Rockford Car Accident Lawyer

The impact of a car crash can shatter glass and crumple metal, but that impact can extend beyond the wreck and into your financial stability. For help, call a Rockford car crash lawyer.

Of the more than 6,200 Winnebago County car crashes reported in 2015, more than 1,500 resulted in injuries. These figures put car accidents near the top of the list of injury causes in Rockford.

Unfortunately, car accidents are more than just numbers for victims. They have real-world impacts, including catastrophic injuries, emotional and psychological stresses, and potentially permanent financial implications. Without successful settlements, victims may struggle to heal and afford their living expenses, treatment, and other essential components of recovery.

If you’re one of the countless victims of car accidents in our city, consider working with a Rockford car accident lawyer from Mahoney & Mahoney, LLC. Our attorneys are committed to helping car crash victims recover the compensation they need to move forward with their lives. We dedicate our full efforts to fighting for your case and ensuring you get the compensation you need to recover from your car crash.

Car Crashes and the Injuries They Cause

The severity of your Rockford car crash will depend on several factors, including the speed of the vehicles involved and how the collision occurred. Of course, even fender-benders can cause injuries, but your attorney will need to investigate your accident to gather the information necessary to point the blame in the correct direction.

Below, we have outlined some common car accident types in Rockford, as well as the types of injuries these crashes tend to cause:

• Head-On Crashes – Perhaps the deadliest type of car accident, a head-on collision can easily occur when a drunk or drowsy driver crosses the centerline to enter your lane. Common injuries tied to head-on collisions include brain injuries, which often occur when drivers hit the steering wheel or windshield upon impact.
• Rear-End Collisions – There’s not much you can do to prevent a rear-end collision. A common result of distracted driving, these collisions can leave victims with back injuries and whiplash.
• Sideswipe Crashes – Although they don’t always involve high-speed impacts, sideswipe accidents can be extremely dangerous, particularly when they cause your vehicle to roll over. Injuries can range from neck strain to traumatic brain injuries.
• T-Bone Accidents – If a negligent driver slams directly into the side of your vehicle, you’re going to feel nearly all of the force of the impact, especially if the impact was on your side of the vehicle. Injuries often seen in Rockford T-bone accidents include severely broken bones and head trauma.

Regardless of what type of collision you were involved in, when you suffer from critical injuries at the hands of another, you should never be expected to pay for the costs. Your Rockford traffic collision attorney will gather evidence and investigate the cause of your crash to determine who is at fault so you can get the most out of your car accident claim.

The Evidence We Need to Build Your Rockford Auto Crash Claim

To make your case successful, we will need to establish who is responsible for your accident and provide evidence that supports our claims.

Some of the most compelling evidence that can help your claim be particularly powerful include videos and photographs of the damage. Taking photographs of the damage done to your vehicle is important, and it’s also important to visually document your injuries by photographing any bruises or scars.

Statements from those who might have witnessed the incident are also useful and offer even more credibility for your case. Other important reports include medical documentation of your injuries, mechanic reports, the police report taken on the day of the accident, and any other information that can be helpful in supporting your case. Your lawyer will help you determine what documents will be most helpful to build your strongest case.

Don’t feel overwhelmed about rounding up the necessary evidence when you’re trying to heal from the accident. Your attorney will be able to gather the necessary evidence for you so you are able to focus on your recovery.

Determining Liability in a Motor Vehicle Collision

It’s easy to assume that the other driver involved in your car crash is at fault for your injuries. After all, you were driving safely, so it had to have been the other driver’s fault, right? Many accident victims are surprised to discover that there are actually a few other parties that could have played a part in the cause of their car wrecks.

When the other involved driver is to blame, it’s usually because he or she was engaging in unsafe driving practices, such as operating the vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, driving aggressively by swerving in and out of traffic or speeding, driving distracted by using a cell phone, navigation system, or some other distraction, or driving while drowsy.

Another party that could have contributed to the cause of your accident is government. A local government road authority may be held accountable for your damages if the cause of your accident was debris in the roadways, missing traffic signs or street lamps, deep potholes, or unsecured road construction zones.

We may also be able to sue the car parts manufacturer or the vehicle technician, as both have an obligation to produce and maintain a safe automobile. If a part was recalled and you weren’t properly notified, or if a technician knowingly installed a defective part to save a couple of bucks, we can make sure you are fully compensated for the results of their negligent actions.

Determining liability can be a complex matter, but you don’t have to face it alone. Your experienced personal injury attorney can help break down the details of your case and identify who is held liable for your damages.

What You Need to Know About At-Fault Auto Insurance

Illinois is a fault state in regard to auto insurance. What that means is that the driver who is found to be “at fault” for the accident, as well as his or her auto insurance company, will be responsible for covering the costs of the other driver involved in the collision.

Generally, it is bodily injury liability insurance coverage that will cover your medical bills. From medicine fees to surgery costs to bills associated with the long-term recovery process, bodily injury liability insurance coverage can offer the funds you need to afford your healing expenses.

