Whether you are zipping along the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway or traveling down a familiar gravel road in one of the more rural portions of Crystal Lake, there is nothing like the freedom you feel behind the wheel. Unfortunately, hitting the open road can also put you at risk. Each year thousands of Crystal Lake residents get into serious car accidents.
When a car accident occurs, Crystal Lake residents can count on the Stein & Shulman team to have their back. Over the years we have helped Crystal Lake residents recover millions of dollars in compensation for injuries suffered in car, truck, motorcycle, Uber/Lyft, hit and run, and DUI accidents.
Why Working With An Experienced Crystal Lake Car Accident Attorney Is Important
If you have been involved in a car accident, you may think the only thing you need to do is report the accident to your insurance company and wait for them to send you a check. Insurance companies have spent big bucks on advertising not just to gain customers, but to convince the public they have our best interests at heart when accidents occur.
The truth is insurance companies do everything they can to deny claims and minimize the amount of money they have to pay out. Their business model doesn’t just consider risk, it assumes many car accident victims will not push them to pay top dollar. This is where we come in. The Stein & Shulman team forces insurance companies to the negotiating table to ensure our clients get the money they need to move forward after an accident. When that doesn’t work, we drag them into court.
And we don’t stop there. We also bring claims against the person or entity responsible for causing your car accident, and their insurance carriers.
Figuring Out Who Is Responsible
Figuring out who is responsible for causing your car accident is important because Illinois is a comparative fault state. Under Illinois’ law, you may only seek compensation following a car accident if you were less than 51% responsible for causing the accident. If your actions were the main cause of the accident, you will be denied any money to help pay your medical expenses or other bills.
Even if you are eligible for compensation, the amount you can recover may be reduced if you were even partially responsible for the accident. For example, if you incur $100,000 in medical expenses because of your accident, but the evidence shows you were 20% responsible for the accident, you will only be eligible for $80,000 in compensation.
Some common reasons accident victims see their compensation reduced include:
- Speeding;
- Texting while driving;
- Distracted driving;
- Poor auto maintenance; and
- Failure to obey basic traffic laws, like using a turn signal.
The Stein & Shulman team knows what kind of evidence we need to show you were not at fault so we can maximize your compensation. We then aggressively go after the people and entities that owe that money to you.
Gathering Evidence
To bolster your case, the Stein & Shulman team will gather two types of evidence — evidence that shows who is at fault, and evidence that shows how badly you have been injured.
To start things off we:
- Investigate the site and circumstances of your accident;
- Examine police reports;
- Interview witnesses; and
- Consult with experts on causation.
This evidence will help us show who caused the accident so we can maximize the amount of money you are eligible to claim under Illinois’ comparative fault law.
We then:
- Gather all of your medical records;
- Work with your healthcare team to figure out your current and ongoing medical issues;
- Pull together all of your medical bills;
- Consult with experts on future medical expenses;
- Tally up other expenses like lost income; and
- Estimate future expenses that are not healthcare-related.
This evidence is what is used to calculate the amount of money your case is worth because our legal system is supposed to give you enough financial compensation to put you in the position you would have been in if the accident had never occurred.
How Much Money Is My Will County Car Accident Case Worth?
Without knowing the specifics of your case, it is impossible to estimate how much money you may be able to recover in an insurance claim or by filing a lawsuit in the McHenry County courts. Your compensation will be based on who is at fault, and how seriously you have been injured, which is why working with an experienced car accident attorney who can help you maximize your recovery is so important.
How Much Does All Of This Cost?
Now that you have a sense of the kind of work our team will do for you following an accident, you may be wondering how much it costs to hire us.
Stein & Shulman works on all Crystal Lake car accident cases on a contingency fee basis. This means you won’t owe us a dime unless we win your case. If we are successful, we will take a small portion of the amount you receive as our payment. We are happy to answer any questions you have about this payment system.
Contact The Crystal Lake Car Accident Attorneys At Stein & Shulman Today
If you or a loved one in Crystal Lake has been involved in a car accident and suffered a serious injury, we are here to help. We advocate on behalf of accident victims involved in everything from parking lot fender benders, to hit and run accidents, to accidents caused by drunk drivers, and accidents involving ridesharing companies like Uber and Lyft.
While the Stein & Shulman office is in Northbrook, our team lives throughout the Chicagoland area, so it is convenient for us to travel to accident sites and meet with clients who are unable to make the trip to our office. We frequently try cases in the McHenry courthouse in Woodstock, and regularly travel to meet with clients from the Illinois state line to Huntley, and everywhere in between.
Whether you are ready to take legal action and seek compensation for your injuries, or are simply curious about what options are available to you after a serious car accident, we are ready to take your call. Please contact us today to schedule a free initial consultation.
The law office of Stein & Shulman routinely represents victims in Northbrook, Buffalo Grove, Glenview, Schaumburg, Arlington Heights, Skokie, Wheeling, Palatine, Crystal Lake, Mundelein, and Lake and McHenry counties.
