A severe injury can affect all aspects of your life, including your health, career, and home life. If someone else is responsible, you should not have to pay for their mistake. A Belleville, IL, personal injury lawyer can help you recover compensation, allowing you to pay your injury-related bills and put your life back together. 

Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers is a boutique law firm that regularly secures multi-million-dollar recoveries for clients. We don’t shy away from taking on large insurance companies attempting to reduce or deny your valid claim. When you entrust us with your case, you become family, and we fight with as much energy and personalized attention as if you were a family member. Get started today and contact us for a free, no-obligation case review. 

Do You Have a Personal Injury Claim?

If you suffered an injury due to another’s negligence or recklessness, you could have a personal injury claim and seek damages. You may have a legal claim if your case meets the following criteria:

  1. Injury or Harm: You suffered physical, emotional, or financial harm due to another’s negligence or wrongful actions.
  1. Liability: A person, business, government body, or another entity caused your injuries. They could be property owners, corporations, healthcare providers, car drivers, and others.
  1. Negligence: The responsible party’s actions or inactions led to your injury. Negligence can include drunk driving, failure to maintain a property, or failure to warn of hazards.
  1. Causation: There must be a direct link between another party’s negligence and your injury. For example, your accident and injury occurred due to a driver running a red light. 
  1. Damages: Without damages, you don’t have a personal injury claim. Damages can include lost wages, property damage, medical bills, and others.

If you want to clarify your legal rights, a Belleville, IL, personal injury lawyer at Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers can help. We can assess your case and identify the best course of action for recovering what you deserve.  

Common Personal Injury Cases in Belleville, IL 

Personal injury law deals with many accidents and incidents, ranging from car crashes to medical errors and even slander. Some of the most common accidents and incidents our Belleville, IL, personal injury lawyers handle include:  

  1. Motor Vehicle Accidents

According to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT), Belleville alone saw almost 700 car accidents involving 333 injured persons and six fatalities in 2022. Car accidents are a leading cause of personal injury claims and typically occur due to driver negligence, such as drunk driving, distracted driving, or violating road laws. However, some accidents result from vehicle defects or poorly maintained roads. 

Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers handles all types of motor vehicle claims, including:

If you or a loved one has been in a motor vehicle accident, seek medical attention immediately and contact a Belleville, IL, personal injury lawyer to learn about your rights and legal options. 

  1. Slips and Falls 

Slip and fall accidents occur when a person slips or trips and falls due to a hazardous condition on another’s property. Slips and falls can happen anywhere in Belleville, including:

  • Grocery stores
  • Restaurants and bars
  • Hotels
  • Hospitals and care facilities
  • Shopping malls
  • Government offices

You could qualify for compensation if you suffer an injury due to a property owner’s negligence. Negligent property maintenance can include broken floorboards, wet or greasy floors, loose mats, and other circumstances. 

  1. Medical Malpractice

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, medical malpractice is now the third leading cause of death in the U.S., behind only heart disease and cancer. However, in contrast to those diseases, medical malpractice is entirely avoidable. It occurs when a healthcare provider fails to care properly for a patient, resulting in harm or injury. Medical malpractice can come in many forms and include:

  • Misdiagnosis and late diagnosis
  • Surgical and anesthesia mistakes
  • Lack of aftercare
  • Medication errors
  • Birth injuries
  • Failure to order diagnostic tests 
  • Misreading lab results

Injuries from medical malpractice can be severe and turn your entire life upside down. Moreover, such claims are frequently complex and challenging to prove, requiring the testimony of medical expert witnesses. If you are a victim of medical malpractice, contact a personal injury lawyer in Belleville, IL, as soon as possible to protect your rights. 

  1. Product Liability

Product liability claims arise when a person suffers an injury due to a defective or dangerous product, such as:

  • Cars
  • Power tools
  • Children’s toys
  • Electric appliances
  • Furniture
  • Medical devices

A claim may arise when a product fails to perform as it should or is hazardous for consumers. Examples include furniture that tips too easily, overheating electric appliances, and malfunctioning airbags. 

Product liability cases often involve standing up to a powerful corporation, which might have teams of lawyers on retainer. Therefore, such claims are best handled by an experienced Belleville, IL, personal injury attorney who can work with industry experts to analyze, build, and prove your case. 

Other Personal Injury Claims We Handle

This list of personal injury claims is not exhaustive, and our attorneys can help victims get justice and compensation in many other circumstances, including but not limited to:

You Could Qualify for Compensation

Compensation in personal injury claims in Belleville depends on the type of claim, the severity of your injuries, and other circumstances. However, you could be entitled to a variety of damages, including:  

Economic Damages

Economic damages are intended to compensate you for actual financial damages due to the injury, which can include: 

  • Medical Expenses: You could receive all necessary costs to treat accident-related injuries, such as hospital stays, surgeries, rehabilitation, and ongoing care.
  • Lost Wages: Victims could qualify for compensation for income lost due to the injury, including missed workdays. You could also receive damages for future lost earning capacity.
  • Property Damage: Property damage can include repairs or replacement costs for your car and other items that were damaged or destroyed in an accident or incident, such as a laptop, phone, and clothing. 

