Illness and injury are two of the most difficult parts of life that humans must face. Of course, all of us must deal with feeling ill or getting hurt every so often. Most of the time, our injuries are not a big deal even if they make performing daily tasks more difficult. However, sometimes another person’s carelessness injures us. When this is the case, it is possible to hold the person responsible for the injuries that they have caused with the help of a knowledgeable attorney. If someone’s recklessness caused your injuries, a personal injury lawyer in Champaign can assist in seeking compensation.
At Spiros Law, P.C., we realize how difficult an injury can be for an individual or family, especially if the injury prevents you from going to work and earning a living. The aftermath often makes the time after an injury more difficult than the incident itself. When medical bills and insurance payments start to add up, you may be left wondering why you have to struggle when the injury was not your fault. Our personal injury lawyers in Champaign understand these feelings and want to help you get the money you deserve from the people who injured you. Contact our offices at (217) 328-2828 to get started with your personal injury case.
Our Practice Areas
If someone else’s negligent actions were the source of your injury, you may be entitled to compensation. There are many situations where carelessness turns into injury, leaving you and your family to handle the aftermath. These are some of the cases we see the most frequently:
- Brain Injuries: The brain is one of the most important organs in the human body. Brain injuries can have devastating consequences, from short-term cognitive issues to lifelong loss of functionality, even if the injury is not apparent from the outside. Whether you’ve suffered a concussion, a contusion, or any other type of brain injury, we can help you hold the person who caused it accountable.
- Broken Bones and Scarring: Broken bones can put you out of commission for months. Scars can last a lifetime. Suits for either of these can reach beyond immediate medical expenses and seek damages for the long-term pain, suffering, and inconvenience they cause you.
- Burn Injuries: Whether caused by fire, hot surfaces, or chemicals, burns can cause immense pain, infection, and severe scarring. If your burns were the consequence of another party’s actions, we can help you fight them for damages for the immediate and long-term consequences.
- Car Accidents: Personal vehicles are the most common form of transportation, so it makes sense that driving is not risk-free. However, reckless and drunk drivers can cause a huge amount of suffering. When this is the case, you are entitled to compensation as you heal.
- Defective Drugs & Devices: Patients expect their pharmaceuticals to be effective and high quality. When you receive a drug that is defective, it poses serious health risks. We will hold pharmacies and pharmaceutical companies accountable regardless of their size.
- Dog Bites and Animal Attacks: Whether a domestic pet, a farm animal, or something more exotic bit you, a bite can result in a very serious injury, particularly if it becomes infected or the creature is venomous from the outset. If the owner of the animal fails to take reasonable steps to keep it from causing you harm, you may be entitled to damages.
- Medical Malpractice: We trust our doctors, nurses, and hospitals to make us better, but sometimes their actions cause serious harm to the health of patients. If you were the victim of medical malpractice, it is possible to seek justice for your pain.
- Nursing Home Abuse: Placing a loved one in a nursing home is a tough decision. When you find out your elderly loved one is the victim of abuse, you have every right to seek justice on their behalf.
- Premises Liability: When you are on another person’s property, it is their legal duty to ensure you are reasonably safe. Property owners can be brought to court for their negligence.
- Product Liability: Products on the market should be safe to use. When defective products make it to the shelves, companies should have to pay for their mistakes.
- Trucking Accidents: Trucking companies and their drivers have a duty to public safety. When truckers drive too long without a break or drive recklessly, their negligence can result in serious accidents.
- Workers’ Compensation: On-the-job injuries are tough because you cannot go back to work immediately. If you sustain an injury in the workplace, you should receive compensation for your lost income.
- Wrongful Death: Losing a loved one in a preventable accident is an incredibly painful experience. If you lost your loved one because of someone else’s negligence, we want to help you.
These are just some of the numerous personal injury cases we can handle. Every case is different, but we aim to give every client who walks through our doors the personal attention they deserve. If you were the victim of another person’s negligence in Illinois, do not hesitate to contact our firm.
What You Can Sue For
Personal injury suits often cover more than the immediate medical costs of an accident. The Champaign personal injury lawyers with Spiros Law, P.C. will fight to make the responsible party pay for every type of harm they’ve caused you. If you file a personal injury suit, you may be able to recover damages for:
- Medical costs: An accident can cause you to incur serious medical costs, both in the short-term and in the long-term. You can sue to recover damages for the immediate medical care you received after the accident and any ongoing treatment you require because of it.
- Lost wages: Recovering from an injury can require time off work. If you had to forego wages you would have earned during the time following your injury, you can sue for the value of those wages.
- Future lost income: Serious injuries can sometimes result in long-term disabilities. If you are unable to return to work after your injury due to a disability, you can sue to hold the responsible party accountable for your inability to work.
- Other recovery-related costs: Recovery can impose costs on you and your family beyond medical bills. For instance, if you had to travel out of town to receive the medical care you needed, you could add the travel expenses to your suit.
- Emotional pain and suffering: Sometimes, the pain of an injury reaches beyond the physical and into the emotional. You can sue to recover damages for emotional pain you suffered as a result of your accident, from the personal stress of the process to strain on relationships with family and friends.
Depending on the circumstances of your accident and the nature of your injury, you may be entitled so some or all of these damages. We will carefully review your case to decide which damages we can seek in a personal injury suit.
Proving Fault
To recover any damages from the other party, you must prove that they were at fault for the accident. In most personal injury cases, proving fault means proving negligence. The basic idea behind negligence is that the party caused the injury by failing to do something that could be reasonably expected of them. Proving negligence requires you to establish four things:
- The party had a duty to do something.
- They committed a breach of that duty.
