Statistically speaking, most of us are more likely to be involved in a car accident than in any other personal injury case. Over the past five years, more than 85,000 people have sustained injuries while traveling on Illinois roads every year.

Illinois Crash Data [1] from the Illinois Department of Transportation reveals that nearly 1,000 people lose their lives annually in traffic accidents on Illinois roadways.

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A Chicago, Illinois Auto Insurance Claim Lawyer Can Help You Recover Compensation for Your Injuries

The Illinois car accident attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC handle catastrophic injury cases involving drunk driving, broken bones, traumatic brain injury, medical malpractice, uninsured motorist, and no insurance coverage. Our auto accident lawyers use Illinois law to ensure our clients receive maximum compensation for economic and non-economic damages.

Contact a Chicago auto insurance claim lawyer at (888) 424-5757 to schedule a free case evaluation. We work on a contingency fee basis, meaning we get paid only after successfully resolving your car accident injury case.

Our experienced Chicago car accident lawyers currently represent clients throughout Illinois and the Chicago area, including Cook County, DuPage County, Kane County, Lake County, Will County, Aurora, Elgin, Joliet, Naperville, and Schaumburg.

Car Accident Insurance Claims: Putting our Experience to Work for You

A substantial number of these incidents result in insurance claims against the at-fault driver. The Chicago car accident attorneys at Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC are committed to obtaining the most favorable settlement for our injured clients from the insurer involved after an automobile accident.

Our law firm has successfully negotiated thousands of auto accident claims with severe injury and wrongful death on behalf of our clients. The Chicago auto accident lawyers on your side can provide advice and representation throughout the legal process to ensure your case is resolved successfully.

Providing Information for the Best Chance of Resolving an Injury Claim With a Negligent Driver’s Insurance Company

The type of injury and the insurance company involved might play a significant role in whether an auto accident case gets resolved directly with an insurer before a lawsuit is filed. However, there are several steps a car accident victim can take to ensure that their injury claim with an insurance carrier gets resolved expeditiously and fairly.

Claimants who file a Chicago motor vehicle accident claim with an insurance company can expedite their valid claims handling process by providing information to the insurance adjuster to evaluate the claim quickly and offer fair compensation for their injuries.

Amongst the information, our auto accident attorneys suggest you provide the at-fault party’s insurance company with information including:

Itemized medical bills from all providers
Complete medical records from doctors and hospitals
Narrative reports from treating physicians that address your injury, the necessity of medical treatment, medical expenses, and permanency
Lost wages verification from your employer
Tax returns to substantiate your wage loss claim.
Witness statements
Reports from experts in accident reconstruction or other related fields to identify the driver’s negligence and damages
Photos of your injury, the area where you were injured, and property damage

The above documents might be challenging to obtain. However, the paperwork and reports could be necessary to assist the decision-makers at an insurance company to properly evaluate the worth of damages you or a third-party claim are entitled to receive and bring the claim forward.

Not every auto accident case is resolved before the litigation process. However, presenting this information to an insurance company gives them vital evidence to move the claim to a settlement.

What Does It Mean to Sue A Car Insurance Company?

To receive the money you are due after an automobile accident from the at-fault another driver, you can sue a car insurance company by bringing a lawsuit against it.

Even while the word “suit” can conjure up ideas of long days spent in court squabbling with the defendant’s attorneys, this is rarely the case when an insurer is involved. Before going to trial, most claims arising from auto accidents are settled with the insurance company, so you won’t need to worry about appearing in court.

For speedy resolution and to avoid the uncertainty of a trial, auto insurance businesses prefer to settle rather than go to court. This indicates that the insurance company is more likely to pay a settlement than file a lawsuit.

In reality, many auto insurance policies seek to pay out as little as possible or behave dishonestly, so the settlement they give isn’t necessarily in your best interest. You risk being pressured into accepting a settlement offer that is less than what you are entitled to if you don’t have an experienced vehicle injury lawyer on your side. You are no longer entitled to further compensation for that claim after the insurer has executed and resolved it.

Accident victims can be shielded from being taken advantage of by insurance companies and their adjusters by hiring knowledgeable personal injury attorneys.

Who Is Responsible for The Accident?

If the other driver is at fault, it is worthwhile to sue their insurance company. Before attempting to sue the other driver’s vehicle insurer, you must demonstrate that the other motorist was at fault or acting in bad faith.

An experienced car accident attorney can assist you in identifying the responsible party and calculate the full compensation amount to which you are entitled in light of the injuries you sustained and any partial liability you may have shared in the collision.

When deciding whether to sue the at-fault motorist’s insurance company, it’s also critical to assess whether the driver was acting negligently. Each state has its requirements for how an insurer must pay out damages in light of the negligent behavior of the at-fault driver. Once more, a knowledgeable lawyer can guide you through this scenario and assist you in deciding whether you have a strong case.

The At-Fault Driver’s Insurance Coverage

Find out if the at-fault party has a good enough insurance policy to compensate your damages and injuries before deciding whether to sue the vehicle insurance provider.

You might want to think about beginning legal action if the driver’s policy limit will not be enough. Additionally, you might consider suing the driver’s insurer if they don’t have appropriate coverage, if their insurer has wrongfully denied paying the owed amount, or is refusing to pay a reasonable settlement.