Non-Economic Damages

Depending on the severity of your injury, you may also qualify for so-called “non-economic” damages. These losses focus on your emotional and physical suffering due to the injury. Examples of non-economic damages include:

  • Pain and Suffering: You could qualify for damages for pain and anguish due to your injuries and medical procedures.
  • Emotional Distress: Incidents, such as car crashes or assaults, often leave emotional scars. You could qualify for compensation for emotional trauma, depression, and other mental disorders due to your injury.
  • Loss of Life Quality: If your injury renders you unable to partake in hobbies or activities you enjoyed before getting hurt, you could qualify for loss of life enjoyment compensation. 
  • Scarring and Disfigurement: Permanent scarring or disfigurement due to your injury may also result in compensation awards.

Punitive Damages

Unlike economic and non-economic damages, punitive damages are not intended to compensate you. Instead, they are designed to punish the defendant and deter them and others from engaging in similar wrongful conduct. In Illinois, courts rarely award punitive damages in personal injury cases. However, they may come into play when a defendant acts particularly maliciously in causing a victim’s injuries. 

Illinois also has a cap on punitive damages. The amount must not exceed three times the economic damages in your injury claim. Moreover, victims cannot claim punitive damages alone; they must receive actual damages for their losses.

How a Belleville, IL Personal Injury Attorney Can Help

An accident or other incident in which you are hurt may not only be painful when it happens but can potentially derail your entire life. When another causes your injury, you need to know how to protect your rights and seek adequate compensation. One of the best decisions you can make is to work with an experienced and competent personal injury attorney in Belleville, IL.

A skilled personal injury attorney helps you navigate the legal system and pursues maximum compensation on your behalf. Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers can help in several ways, such as: 

  • Investigating the circumstances of the accident or incident
  • Collecting and organizing crucial evidence
  • Communicating and negotiating with the insurance company 
  • Filing a personal injury lawsuit
  • Representing your case strongly before a judge or jury

Most importantly, working with an attorney lets you concentrate on your health and well-being while your lawyer handles the legal aspects of your case. We believe that your health is priceless. Having peace of mind and knowing your attorney is pursuing your best interests can reduce stress during this challenging time. 

FAQs 

How much does a Belleville, IL, personal injury lawyer charge? 

Every law firm charges differently. Many personal injury lawyers work with a contingency fee, meaning you only pay when they win your case. However, clarifying fees with your potential attorney is crucial, as there could be additional legal expenses. 

Moreover, some personal injury attorneys charge an hourly rate for their services. They will then bill you for the time spent working on your case. This can be costly, as attorney rates typically amount to several hundred dollars per hour. Moreover, you will have to pay the hourly fees whether you win or lose your case. Other lawyers may work with retainers and charge their clients thousands of dollars before they even begin to work on a case. 

Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers never charges clients upfront. We absorb all litigation costs and only get paid if we win and you receive compensation. 

When should I file a personal injury lawsuit in Belleville?

The Illinois Statute of Limitations determines the time you have available to file a personal injury lawsuit. In common personal injury claims, such as car accidents, slips and falls, and product liability, you generally have two years after the injury to file.

However, some factors could shorten or lengthen the time available to file a lawsuit. For example, if you want to sue a government entity, you may have a much shorter time to file. On the flip side, if you were incapacitated or a minor and unable to file a lawsuit during the two years, you could qualify for an extension.

Since the timeline for filing a lawsuit can vary and involve complex issues, consult a personal injury lawyer in Belleville, IL, as soon as possible after your injury. If you don’t file your case in time, you could be prohibited from recovering compensation. 

Can a Belleville, IL, personal injury lawyer help to maximize my settlement?

Working with an experienced and tenacious injury lawyer is vital when an insurance company refuses to compensate you adequately. They can assess the impact of an injury on your life, level the playing field when dealing with insurers, and aim for maximum potential compensation. However, your actions can also determine the success of your case. Here’s what you can do to  maximize your recovery: 

  • Cooperate fully with your lawyer, providing all requested information honestly and promptly.
  • Retain any evidence you might have, such as photographs, receipts, medical reports, and other material.  
  • Seek medical advice after your injury, attend all doctor’s appointments, and follow your treatment plan closely.
  • Don’t accept any settlement offers without discussing them with your attorney, as an insurance company may try to manipulate you into accepting a lowball offer. 
  • Refrain from talking about your legal case or injury, and never post any details of your ongoing case on social media.

We Are Ready to Fight for You 

Bradley Law Personal Injury Lawyers is small enough to provide you with personalized service and attention and big enough to have the resources to fight your case all the way to trial. Unlike some other law firms who are looking for a quick check, we don’t take an insurance company’s best offer if your case is worth much more. Our track record speaks for itself, with over $70 million recovered for our clients.
If you were recently injured, our Belleville, IL, personal injury lawyers want to help. Contact us for a free case review now, and tell us what happened.