Most drivers have seen big brown UPS trucks on the road, but many drivers underestimate how dangerous these large vehicles can be. If the UPS driver is negligent, they can cause severe accidents and painful injuries. If you are hurt in a crash with a UPS truck, an attorney can help you sue for your damages.
It may feel daunting to go up against a large company, and you should hire an experienced lawyer to help you. UPS may be held vicariously liable for its employee’s negligent behavior, even if UPS did not do anything wrong. UPS may instead be…
Continue Reading How to Sue UPS After a Truck Accident in Illinois

The companies that own commercial trucks and employ commercial truck drivers, like J.B. Hunt, can typically be held liable for victims’ damages from truck accidents in Illinois, and our lawyers can help you sue for compensation.
If you may need to sue J.B. Hunt for injury, document the accident scene by taking photos and calling the police. We can confirm liability after investigating the collision and start collecting evidence and preparing your case right away. In general, plaintiffs must sue within 2 years of sustaining injuries, or they lose their chance to recover damages and hold J.B. Hunt accountable.
For…
Continue Reading How to Sue J.B. Hunt After a Truck Accident in Illinois

Many injury victims will eventually recover from their injuries.  Those who can’t might consider their injuries “catastrophic.”
Catastrophic injuries are injuries that result in permanent or ongoing care needs and disabilities.  These often involve amputation, brain injuries, and spinal cord injuries, among others.  Catastrophic injury victims may face these injuries in all kinds of accidents, even surprisingly simple ones.  In any case, the costs of these cases are often quite high, and your future might depend on getting full compensation.
For a free case review about your injuries, call Rhatigan Law Offices’ Illinois personal injury attorneys at (312) 578-8502.
What…
Continue Reading What is Considered a “Catastrophic Injury” in Illinois?

When you are pursuing an injury claim, you may have options and steps to get to your final payout.  Two important steps are mediation and litigation, but both – or neither – may actually happen in your case.
Litigation is the general process of taking a case to trial.  This starts with filing your complaint in court and encompasses any briefs, hearings, or other stages, including trial itself.  If you settled your case before filing, you don’t need to litigate it.  Mediation is an alternative to trial, where parties sit down and discuss terms of settlement with a neutral mediator,…
Continue Reading Differences Between Mediation and Litigation in Illinois Injury Cases

You may be able to sue the City of Chicago for injuries due to poor lighting, as well as any property owner who owes you a duty of care and fails to uphold it. These types of lawsuits can be complicated, especially when brought against local governments, and our attorneys can help victims seek the compensation they need.
Generally, Illinois permits plaintiffs to sue local governments only for willful and wanton misconduct, not ordinary negligence. Willfully ignoring poor lighting in parks or other areas, especially if assaults or accidents have occurred there, may warrant a lawsuit. If poor lighting leads…
Continue Reading Can You Sue the City of Chicago for Poor Lighting that Leads to Injury?

If someone hits you and drives off, you might never be able to find them and hold them responsible for your injuries.  However, your uninsured motorist coverage (UM) covers hit and run cases, helping you get damages for your injuries.
In a normal car accident case, you have the driver who hit you and can sue them or file against their insurance for damages.  When they are unavailable or if they have no insurance, you use your uninsured motorist coverage instead.  You can file claims under your own policy for these and other areas of coverage, and our lawyers can…
Continue Reading How Do I File an Uninsured Motorist Claim After a Hit and Run in Chicago?

Injuries are sometimes quite severe and may lead to long-term complications and medical needs. In many cases, plaintiffs continue to incur medical costs long after their civil lawsuit is complete. As such, you can claim the costs of future medical needs, and our legal team will help you.
Whatever your future medical costs might be, they should be reasonably anticipated. Put another way, we must prove how these costs are probable, not just possible. Numerous factors will help us determine the value of these damages. We may need your medical records, testimony from medical experts, and even economic information to…
Continue Reading How Are Future Medical Expenses Calculated in Illinois?

Drones have become quite sophisticated pieces of technology, and many people enjoy using them recreationally. Some drones can be very large and heavy, and they might cause serious injuries if the operator is negligent. If you are hurt because of a drone, an attorney can help you file a lawsuit against those responsible.
If you are injured because of a drone, you may sue the person who owns it and was operating it when you were hurt. Often, drones are operated remotely from a great distance, and the owner might be far away. To identify them, we should be able…
Continue Reading Can You Sue for Injuries Caused by a Drone in Chicago?

Filing lawsuits lets car accident victims recover the funds they need for property damage, lost wages, medical bills, and even intangible damages. An accident with an autonomous car is no less dangerous than an accident with a vehicle that has a human operator, so victims need to know whether suing is an option after such collisions.
You can most likely sue after an accident with an autonomous car. If the accident occurs due to a vehicle or software defect, the manufacturer or designer may be held liable in a lawsuit. If a vehicle is in self-driving mode and the owner…
Continue Reading Can You Sue After an Accident with an Autonomous Vehicle in Chicago?

Booster seats and car seats have different recommendations from manufacturers, parent groups, pediatricians, and the government, and it can be hard to keep them straight.  What is really needed to meet the required safety standards and keep your children safe in case of an accident?
In Illinois, the Child Passenger Protection Act gives us the rules for car seats and booster seats.  Generally, children under 2 need to be in a rear-facing car seat, and children under 8 need to be in a front-facing booster seat.  If the child is more than 40lbs or more than 40 inches tall, these…
Continue Reading Guide to Booster Seat Laws in Illinois

Domestic abuse is more common than many people realize. While abusers may face serious criminal penalties once the abuse is reported, victims may also take their cases to civil court. Depending on your situation, you can sue for financial compensation for injuries sustained from domestic abuse. An attorney can help you build your case and explore legal options.
If you are injured because of someone else’s negligent or intentional actions, you generally can sue them for damages, barring special circumstances. This may include acts of domestic abuse, which is often violent, and leaves victims seriously hurt. While it is possible…
Continue Reading Can You Sue for Injury After Domestic Abuse in Illinois?

If you were injured and have a claim against your insurance policy for damages, your insurance company should follow the policy.  They are not allowed to deny coverage for reasons outside the policy, and they even have a duty to make a good-faith effort to pay you.  If they don’t, we can take them to court.
Claims can be based on a simple breach of contract if the insurance company is making a mistake.  However, more serious claims where they cancel your policy, give you the runaround, or otherwise try to deny the claim for inappropriate reasons might even lead…
Continue Reading Suing Your Insurance Company for Denying Your Injury Claim in Illinois

Car accidents leave victims with more than just economic damages. Suppose you’ve been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, or have dealt with any other non-economic damages. Will that increase the value of your claim if you sue for a car crash?
You may sue to recover non-economic damages for PTSD and other intangible harms caused by a crash, such as chronic pain from an injury or reduced quality of life. Illinois does not limit non-economic damages for car accident victims, meaning we can seek compensation for all subjective losses. To recover for PTSD and other non-economic damages,…
Continue Reading Can You Sue for PTSD After a Car Accident in Chicago, IL?