Is It Worth It to Hire Car Accident Attorney in Shiloh, IL?
Each car accident is different. For many, a car accident is a jarring event that causes no small amount of residual stress. The fact remains that any time you are hurt in a car accident caused by someone else, you deserve compensation from the responsible person and their insurance company. To get the full compensation for your damages, you will often require the help of a good car accident attorney to fight for you.
Sometimes you can resolve a minor car accident in a way that is favorable for all parties without involving car accident attorneys. However some factors require legal help. It is vital that you have a car accident attorney to fight on your behalf if the following applies to your case:
- Your injuries are severe
- The insurance company's offer does not come close to covering your damages
- The other driver does not have insurance or enough insurance to cover your damages
- You need help with the insurance and legal process
- The other driver or their insurance company is blaming you for your injuries
- You are dealing with complex legal issues, such as those involving multiple parties, hit and run accident or were injured by a government vehicle
Resources for Your Shiloh, IL Car Accident Claim
Our philosophy at Burger Law is that, as your personal injury law firm, our responsibility extends beyond arguing your case and negotiating with the insurance company; we believe it is also important to provide free education and resources to people injured in car accidents to to help them through their injury claims. Burger Law has written books on all types of personal injury cases including car accidents, is active on our Youtube channel and is always available to answer questions.
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Why Choose Burger Law For Your Shiloh, IL Car Accident Claim
When you are facing a legal issue, it is important to choose the best law firm to fight for you. Burger Law is highly respected and experienced law firm that has been fiercely fighting for the injured for more than 30 years. Below are some of the reasons why you should choose Burger Law for your case.
Acclaimed Attorneys Know How to Win
To ensure you get full compensation, you need to put your case in the capable hands of a car accident attorney who has earned the respect of the Shiloh, IL legal community and knows how to get results. In order to have a good understanding of the abilities of a law firm, you need to take into account their previous victories, and their reputation among their clients and peers. The numerous awards, honors and accolades Burger Law has received from our peers include:
- Martindale-Hubbell Award — AV Preeminent® Rated by Martindale-Hubbell® from NexisLexis® – a significant achievement awarded to not more than 5 percent of all attorneys in the country
- Million and Multi-Million Dollar Advocate Honor — Members of the Million and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, an honor only given to 1 percent of attorneys in the United States.
- Top 100 Trial Lawyers Honor — Selected to the Top 100 Trial Lawyers by The National Trial Lawyers, an invitation-only award that is made up of the most qualified lawyers in each state.
- Board Certified By the National Board of Trial Advocacy — Board certified in Civil Trial Advocacy and Civil Pretrial Practice Advocacy by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Less than 4 percent of all practicing lawyers are certified by an American Bar Association accredited certification board.
Understanding and Knowledgeable Attorneys
At Burger Law, we know the terrible financial, physical and mental burdens an injury can create. That is why our attorneys are compassionate and dedicated to helping our clients be made whole again. After having fought for more than 30 years, our attorneys are willing to take on the tough cases other law firms are not. We are committed to helping our clients recovery both physically and financially, and we work faithfully to ensure they do. You need to focus on healing; trust in us to take on the insurance company.
Personalized Approach
At Burger Law, we know that every client and every case is unique. That is why we customize our legal strategies to meet the specific needs of each case. Our attorneys explain the legal process to you and always keep you up-to-date on the status of your claim.
Commitment to Excellence
At Burger Law, we are committed to offering the highest standard of legal advocacy. We have high moral expectations for ourselves and the insurance adjusters we stand up to. We pursue every legal avenue to get you the compensation you deserve.
Our Ratings and Victories
Any car accident attorney can say they will fight for you, but having a demonstrated track record of success is another matter entirely. We are among the highest-reviewed law firms, with a 4.9 rating from almost 500 reviews. You can also look at our client testimonials and case results.
Discuss your case for free with an car accident attorney in Shiloh, IL now at (314) 500-HURT, or keep reading to find out more about car accident claims and what Burger Law can do for you.
How is Fault Determined in Car Accident in Shiloh, IL?
Assigning fault in a car crash is the first step toward collecting damages. To do that, you and your car accident attorney must prove the five elements of negligence:
- Duty of care — That the other driver had a responsibility to keep you safe. Under Illinois Law, all drivers need to "exercise due care to avoid colliding" with others on the road.
- Breach of duty — That they neglected their obligation. Did they drive with excessive speed or drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs?
- Cause in fact — That the wreck directly led to your injury. For example, you were rear ended and that gave you a whiplash injury.
- Proximate cause — That their negligence caused the crash. Were you rear ended because a driver was distracted, or because a mechanic was negligent and the other driver has faulty brakes.
- Damages — That you sustained losses because of your injuries. Do you have medical bills, lost wages and emotional anguish you can make a claim for?
Liability can be determined through numerous factors. Sometimes, the negligent driver will admit that they are to blame, but too often irresponsible actors deny they did anything wrong. After an accident, police officers will evaluate the accident scene and speak to both parties to help make their report. Then, insurance adjusters will analyze the police report and other evidence to determine blame. While this is part of an adjuster's job, their primary goal is to save their insurance company money. That means they may say they do not have to compensate you, even if that is demonstrably untrue.
In those cases, you need to hire a car accident attorney to ensure you get the compensation you are owed. The attorney will acquire more evidence, take depositions of both drivers and eyewitnesses, and hire crash experts to interpret photographs and the damage to both vehicles to show how the accident occurred. Then they will send this information to the insurance adjuster to get them to be fair.
If the insurance company refuses to be fair, your attorney may recommend mediation, where a neutral third party tries to help both parties come to a fair settlement. If that fails, your car accident attorney can take your claim to trial, present the evidence to a jury and convince them the other driver was at fault.
The Illinois Comparative Negligence Rule
In many states, including Illinois, adjusters, lawyers and juries can apply the comparative negligence or comparative fault rule to personal injury claims. In comparative fault, you can recover for the portion of the blame you do not share.
Meaning, if a jury awards you $100,000 in damages, but finds that you share 30 percent of the blame for your accident, you can recover $70,000. Keep in mind that 735 ILCS 5/2-1116 states that:
The plaintiff shall be barred from recovering damages if the trier of fact finds that the contributory fault on the part of the plaintiff is more than 50 percent of the proximate cause of the injury or damage for which recovery is sought.
That means that if you are more than half to blame for the accident, you will not be able to recover any compensation in Shiloh, IL.
Serious Injuries in Shiloh, IL Car Accidents
Catastrophic injuries in car accidents have a significant impact on your life, causing long-term physical, emotional and financial consequences. Some injuries we have helped people get compensation for are:
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) — This can occur when the the brain moves inside of the skull, causing damage to the brain. Symptoms can range from mild, such as a headache or confusion, to significant, such as loss of consciousness or lifelong cognitive impairment.
- Spinal cord injuries — These can occur when the spinal cord is damaged, resulting in loss of mobility or feeling in the arms, legs or other parts of the body. In the worst case scenario, they can lead permanent paralysis.
- Broken bones — Broken bones can occur in any part of the body in a car accident, leading to severe pain and long-term disability.
- Internal injuries — These can include bleeding or other injuries to the internal organs, such as the heart, lungs, liver and others, and require immediate medical attention in order not to be deadly.
- Burns — Burns can occur from the ignition of fuel or from contact with hot surfaces, such as a vehicle's engine or exhaust system. They can cause significant pain and scarring.
At Burger Law, we know how serious injuries can completely change your life in an instant. But, with the help of Burger Law, you can be made whole again. Call us immediately to discuss your case at (314) 500-HURT.