If an underinsured or uninsured motorist is involved in an auto accident and the other driver at fault is uninsured or does not have sufficient coverage to pay the claim, the insured can file a claim with their own insurance company. Assuming the incident is a covered loss, the insurer would pay the claim (up to policy limitations) and pursue damages against the uninsured/underinsured party.

Drivers can purchase collision, comprehensive, and personal injury protection (PIP), gap, and other types of insurance. But they aren’t required by Illinois law.

Compensation from Car Insurance Claims

While accident victims can seek compensation through an insurance claim or a lawsuit, insurance companies often pay out compensation for motor vehicle accidents.

You will either need to make a claim with your insurance company or another motorist’s insurance, depending on the specifics of the accident and the type of coverage you have.

Making an insurance claim can be challenging, mainly when significant losses or injuries occur. The good news is that the insurance claim procedure does not have to be handled by you alone. Our skilled vehicle accident lawyers will represent you in negotiations with insurance companies and conversations with third parties.

Compensation could consist of the following:

Medical bills
Medical treatment
Lost income
Pain and suffering
Mental anguish
Disfigurement
Loss of consortium

Auto Accident Bodily Injury Claims FAQs

Below are some frequently asked questions raised by people injured in Chicago, IL, auto accidents involving insurance companies. Should you have additional questions, we invite you to contact our law firm for a free consultation with an experienced attorney.

What is the Typical Settlement for Auto Accidents?

A car accident’s unique circumstances will determine its value, including the extent and severity of injuries and wrongful death. A car or truck accident with minor injuries might settle for $5000 or more.

Alternatively, someone with severe injuries might receive a negotiated settlement of $300,000 or more from the insurer, especially if the injuries are permanent. Wrongful death claims might settle for millions of dollars.

How Much is a Bodily Injury Settlement?

Personal injury attorneys can resolve bodily injury cases for $5000, $10,000, or more, based on the severity of the victim’s harm. However, many car insurance claims settle for significantly more.

In rare cases, the insurance carrier refuses to acknowledge the severity of the injuries. A personal injury attorney might file a lawsuit in these incidents and take the case to trial.

A jury’s verdict is usually final and often significantly higher than what the victim would have received had they settled the case.

How Do I Settle a Car Accident Claim Without a Lawyer?

Handling a personal injury claim without legal representation is possible, especially in small cases with minor injuries. The steps to settling a claim include:

Obtain the police report that identifies the cause of the accident
Get your medical records
Collect information on your past and current lost wages
Gather photographs of all vehicles damaged at the scene of the accident
Take pictures of any injury, disfigurement, or scar that is a result of your accident
Speak with the insurers to determine insurance policy limits
File a claim or lawsuit for compensation

What is Considered an Accidental Bodily Injury?

Legally, accidental bodily injury includes harm sustained by neglectful acts through an unanticipated or unintentional accident. Pedestrians suffering from an accidental bodily injury are usually victims of an insured motor vehicle.

These injuries are often the result of an unusual, unexpected, sudden, abrupt, or specific trauma to the body. Not all accidental bodily injuries are immediately evident.

An individual struck by a motor vehicle might, over time, develop a disease or sickness related to the crash.

In Illinois, bodily injury liability policies automatically include uninsured motorist coverage for the lawful minimum amounts of what would be considered far from a fair settlement. If you’re hurt in an accident, you can turn to your own insurance company for help paying your medical bills.

How Do You Ask for Pain and Suffering Compensation without a Lawyer?

After filing the claim, you will write and send a personal injury demand letter that will include the amount of your pain and suffering. Typically, the amount is one to two times greater in your medical expenses, hospitalization costs, lost wages, and property damage.

When demanding compensation for an accident settlement, enclose copies of your medical records, hospital bills, miscellaneous receipts, eyewitness testimony, contact information, and other evidence.

Does Full Insurance Cover Bodily Injury?

Typically, an insurance company’s policy will provide a combination of coverages, including full coverage, liability, property damage, and bodily injury. These policies usually have limits that restrict the compensation the victim can receive through the policy.

Damages that exceed the policy limit can be collected from the policyholder, who is usually at fault for causing the accident.

Experienced Car Accident Lawyers Handling Serious Bodily Injury Claims with Insurers

As experienced personal injury attorneys, Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, LLC has successfully directly resolved hundreds of motor vehicle accident insurance claims involving injuries or even death with major auto insurance carriers.

How do we do it? Our approach is simple; we prepare for war and hope for peace. This philosophy has earned us a reputation with insurance carriers as attorneys who genuinely mean what they say.

If you, a family member or a loved one were an injured car accident victim, contact our personal injury lawyers at (888) 424-5757 to schedule a free consultation. If our legal team cannot negotiate a fair compensation settlement offer in good faith, we will file a lawsuit on your behalf and take the case to trial.

Our team has extensive experience with the personal injury claims process, such as nursing home abuse, medical malpractice, car insurance claims, and so much more. Contact our law firm for a free consultation!

Resources: [1] IDOT

Chicago Auto Insurance Claim Lawyer