Archive for category: Personal injury law

Filing a Wrongful Death Lawsuit – Where Do I Start?

While no amount of money can bring back a loved one, wrongful death lawsuits are designed to compensate family members of those killed by negligence. Under the law you are entitled to both economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages are a dollar amount that’s decided based on the deceased’s income, funeral expenses, medical expenses etc. Non-economic damages address the pain and loss of companionship that family members will face as a result of the death.A professional and experienced wrongful death attorney understands that it’s important that you be compensated for both damages. Insurance companies and other responsible parties fight aggressively to refuse or limit your fair payment. To get the compensation you deserve, it’s important that a skillful wrongful death attorney is representing you.

Proving a Wrongful Death Claim

In building your claim, an experienced wrongful death lawyer will understand that there may be many more complexities regarding your case. People you might not have even thought about could be liable. For example, in a single car accident caused by a road in poor condition, the city who owns the road, the contractors responsible for maintaining it, or a number of other groups may be liable depending on the facts of the case.

Time Limits on Filing a Wrongful Death Lawsuit

Additionally, it’s very important to file a wrongful death case fairly quickly. Otherwise, your case may get barred by the statute of limitations. In Illinois, generally a wrongful death claim against a private entity or corporation must be filed within two years from the date of the accident, but there are exceptions to this time limit. Certain cases only have a one year limit for filing and some others have longer than two years. Please contact the Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd to learn which time limits apply in your case. Waiting too long can prevent you from filing the lawsuit at all.

Waiting any longer than necessary creates other problems too. The scene of an accident changes quickly after the road is opened to traffic again. The vehicles that may have been involved in the wreck will be repaired by the owners or possibly destroyed. Witnesses will become harder to locate, and records will be misplaced.

Time may not be on your side but the compassionate and experienced wrongful death attorneys at the Dinizulu Law Group, Ltd will work with you to determine the best way to handle your wrongful death claim. Contact us to set up a free consultation with one of our experienced wrongful death lawyers today.

Man upset

What to Do When Car Accidents Are Serious Personal Injuries?

Truck accident

If you experience a serious car accident, chances are insurance companies will try to get you to sign on an injury settlement amount quickly. This is never a good idea. When injured, you may not be able to perceive the long-term effects of the accident and this is what insurance companies want. Accepting a short-term settlement amount quickly will only leave you paying unforeseen expenditures out of your own pocket. This is not something that most people are able to afford and it often leads to financial ruin. There also may be the matter of ongoing medical care which you or your loved one will need. This is often impossible to get without fair representation in the courts from an experienced personal injury lawyer.

Head and back injuries are some of the most serious injuries that can happen in a car accident. These are the type of cases that you must have representation from a good personal injury lawyer. You need a lawyer who is experienced in litigation and will be able to able to get you the compensation you deserve.  When back injuries result in severe nerve damage or even paralysis, these conditions leave people with lifelong physical issues and enormous medical bills. The average yearly expenses of someone living with severe a spinal cord injury ranges between $230,000 to over $775,000. This can amount to millions of dollars across the average lifetime. These financial costs can be ruinous to both the victims and their families without monetary compensation. Insurance companies are not willing to give this level of money unless they are taken to court.

Trucking Accidents & Serious Personal Injuries

While we often wishfully think such serious injuries won’t happen to us, they can, especially when a large truck collides with a car. Serious injuries or death when trucks and cars collide are often in the car and not the cause of the accident. The Illinois Department of Transportation reports that while only about 6% of traffic crashes in Illinois involve large trucks, these wrecks represent a disproportionate number of traffic fatalities (nearly 13%).

Illinois Personal Injury Attorneys

If you or somebody you know has been involved in a car accident injury due to collision with a large truck or other commercial vehicle, it is important to seek help from an attorney who is familiar with the tactics used by truck and insurance companies and has the knowledge to anticipate the future needs and challenges that could be faced by you or your loved one. The experienced and compassionate personal injury lawyers at the Dinizulu Law Group will work with you to determine the best way to handle your personal injury claim. Contact us to set up a free consultation with one of our experienced car accident injury lawyers today.

Personal Injury Claim: Recovery Amount Grows with a Life Care Plan

life-care-plan-2Have you heard of Life Care Planning? Some may think of it as designed to anticipate the needs of the elderly. We typically think of life care planning as a matter of wills and estates. In a personal injury action it outlines the specific losses over a long period of time.

What Goes into a Life Care Plan in a Serious Personal Injury Lawsuit?

Imagine that your family member is in an accident that results in a spinal injury and permanent paralysis. While we all like to think that something like that could never happen to us, it certainly can. According to a 2009 study, approximately 5.6 million people in the United States were suffering from paralysis. Spinal injuries account for almost 25% of mobility loss.

A Life Care Plan drafted by professionals will contain specific information relevant to the needs of the individual. This may include:

●Current and future medical needs, including medication, adaptive furniture, assisted living professionals, rehabilitation, etc.
● Transportation needs
● Recreational opportunities
● Construction modifications to the home to accommodate new equipment/needs

How are Life Care Plans Used by Personal Injury Lawyers?

In personal injury cases, life care plans are instrumental in building your case. They give the jury a lens into you or your loved one’s future needs and the validity of the compensation claim. Professional testimonials from medical doctors, psychologist and counselors and other professionals like economist are brought on to the team of experts, led by your attorney to provide a comprehensive understanding of the present and future needs of a seriously injured client for presentation at a jury trial.

At the Dinizulu Law Group, when we consult a life care planner, we ensure that all your anticipated needs will be taken into account. Our lawyers will make sure that the current and future medical needs are analyzed and supported across all providers.  Unlike when Life Care Plans are established outside of litigation, the lawyers must help the Life Care Planner get admissible evidence from all of the team of experts to ensure that a judge will allow the jury to hear all parts of the Life Care Plan. The plan must include future medication, adaptive furniture, assisted living professionals, rehabilitation, transportation needs, recreational opportunities and construction modifications to the home to accommodate new realities like the need for wheel chair access, an elevator lift, and specialized bathing areas for the seriously injured.

We know if you or a loved one experiences a serious injury that you want the best personal injury lawyer on your case. We at Dinzulu Law Group, Ltd have extensive experience in personal injury lawsuits and presenting complicated and individualized Plans to the courts. If you have been injured, contact us today so that we can help you navigate the complex legal processes.

 

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