahoney & Mahoney, you won’t need to concern yourself with how you’ll be able to afford our services. That’s because we work with our clients on a contingency fee. This fee will vary from client to client, based on the details of your case. You won’t be expected to pay us a cent unless or until we are able to win compensation for you. Our fee will be deducted directly from your winnings. You’ll never have to worry about paying an unexpected bill.

Sometimes, accidents aren’t entirely the fault of one party. The state of Illinois accounts for this by allowing multiple parties to share the blame for injury-causing accidents. This policy is called comparative negligence. Here’s the good news: you can still recover compensation if you hold some of the blame. That's as long as the accident wasn’t more than 50% your fault. The bad news is this: whatever percentage of fault you hold will be cut from your award. For example, if you exceeded the speed limit by a few miles per hour just as a drunk driver rammed the side of your car, you might be found to hold, say, 10% of the blame. Say you were awarded $100,000. You would get 10% less or $90,000.

You don’t necessarily have to go to court for a personal injury claim. However, you may need to if the other side won’t negotiate an appropriate settlement offer. The majority of injury claims are settled before going to court. Even so, sometimes court is needed. At Mahoney & Mahoney, we can help you negotiate and take action if the at-fault party doesn’t budge.

When your child is injured, they may not be old enough to stand trial, but that doesn’t mean your family doesn’t need financial support during this difficult time. If your child is injured, you and your lawyer can act on their behalf in many cases. Your lawyer can petition the judge to appoint you or your attorney as guardian ad litem, so you can take legal action now, while the evidence is still fresh.

Determining fault can be a complex issue, and you may not have the tools to do so. Typically, determining the cause of your accident can help you determine who’s at fault. This can be done using eyewitness testimony, expert witnesses, accident reports, and more to determine the cause of your accident. Your lawyer has the resources you need to determine who’s at fault. If you’re struggling to get answers, reach out to us for the legal aid you need for your claim.

When you’re hurt in an accident, you’re due compensatory damages or economic and non-economic damages. However, you may also be due punitive damages. These damages aren’t meant to cover the costs of your recovery but are instead meant to punish the wrongdoer. These damages are usually only available for cases of gross negligence or malicious intent, so they can be difficult to seek. Your lawyer can determine whether you’re eligible and what you could receive in court.

After an injury, you may have long-term trauma and may have been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This condition may be directly related to your condition, and you may have grounds to sue for your suffering. To get compensated for PTSD, your lawyer may need to prove you suffered from and were diagnosed with PTSD. They’ll also need to calculate the costs of your damages, getting you the full compensation you’re due following an accident. Talk to Mahoney & Mahoney about your official diagnoses related to your accident.

To calculate pain and suffering in a personal injury claim, you and your lawyer will need to calculate your claim based on the severity of your suffering and the impact that suffering had on your life. For example, you may have broken your leg in an accident. For an office worker, this may be painful, but may not impact their quality of life. An athlete, however, may have a hard time adjusting to changes in their physical ability, which may leave them in emotional distress. Your lawyer can help you determine the value of your damages and take action.