Defending the rights of the injured and vulnerable
What Compensation Can I Get in a Personal Injury Claim?
What Compensation Can I Get in a Personal Injury Claim in Chicago, Illinois?
In personal injury claims, you are legally entitled to economic damages, noneconomic damages and, in some rare cases, punitive damages. The amount of compensation you receive will depend on the severity of your injuries, how they have impacted you financially, emotionally and physically and the skill of your personal injury attorney in Chicago.
Economic Damages
Economic damages have clear monetary value, and will typically be the sum total of all of the money you spent or lost because of your injuries. Examples of economic damages your Illinois personal injury attorney in Chicago will help you receive are:
- Lost wages
- Lost or Reduced earning potential
- Medical expenses, such as:
- Emergency room visits
- Surgeries
- Doctors appointments
- Physical therapy
- Medication
- In-home care
- Assistive devices such as wheelchairs or household modifications
- Property damage, such as damage to your car
- Transportation fees
Noneconomic Damages
Noneconomic damages are less tangible, and are meant to compensate you for the physical and emotional pain you experience from your accident. According to 735 ILCS 5/ §2-1115.2, the state of Illinois states that noneconomic loss is, including but not limited to:
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages seek to punish the liable party for gross misconduct and to deter future misconduct. According to 735 ILCS 5/ §2-1115.5 stipulates that in order to receive punitive damages, your personal injury attorney must prove:
by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant's conduct was with evil motive or a reckless and outrageous indifference to a highly unreasonable risk of harm and with a conscious indifference to the rights and safety of others.
The burden of proof is much higher than the preponderance of the evidence standard used to award noneconomic and economic damages. In Illinois, punitive damages cannot be more than three times the economic damages you receive.
The Chicago-based Illinois personal injury attorney firm at Burger Law investigates every aspect of your case and insists that you recover the maximum compensation possible. Only you know the full scope of the consequences your injury has had on your life. If you have been playing piano since you were a child and now no longer have use of your hand, it is impossible to put a true dollar amount on how your injury has affected you. The Chicago and Illinois personal injury attorney team at Burger Law does everything possible in order to help make you as whole as possible. We know how to put Chicago and Illinois insurance agents, judges and juries in your shoes and ensure you receive the best possible financial recovery for your injuries.
How Long Do I Have to File a Personal Injury Claim?
How Long Do I Have to File a Personal Injury Claim in Illinois?
In Illinois, the statute of limitations is two years for most personal injury claims, according to 735 ILCS 5/ §13. That means you must file a claim within two years of when the injury occurred. However, there are three notable exceptions:
- If you were under 18 at the time of injury, you have two years to file a claim after your 18th birthday.
- If you were under a "legal disability" when the injury occurred, you have two years from the date the injury was "removed."
- In medical malpractice cases, you have two years from the date you discovered the injury or could reasonably have been expected to discover the injury. No medical malpractice claim can be made more than four years after the injury occurred, unless you were under 18. Then you would have until your 22nd birthday.
Once you have been injured because of somebody else's reckless actions, there is no time to wait. Burger Law's Chicago-based Illinois personal injury attorney team has experience filing and winning claims in a variety of circumstances. Do not delay, call us today 312-500-HURT.