Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog
The lawyers at Abels & Annes, P.C., working with co-counsel, recently received an award of $92,879.00 on behalf of one of their car accident clients, a victim whose life was altered when she was involved in a 2009 collision.
The underlying accident involved our client who was driving a car near Oak Park Avenue and Cornelia in Chicago in 2009. She was heading northbound when a second vehicle ran a stop sign and T-boned our client’s car. The at-fault driver fled the scene of the crash without speaking with police and without checking to see if our client was injured.
Immediately following the crash, our client complained of pain in her neck and along the left side of her body, the side that was exposed to the brunt of the impact. She received treatment at a local hospital and also sought additional medical treatment after her release from the hospital for multiple injuries including neck and back pain. Later tests would show that she suffered a herniated disc for which she received conservative therapy and steroid injections, providing her with relief from the pain.
The insurance company at issue in this case underplayed the severity of the accident and routinely claimed that our client was not as injured as she claimed. The case was recently resolved out of court by a process known as arbitration, which involves neutral parties deciding the fair and appropriate relief a victim is entitled to. In this case, three arbitrators determined that our client rightly deserved payment in the amount of $92,879.00 for her injuries and pain and suffering.
Though the at-fault driver fled the scene, police were later able to identify the owner of that vehicle through the results of their investigation. The owner of the at-fault vehicle was uninsured and therefore our office brought a claim for relief against the victim’s own insurance in what is known as an uninsured motorist claim. The laws in Chicago and Illinois specifically provide for this type of relief in the event that a driver or passenger is injured in a crash with another individual who does not have insurance.
Motorists who buy insurance in Illinois are offered the option of purchasing this uninsured coverage and it is an extremely good idea to not only buy uninsured coverage but to make sure you have enough of it to adequately protect you and your loved ones in the event of an accident. Since you cannot control what other drivers do, you can be in a crash at any time and it may involve another driver who does not have valid insurance, even though driving without it is against Illinois law. In the event that this happens to you, the coverage you carry on your own policy would “step into the shoes” of the responsible driver and would provide you with a means of recovery so that you can be properly compensated for your injuries and pain and suffering.
No one wants to be involved in an accident but sometimes they cannot be avoided. Yet things will only be worse if you do not have the proper insurance available to protect your interests and to make sure you get the treatment you need.
If you have been injured in an accident or if your family member has been killed, you may be able to bring a claim for your damages against the at-fault driver, the owner of the at-fault car, or even your own insurance company depending on the facts of the collision. Call the lawyers at Abels & Annes, P.C. today for a free, no obligation telephone consultation to learn about your legal rights and legal options following your crash, including whether you may be entitled to a financial settlement. We are standing by 24 hours a day, seven days a week to take your call at (855) 529-2442 or locally at (312) 924-7575. Call us now and let us help you get a recovery you deserve.
Prior Blog Entry:
Impaired Truck Driver Sentenced to 4 Years for Accident, Chicago Personal Injury Lawyer Blog, published December 19, 2013.