- The breach caused the accident to occur.
- The accident caused some form of damage to you.
Take a dog bite case for example. Dog owners have a responsibility, or duty, to keep their pets under control. If an owner lets an aggressive dog loose around you and fails to warn you, they have breached this duty. You were unaware of the dog, and it would not have been able to bite you had it been restrained, so letting it loose caused the accident. If the dog proceeds to bite you, the breach caused you harm. In such a case, you could prove the owner acted negligently and was therefore at fault for your injury. Each case varies, but demonstrating negligence is often crucial to your case.
Another way to prove fault is to prove that the other party intended to cause you harm. These kinds of cases are called intentional torts, of which there are several categories. For instance, if another person intentionally hit you, you could sue for assault and battery. Intentional torts are rare in personal injury cases. However, if intentional harm is suspected, we may include it in our lawsuit.
The Statute of Limitations
Under Illinois law, the statute of limitations on personal injury suits is two years, which means that you must file a lawsuit within two years of the accident occurring. After a certain point, you will never be able to file. When considering this statute, keep in mind that some time will pass between your first contact with a lawyer and filing your lawsuit. Additionally, certain elements of your case may be easier to prove shortly after the accident occurred, when you have readier access to evidence and witnesses. If you have been injured by another party and want to take legal action, you should start the process as soon as possible. Do not hesitate to call Spiros Law, P.C..
Champaign Personal Injury Statistics
Facing a serious injury can make you feel alienated and isolated. It can seem as if you are trapped and unable to escape your situation, especially if your injury affects mobility. We understand this feeling all too well, as many of our clients have had similar experiences. Thankfully, there is hope for obtaining compensation for your ordeal. Remember, you are not alone.
Consider the following important personal injury statistics for the state of Illinois:
- From 2012 to 2022, the National Practitioner Data Bank reported 4,214 medical malpractice claim payments throughout the state of Illinois.
- The Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission (IWCC) reports that employers and their insurers paid out $1,939,533 in workers’ compensation benefits in 2020, an 11.25 percent increase from the year before.
- In 2021, the Illinois Department of Transportation reported 7,582 serious injury crashes and 9,423 serious injuries involving a motor vehicle statewide.
- Illinois has a two-year statute of limitations for personal injury lawsuits, meaning you have two years from the date of an injury accident to sue the responsible party or parties.
Previous Results
At Spiros Law, P.C., we have a history of helping the people who need it most. When you come to us, we guarantee your case will receive personal attention and care. These are some of the results we have achieved in the past, fighting for Illinois residents in personal injury cases.
- $300,000: One of our clients, a 29-year-old, was riding as a passenger on a snowmobile. When the driver of the snowmobile crashed into a ditch, our client suffered a fracture to the femur. Our client’s insurance company tried to deny the claim by arguing the injury was excluded from the insurance policy. Our attorneys argued on our client’s behalf and won her the money she needed to recover.
- $1,450,000: Our client was driving when a second car ran a stop sign and caused a collision. Upon impact, our client’s vehicle came off the road and ended up in a water-filled culvert. She suffered severe injuries including herniated discs, a shoulder injury that required surgery, and injury to the spine. Spiros Law, P.C. obtained the largest settlement ever recorded in Ford County for her injuries.
- $700,000: A 70-year-old man went into the hospital for a basic procedure. During the surgery, the doctors caused a tear in his esophagus. Our client suffered from permanent complications. We won this settlement on the basis of medical negligence.
Settlement amounts vary; each case differs and may result in more or less compensation than another’s. We can guarantee that many of our clients receive money they never thought possible as compensation for their pain.
Frequently Asked Questions
Sustaining a serious injury can leave you feeling overwhelmed, confused, and unsure of where to turn. Here are answers to common questions to clarify your situation.
How much is my case worth?
As stated above, it is nearly impossible to determine the value of a case without first knowing the details of the situation. Accident type, injury severity, and insurance coverage are key factors in potential compensation. It is best to contact a personal injury attorney for a more detailed answer to this question.
What is pain and suffering?
Why should I seek compensation?
You didn’t choose to suffer injuries or endure the pain you’re feeling. When people act irresponsibly and injure others, they should be held accountable for their actions. You reasonably deserve compensation for your pain, especially when facing expensive medical bills and other payments. Many think their case is too minor for a lawsuit or settlement, so they don’t pursue it. Evaluate your case’s worth; no case is too minor to consider.
Why choose Spiros Law, P.C.?
Spiros Law, P.C. has earned its reputation as one of the toughest and most effective personal injury firms in Champaign and across Central Illinois. Here are just a few of the reasons you can trust us to handle your personal injury case:
- Real results: We have recovered millions of dollars in damages for personal injury victims across Central Illinois, including the largest settlement ever reported in Ford County and the second-largest verdict in the history of Vermilion County.
- The client relationship: We develop close, personal relationships with each of our clients through in-person meetings and electronic communication in between.
- Other lawyers refer to us: Our reputation for smart, aggressive advocacy has led lawyers outside our firm to refer many of our cases to us.
If you are looking for a personal injury lawyer in the Champaign area, Spiros Law, P.C. should be at the top of your list. We will handle your case with care and fight the party who injured you for every cent you deserve.
Contact Us
If you were the victim of a personal injury accident, you are not alone. Millions of people across the country are struggling with the same issues because of someone else’s negligence. Although talking to an attorney may be the last thing on your mind, the attorneys at Spiros Law, P.C. want to hear from you. Some injuries are temporary while others last a lifetime, but they all require care and attention. Contacting an attorney for help could be the first step to permanent healing. Call our team at (217) 328-2828 with any questions or to discuss your situation.
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