Whether you were hurt in an unfortunate slip & fall accident in Rockford or have endured severe injuries in a car crash, you deserve to get compensated for your losses. The person at fault should be held responsible for their action, and you could recover a settlement through insurance or a civil lawsuit. One of the first things that many claimants want to know about is the worth of their settlement. How much will they receive for their claim? Only an experienced attorney can answer that question. You can click here for a free consultation. In this post, let’s discuss the factors that are likely to determine your compensation.
Evidence against the other party
In order to win the claim, you must have evidence that the other party was liable for your situation beyond doubt. If you don’t have that, you will most likely be unable to recover anything. That’s another reason why you need an attorney specializing in the personal injury laws of Illinois. Remember, you will need to investigate, for which you need contacts and resources. Also, if you don’t gather evidence soon, the same information may be hard to uncover. When you hire an attorney, they do that for you.
Contributory negligence
For the unversed, contributory negligence rules come into the picture when the plaintiff is also partially at fault. In many situations, just one party is liable, which means the other one is an obvious victim. According to Illinois laws, if you are more than 50% to blame, you cannot receive anything. Also, if you are less than 50% liable, your compensation will be adjusted according to the share or part of your fault.
Take an example – If you were crossing the road as a pedestrian, but the signal said otherwise. A speeding car causes an accident. You are certainly at fault, and the investigation reveals your fault share is 40%. You file a claim and recover $50,000. Now, according to the contributory negligence rule, you will only recover $30,000 and not the full amount.
Your losses
If you have sustained injuries that are severe and may take months to recover, you may receive more compensation. The extent of your injuries, losses, pain & suffering will determine the worth of your claim. Your lawyer will evaluate what the case is worth.
Don’t ignore a situation where you are enduring losses because of someone’s fault – contact an injury lawyer in Rockford now!
