Experienced Car Accident Lawyers in Peoria

Did you or a loved one sustain serious injuries in a car accident in Central Illinois? If someone else’s negligence caused you to get hurt, the injury lawyers at Strong Law Offices in Peoria can help maximize your settlement. Our car accident lawyers are backed by more than 25 years of success in injury law cases, and we have recovered millions of dollars for motor vehicle crash victims throughout Illinois.

 

  • FreeConsultations
  • Over 25 Yearsof Experience
  • No FeeUnless You Win

Need a STRONG car accident lawyer?

When you need STRONG legal representation on your side, call our accident attorneys for a FREE, no-obligation case evaluation. 309-688-5297

Strong Legal Representation for Car Accident Victims

The Peoria car accident attorneys at Strong Law Offices handle a variety of motor vehicle accidents including – but not limited to – truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, taxi accidents, train accidents, boat accidents, DUI accidents, and distracted driving accidents. There are no fees unless we win your case.

Why Choose Strong Law Offices for Your Car Accident Case?

At Strong Law Offices, you are not just another number. You’re like family. Our car accident attorneys understand how physically, emotionally, and financially traumatic a serious motor vehicle crash can be, and we want to help you recover, so you can live your life to the fullest. 

What sets our attorneys apart from other car accident lawyers in Illinois?

When you hire our car accident attorneys to handle your personal injury case, you can expect:

 

Exceptional legal representation

Open and honest communication

Access to top accident reconstructionists and other experts in Illinois

Help obtaining quality medical care

Maximized settlement

No fee if no recovery

The True Cost of Illinois Car Accidents

Minor fender benders can cause minimal property damage, make you late for an appointment or for work, or increase your motor vehicle insurance premiums. In most cases, people who are involved in these types of crashes move on with their lives without many long-term ramifications. Unfortunately, not all car crashes end this way. When car accidents are severe, victims’ lives can be changed forever. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 38,000 motor vehicle deaths that occur in the United States each year cost roughly $55 billion in lost work and medical costs. In 2018 (the last year data was available), about 1,200 traffic accident deaths totaled nearly $15 million in medical costs and close to $169 billion in work loss costs in Illinois alone. These costs are in addition to the unfathomable burdens victims and their families were forced to endure. 

People who are injured in serious car crashes and the family members of those who are killed often face: 

38,000 +motor vehicle deaths
$55 billionYearly cost in lost work and medical

People who are injured in serious car crashes and the family members of those who are killed often face: 

1Vehicle Repairs/Replacement

Ideally, the at-fault driver’s insurance company or your own uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage would pick up the tab for motor vehicle damages caused in a collision. Unfortunately, many car accident victims who work directly with the insurance company when negotiating their claims end up with high out-of-pocket repair bills or less than enough to replace their totaled vehicles. 

2Ongoing Medical Bills

It’s not uncommon for victims of severe motor vehicle accidents to require multiple surgeries and hospitalizations, expensive follow-up visits with their physicians and medical specialists, special equipment, prescription medications, and the list goes on. In some cases, crash victims will need ongoing care, home health attendants, or costly machines to help keep them alive. 

3Lost Earning Capacity

People who are severely injured in car crashes often find themselves unable to return to work for months or even years after their accidents. Oftentimes, people never regain their ability to earn the wages they earned before the crash. Savings accounts dwindle away quickly, and it can become difficult to put food on the table or pay the utility bills. 

4Long Term Care

Sometimes people are injured so badly that they require continuous monitoring and medical care around the clock, making it nearly impossible for them to remain living at home. Unfortunately, long term care is very expensive and many families must sacrifice their financial futures or risk the health of everyone involved. 

5Pain and Suffering

Getting injured is often excruciatingly painful. In many cases, even injuries that heal on the outside can continue to cause chronic pain for decades after an accident. Some car accident victims never stop experiencing extreme pain. When a victim’s pain is severe, expensive pain medications are often necessary to keep it under control. In some cases, these medications cause impairment and the victim is forced to choose between taking pain-relieving medications or going back to work.