The property damage liability coverage will pay for the repair or replacement of your vehicle. Your lawyer can help you determine what this property damage liability coverage includes and how that relates to the expenses you face to repair or replace your vehicle.

Things can get messy, however, when the medical bills and repair costs exceed the limitations of the at-fault driver’s auto insurance policy. When this happens, we may need to file a claim against the driver directly in order to recoup your losses.

How to Fight the Insurance Company

It’s a shame that insurer-customer relations have to be so combative after car accidents, but it’s almost always the case. That’s because insurance companies are looking for even the tiniest reason to deny your claim or reduce the amount of compensation they have to give you.

The explanation for this behavior is simple: Insurers are out to pull in a profit, and fairly compensating every crash victim isn’t a good way to do that. It’s unfair, but it happens time and time again. This is why it’s critical to leave communication with insurance companies to your lawyer. Personal injury lawyers are well-versed in how to handle insurers and can prevent you from facing any harmful or predatory behavior from an insurer trying to lower or block your settlement.

More specifically, insurers will attempt to blame you for your accident because any blame that falls on you can reduce the value of your claim. You may even catch the insurance company twisting your words or taking them out of context to make it seem like you admitted fault. When you leave communication to your lawyer, it makes it harder for them to twist your statements and misrepresent what you’ve said.

The prospect of dealing with the insurance company after you’ve been injured in a Rockford car accident may be daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. Hiring a lawyer is exactly what the insurer doesn’t want you to do. That’s because insurance companies know that car accident attorneys routinely secure larger settlements than victims without legal representation.

Sometimes, simply getting an attorney involved is enough to convince the insurance company to give you what you’re owed. Other times, they still won’t budge. If that’s the case, your Rockford car wreck lawyer won’t hesitate to take the fight to the courtroom.

Compensation for Your Rockford Traffic Collision

In theory, any hardship you have suffered because of a car accident that was someone else’s fault should qualify for fair compensation. However, you have to prove the extent of each one of your damages to receive the compensation you deserve.

That’s a lot of work, and it requires a lot of legal knowledge. But an experienced Rockford auto crash lawyer with our firm is prepared to help. Below are some common damages for which Rockford car accident victims can receive compensation:

• All healthcare expenses, including future costs
• Repairing or replacing your vehicle
• All wages you lost during your recovery, as well as income you will lose because of your injuries, such as bonuses and contributions to retirement funds
• Pain and suffering
• Scarring and disfigurement
• Loss of household services
• Emotional trauma, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Loss of consortium and companionship
• Wrongful death compensation for family members of victims
• Loss of enjoyment of life

Your medical expenses, in particular, can climb well into the tens of thousands of dollars, which is why we will work with your treating physician to ensure that we have accounted for each and every medical expense you’ve incurred, as well as adequate compensation that will cover any of the future costs you’re expected to face.

Additionally, the court may determine that the circumstances of your case warrant an award of punitive damages. This award can raise the amount of your final compensation award greatly, as punitive damages are designed as a way to punish the defendants who were malicious or egregiously negligent.

Although the damages that pertain to your financial status are important, the ones that affect your lifestyle and psyche can often be even more impactful and should be treated as such. Your Rockford car crash lawyer can guarantee that all of your losses will be considered when calculating the value of your claim.

Do I Need a Personal Injury Lawyer to Pursue a Settlement?

While you technically don’t need a personal injury lawyer to pursue a settlement, you may struggle to get the full compensation you’re due from the insurance companies. In fact, insurance companies may even encourage you to approach your settlement solo because their concern is keeping your settlement low, and that’s easier to do when you don’t have an experienced personal injury attorney advocating for you.

Though you can pursue a settlement for your car accident case without a personal injury lawyer, it’s not in your best interest. After a car accident, you’re likely facing injuries and emotional damages. These injuries and harms can carry a big impact on your ability to continue with your daily life, like preventing you from working or driving, let alone impacting your ability to fight for the settlement you deserve.

When you’ve been injured in a car accident, you deserve to focus on your recovery and trust that an experienced personal injury lawyer is advocating for you with insurance companies and fighting for you to get your settlement. With a personal injury attorney, you better your chances of getting the compensation you need to recover and you allow yourself to focus on your healing.

Work with a Rockford Car Accident Attorney

Navigating the legal system, gathering evidence, dealing with insurance companies, fighting at the negotiation table and in court—these are all things made much more difficult than they already are when you’re also dealing with serious injuries.

Take one simple step today to reduce your burden. Allow Mahoney & Mahoney, LLC to handle your claim for compensation. At Mahoney & Mahoney, LLC, we value your recovery and dedicate our efforts to getting you the settlement you’re seeking. We will support you throughout the process and ensure you understand your options, and we won’t settle for less than you deserve to recover.

To schedule a free, no-obligation consultation with an experienced Rockford car accident lawyer, call us at 815-656-4600 or complete the form at the bottom of the page.