A brain injury is a life-changing event that can have serious consequences for you and your family. If you’ve suffered a brain injury in an accident in Rockford, IL, and someone else is to blame, you may be able to seek compensation for your damages.
The lawyers at Zayed Law Offices Personal Injury Attorneys are here to help. Our nationally recognized attorneys have the experience you can count on in your brain injury case.
Reach out to our law office to learn more about how our Rockford brain injury lawyers can help. To schedule a free case evaluation with a member of our team, call our office at (312) 964-8019 or contact us online.
How Zayed Law Offices Personal Injury Attorneys Can Help With a Brain Injury Case in Rockford, IL
The Rockford personal injury attorneys at Zayed Law Offices Personal Injury Attorneys have decades of experience in personal injury law and have helped recover over $100 million in compensation for our clients.
Some of the recognitions our attorneys have received include:
- Super Lawyers
- Best Lawyers
- Million Dollar Advocates Forum
When you hire our brain injury lawyers in Rockford, Illinois, you can count on us to tackle every aspect of your case, including:
- Investigating the accident and identifying at-fault parties
- Assessing the extent of your injuries and losses
- Explaining your legal rights and discussing your options
- Developing an informed case strategy
- Negotiating a settlement with insurance companies and opposing parties on your behalf
- Vigorously representing you in court if a favorable settlement can’t be reached
Contact our Rockford personal injury lawyers today to learn more about how we can help you recover compensation in your brain injury case.
How Common Are Brain Injuries?
Mild brain injuries are very common. According to one study, between 100 and 300 people per 100,000 seek treatment for a mild brain injury each year. Because many of these brain injuries go unreported, it’s likely that up to 600 people per 100,000 suffer a mild brain injury each year.
The Food and Drug Administration estimates that 75% of brain injuries are mild in nature, with the rest being moderate to severe. Overall, approximately 2.8 million people suffer some level of brain injury in the U.S. each year.
What Is My Rockford Brain Injury Case Worth?
Personal injury cases involving brain injuries can be quite complex. The research in this area is evolving, and we continue to learn the impacts a brain injury can have on one’s physical and mental health. For these reasons, it’s especially difficult to estimate what a typical brain injury claim may be worth.
Several factors will impact the value of your brain injury case. These include:
- The extent of your injuries and any property damage
- Whether you bear any fault for the accident
- The relevant insurance policy limits
Every personal injury case is unique, and this is especially true in cases involving a brain injury. When you hire Zayed Law Offices Personal Injury Attorneys, we’ll assess the full extent of your damages and fight for you to receive full compensation for your losses.
What Kinds of Damages Are Available to Brain Injury Victims in Rockford, Illinois?
If you suffered a brain injury in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you have the right to seek compensation for your losses. The two main types of compensation available to brain injury victims in Illinois are economic damages and non-economic damages.
Economic Damages
Economic damages relate to the financial consequences you incur as a result of the accident or injury. These include:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Vehicle and other property damages
- Lost wages and diminished earning capacity
- Transportation costs
Most of your economic damages can be calculated fairly easily. Receipts, invoices, and other documents can be used to support them.
However, an experienced personal injury lawyer can be instrumental in calculating future or potential damages, such as diminished earning capacity and future medical expenses. A seasoned attorney will demand full compensation for all of these damages and hire expert witnesses as needed to support your claims.
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages relate to the emotional and psychological consequences of an accident or injury. They may include:
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Loss of consortium
- Loss of companionship
- Disability or disfigurement
- Diminished enjoyment of life
Non-economic damages are harder to calculate, as they often relate to a victim’s subjective experience after an accident or injury. For example, a brain injury may impact your ability to enjoy your favorite hobbies or may cause changes and tension within your family.
An experienced personal injury attorney in Rockford will evaluate your damages and make sure you demand compensation for all of your injuries.
How Much Does It Cost To Hire a Brain Injury Lawyer in Rockford, IL?
It’s common for personal injury lawyers to accept cases on a contingent fee basis. This means you will not have to pay any attorney’s fees upfront in your brain injury case. Instead, the attorney will collect their fee as a percentage of your ultimate financial award. This percentage is usually between 33% and 40%, depending on the duration of your case, its complexity, and whether it goes to trial.
The obvious benefit of a contingency fee arrangement is that you don’t have to pay any attorney’s fees upfront, which is often a barrier to legal representation in other types of cases. A secondary benefit of contingent fees is that you can trust that your and your attorney’s interests are aligned, as they won’t get paid unless you do.
Can I Recover Compensation if I’m Being Blamed for an Accident in Illinois?
If you were partially responsible for the accident that caused your brain injury, you may still be able to recover compensation. Illinois follows what’s known as the modified comparative fault approach.
Under this approach, an amount of fault will be attributed to each party responsible for the accident. If your portion of responsibility is 50% or less, you can still recover compensation for damages.
However, if you are found to be 51% or more at fault, you will be barred from recovering compensation. If you’re being blamed for an accident, a skilled personal injury lawyer will fight to make sure that you don’t bear more than your fair share of the blame.
Keep in mind that if you are partially at fault, your compensation will be reduced in proportion to your amount of fault. For example, if you suffer $10,000 in damages and are found to be 20% at fault, you can recover up to $8,000 (or 80%) of your damages.
What Causes Most Brain Injuries in Rockford, IL?
Brain injuries may be caused by a car accident, an unfortunate fall, a sporting activity, or any activity that can lead to a sudden head movement that causes the brain to hit the inside of the skull.
However, it’s difficult to accurately collect data on brain injuries and their causes, as they often go unreported or undiagnosed. Nonetheless, falls seem to cause more than half of all brain-injury-related hospitalizations in the U.S.
How Do I Prove Negligence After an Accident in Illinois?
To succeed in your brain injury case, you will likely need to show that the other party was negligent. Negligence is the failure to act with the level of care that a reasonable person would exercise under the same circumstances.
To prove negligence in Illinois, you must demonstrate the following four elements:
- Duty of care: You must show that the defendant owed you a duty of care. The ordinary duty of care is to act the way a reasonable person would under the same circumstances.
- Breach: The defendant must have breached the required duty of care to be liable for your injuries. That is, the defendant’s actions or inactions must’ve fallen below the level of care that a reasonable person would exercise in the same situation.
- Causation: To succeed in your case, you must establish that the defendant’s actions were the actual and proximate cause of your injuries or losses. “Actual cause” means the injury would not have occurred if not for the defendant’s actions. “Proximate cause” means that your injury was a reasonably foreseeable consequence of the defendant’s conduct.
- Damages: Last, you must prove that you suffered injuries or losses for which you can be compensated.
Breach of duty is often the most difficult element to establish, but any of these elements may be challenged in your brain injury case.
How Long Do I Have To File a Brain Injury Lawsuit in Illinois?
In Illinois, you typically have two years from the date of an injury or accident to file a lawsuit. This deadline for filing your case is called the statute of limitations. Similarly, you have two years to file a wrongful death lawsuit. Hiring an Illinois personal injury lawyer is a great first step to ensuring that your case is filed on time.
Contact Our Rockford Brain Injury Attorneys for a Free Consultation
If you’ve suffered a brain injury in an accident in Rockford, IL, contact Zayed Law Offices Personal Injury Attorneys so we can fight for you to receive full compensation for your injuries.
Call our office today or contact us online to schedule a free case review with a member of our team.