6Mental Anguish

Mental anguish is common after a serious car crash, and the victims themselves are not the only ones who often suffer. Some people experience so much trauma that they live with post traumatic stress disorder for the rest of their lives. Psychological problems like severe depression, anxiety, and PTSD can wreak havoc in the family home. 

7Loss of Quality of Life

Many car accident victims never heal physically or mentally. When people are permanently disbaled after a crash, they may find themselves unable to perform the activities they used to enjoy. 

Types of Damages that Can Be Recovered After a Car Accident

There are three general types of damages that can be recovered after a car crash in Illinois. They are classified as economic damages, non-economic damages, and punitive damages. 

1

Economic Damages

This type of damages is the easiest to value after a car accident. Economic damages refers to compensation for tangible losses, like medical bills, lost wages, property damage, and the like. Our injury lawyers will review your medical expenses, lost wages, and other tangible losses to determine how much the at-fault party should pay. In more complicated cases, we may turn to financial experts to help us calculate things like lost future earning capacity or future medical bills. 

2

Noneconomic Damages

Non-monetary losses can be much more difficult to value when determining the worth of your car accident claim. Our attorneys will take a look at how your injuries have impacted your life, your ability to enjoy certain activities, and the stress and inconvenience your injuries have caused. 

3

Punitive Damages

Unlike economic and noneconomic damages that are designed to make the victim whole after a crash, punitive damages are meant to punish the wrongdoer who caused you pain. Although punitive damages are not common in Illinois personal injury cases, when they are awarded, they are usually substantial. 

Understanding Illinois Car Insurance

Illinois is an at-fault (tort) state when it comes to motor vehicle accident liability. This means the at-fault driver’s auto insurance should pay for your crash-related losses. This is known as liability insurance coverage, and it covers your medical bills, property damage, and other losses up to the policy limit.

Mandatory liability coverage:

Bodily injury:
$25,000per person
$50,000per accident
Property damage:
$20,000 per accident

Although the state requires drivers to maintain minimum liability insurance coverage, many drivers in Illinois do not carry enough coverage, or they let their policies lapse. To ensure there is a remedy for accident victims in the event a non-insured or underinsured driver causes a crash, Illinois requires drivers to maintain uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. 

Minimum uninsured motorist bodily injury coverage:

$25,000per person
$50,000per accident
Car accident

How Common Are Car Accidents in Illinois?

Motor vehicle accidents in Illinois are on the rise. According to a recent report, car accidents are on the rise in Illinois. During the first three months of 2020, there was an 11% increase in fatality crashes in the state compared with the first three months of 2019. 

In a given year, over 300,000 injury accidents occur on Illinois’ roadways. More than 115,000 of those crashes happen in Chicago. 

The rise in the number of car accidents is attributed to increases in speeding, drunk/impaired driving, and distracted driving. 

Common Causes of Car Accidents in Peoria

Car accidents happen in Illinois for a wide variety of reasons. The most common causes of crashes our accident lawyers see include:

SpeedingDistracted DrivingDriving Under the Influence of Drugs or Alcohol Fatigued DrivingDefective Vehicle PartsPoor Roadway Design or Maintenance

Types of Car Accident Injuries

Although minor fractures, cuts, bumps and bruises are common in car accidents in Illinois, more severe crashes can cause catastrophic injuries. The most common serious injuries our car accident attorneys see include:

 

What to Do After a Car Accident in Illinois

The steps you take immediately following a car accident in Central Illinois can impact your safety and well-being, the safety and well-being of other victims, and your financial recovery. If you were involved in a car accident in Illinois:

Check for injuries and call 9-1-1 right away to get police and emergency medical services en route. If you are severely injured, your survival is priority. Simply wait for the paramedics to arrive.

Move your vehicle out of the roadway and into a safe place if possible.

Help anyone who is hurt or needs help. (remember not to move victims who are badly injured.)

If you have them, use emergency flashers or flares to warn other drivers of the crash.

Take photos or videos of the accident scene if you are able.

Get contact information for anyone involved in the accident or anyone who may have witnessed the crash.

Contact our car accident lawyers for a free, no obligation consultation as soon as you can.

Do not give the insurance company any more information than is necessary. Simply saying the wrong thing could cost you your accident claim.

Timeline of a Car Accident Claim

A car accident claim in Illinois can take months, or even years, to reach a settlement or jury verdict. If you have, or will have lost wages, costly medical bills, or other expensive damages that were caused by your crash, it is best to begin speaking with an injury attorney from the very beginning. 

1

Initial Consultation with a Car Accident Attorney

Once your condition has stabilized, you should request a free case evaluation with an injury attorney. During this initial consultation, your attorney will explain your legal options and advise you on how to proceed with your claim.

2

Gathering Evidence

After the consultation is over, your attorney will begin gathering evidence to support your claim. This usually entails requesting medical records, talking to witnesses, requesting police reports, and the like.

3

Negotiations with the Insurance Company

Your accident lawyer will then begin negotiations with the insurance company on your behalf. It is very important during this time to direct all communication from the insurance company to your attorney. If your accident lawyer’s negotiations are successful, you will receive your settlement at this stage. 

4

Filing a Personal Injury Lawsuit

If the insurance company fails to offer a satisfactory settlement amount, your injury lawyer will file your injury lawsuit in civil court in Illinois as soon as you reach maximum medical improvement. If you have more serious injuries that will take a while to heal, this stage may take some time. 

5

Continued Negotiations with the Insurance Company

Your attorney will continue to negotiate with the insurance company on your behalf as your case moves forward. 

6

Discovery

During this phase, your accident lawyer and the at-fault party’s insurance company will exchange evidence. They will likely request and share a variety of documents and photos, and depose witnesses in preparation for trial.

7

Mediation

Before your case goes to trial, you may enter into an alternative dispute resolution process like mediation. If a satisfactory resolution cannot be made at this time, your case will proceed to trial.

8

Trial

During trial, evidence will be presented to the court to establish the facts of your car accident case and determine whether you are entitled to damages. The length of the trial depends on the complications that accompany your case. Sometimes, trials last a day. Other times, trials last a week or even more.

9

Verdict

If the court decides that you should recover compensation for your accident, your award amount will be determined when the verdict is reached. 

Car Accident FAQs

Below are some of the most frequently asked questions we receive from our clients regarding car accident cases.

How does the court determine who the negligent driver was?

The court will review the evidence that is presented during the trial to determine who was at fault in your car accident cases. The jury will likely review photos of the crash scene, hear witness statements, and listen to expert opinions as well as the arguments made by your attorney.

How much does a Chicago car accident lawyer cost?

Most car accident lawyers do not charge up-front fees. Rather, injury attorneys generally work on a contingency basis. This means your lawyer’s fees will only be paid when your settlement is received.

What is pain and suffering?

Pain and suffering refers to the amount of pain, mental anguish, inconvenience, loss of quality of life, and loss of companionship you have been and will continue to be forced to endure because of your injuries. These noneconomic damages are difficult to value in monetary terms. In most cases, pain and suffering is calculated using a percentage of your tangible losses.

Strong Law Firm represented us in a vehicle accident. They were responsive, thorough and really made sure we had all aspects covered; even things we hadn't thought of. I'd highly recommend them!

Graciela Dufour
Car accident attorney Illinois jurisdictions

Jurisdictions Our Car Accident Lawyers Serve

The car accident attorneys at Strong Law Offices provide legal representation to victims in Peoria, Springfield, Bloomington, Chicago, Champaign, and the surrounding communities. Our law firm offers free case evaluations. Evening, weekend, and off-site appointments are available on request. 

If you were injured in a car crash, call a car accident lawyer at Strong Law Offices. Free consultations.
Call Now: 309-688-5297