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Your Skokie Personal Injury Attorney
The short answer. In Illinois most injury claims must be filed within two years (735 ILCS 5/13-202). The Circuit Court of Cook County hears injury suits over $100,000 in its Law Division at the Daley Center, 50 W. Washington Street, Room 2600, Chicago, IL 60602; the Clerk of the Circuit Court lists five suburban district courthouses (Skokie, Rolling Meadows, Maywood, Bridgeview and Markham) for civil suits up to $100,000. To talk it through, send the form on this page and we will work to connect you with an attorney in our network.
After an injury, ordinary life gets heavy. There are appointments to keep, bills arriving, and a claim that nobody explained to you. If another person’s carelessness hurt you in Skokie, it is reasonable to want a clear picture before you decide anything.
Nothing on this page is legal advice, and NeedAnAttorney.net is not a law firm. It is a service that connects injured people with attorneys. The rules described here are quoted or summarized from Illinois’s own statutes so that you can check them yourself.
Questions To Ask A Skokie Injury Attorney
A short list of questions can sort out who is right for you:
- Your share of fault. Ask how a finding that you were partly responsible would change the numbers (735 ILCS 5/2-1116).
- The deadline. Ask the attorney to name the exact last day to file for your claim. The general limit for injury claims in Illinois is two years (735 ILCS 5/13-202).
- Limits on damages. Ask whether any rule restricts the amount you could recover in Illinois.
- Fees and costs. Ask what the fee is, when it is paid, and which expenses are deducted from a settlement.
- Who will work on it. Ask who handles your file day to day and how fast messages are answered.
Personal Injury Types of Cases
Premises Liability
Many premises liability claims are from a property owner’s duty to maintain a property in the way that does not endanger others. There are may ways a property owner can violate this duty.
- Broken Stairs
- Unlit alleyways
- Slippery Floors
- Surfaces that are uneven
- Places to receive burns
- Places to receive chemical exposure
- Dog bites
- and other dangerous conditions
Work Place Accidents
These types of personal injury lawsuits involve more that just a employee and employer. If you feel like your place of employment was negligent in some way, you might have a claim for compensation. These types of accidents can include.
- Slip and Fall
- Unsafe working conditions
- Unmaintained equipment
- Auto Accidents
- Death
- Electrical Hazards
- Occupational illnesses like COPD, contagious diseases, and asbestosis
- personal injuries at work
Wrongful Death
When negligence leads to fatal injuries, a wrongful death suit can help the surviving family members hold the negligent company, persons, and or person accountable for what was done. A wrongful death case can involve different types of compensation from other personal injury claims. After a fatal accident, family members can ask an attorney to review what compensation the surviving loved ones may have a right to. These types of accidents can include.
- Auto Accident
- Maritime Accident
- Drowning
- Electrocution
- Falls
- Helicopter Accident
- Fire
- Firearm
- and other types of wrongful deaths
Motor Vehicle Accidents
As long as the person that was operating the vehicle that injured you was negligent in some way, you can could have a claim for compensation. This can include.
- Car Accidents
- Truck Accidents
- Bicycle Accidents
- 18 wheeler Accidents
- Motorcycle crashes
- Drunk Driving
- Distracted Driving
- Aggressive Driving
- and other types of motor vehicle accidents
Injured in Skokie? Get matched with an attorney now.
How Fault Is Divided
A person who is fifty percent at fault or less can still recover in Illinois. 735 ILCS 5/2-1116 sets the rule.
You can recover if your share of the fault is 50 percent or less, and your award is reduced by your share; above 50 percent the claim is barred (735 ILCS 5/2-1116). Photographs, witness names and medical records help show where the fault lies.
Limits On What You Can Recover
The amount of an award in Illinois is not fixed by a general statute. The state constitution restricts such limits.
The facts of your claim drive the amount.
Filing Deadlines For Injury Claims
Most injury claims in Illinois must be filed within two years (735 ILCS 5/13-202). A child may have more time, and a few other limited situations extend the period too (735 ILCS 5/13-211(a)).
A wrongful death claim follows its own rules, so ask which date applies (740 ILCS 180/2). Write down the date of the injury now so the count is never in doubt.
What Auto Policies Must Cover
The minimum liability limits for a driver in Illinois are $25,000 for injury to one person, $50,000 for injury to two or more people in one accident and $20,000 for property damage (625 ILCS 5/7-203).
A crash with several injured people can use up those limits quickly. If your bills pass that limit, it helps to know early what other coverage may exist, including your own policy.
Local Courts and Hospitals in Skokie
Cook County is the county the Census Bureau assigns to Skokie. For Cook County, the Clerk of the Circuit Court lists the Daley Center at 50 W. Washington Street, Room 2600, Chicago, IL 60602 for injury suits over $100,000 and five suburban district courthouses for civil suits up to $100,000. In Cook County, the Illinois Department of Public Health, EMS and Trauma Program list of trauma centers shows Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn as a Level I trauma center. Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in Chicago, also in Cook County, is on that list as a Level I trauma center. That list also names Advocate Sherman Hospital in Elgin, in Kane County, as a Level II trauma center.
Measured in a straight line from Skokie, the nearest Illinois acute care and critical access hospitals in the federal Hospital General Information file are Saint Francis Hospital-Evanston in Evanston, 3.0 miles, an acute care hospital, then NorthShore University HealthSystem Evanston Hospital in Evanston, 3.6 miles, an acute care hospital, then Swedish Hospital in Chicago, 4.7 miles, an acute care hospital. Saint Francis Hospital-Evanston is at 355 Ridge Ave, Evanston, IL 60202.
Road distance from Skokie is longer than a straight line. Wherever you were treated, ask for the full records and an itemized bill, and keep a list of every visit.
The file also lists Resurrection Medical Center (listed by CMS as Amita Health Resurrection Medical Center) in Chicago at 5.0 miles and Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge at 5.6 miles. Counting Illinois acute care and critical access hospitals in a straight line from Skokie: 12 within 10 miles, 48 within 25 miles, 63 within 50 miles.
The nearest places in Illinois that this site has pages for, by the same coordinates, are Evanston (2.5 miles east), Des Plaines (8.3 miles west) and Mount Prospect (10.3 miles west). Chicago is 14 miles south of Skokie and Springfield is 184 miles southwest.
Taking The First Step From Skokie
Use the form at the top of the page to tell us what happened. NeedAnAttorney.net reviews your details and works to match you with an attorney in our network who may handle cases in Illinois. There is no charge to submit it, and submitting it does not hire anyone.
Meanwhile, jot down the facts while they are fresh: date, time, place, who was there, what care you have had and what work you have missed. Save every bill and every message from an insurer.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the nearest hospital to Skokie?
On the federal list the nearest Illinois acute care or critical access hospital is Saint Francis Hospital-Evanston in Evanston (3.0 miles, straight line), then NorthShore University HealthSystem Evanston Hospital in Evanston (3.6 miles) and Swedish Hospital in Chicago (4.7 miles). In an emergency call 911; not every hospital has an emergency room.
Which nearby places does this site cover besides Skokie?
Closest by straight line are Evanston (2.5 miles east), Des Plaines (8.3 miles west) and Mount Prospect (10.3 miles west).
Do I pay to submit the form?
No charge for sending the form. Most injury attorneys explain their fee before you decide. You decide whether to hire anyone.
Where do I start after an injury?
Seek medical attention before anything else. Report what happened to the police or the property owner as appropriate. Photograph the scene and your injuries, and write down what happened while you remember it.
How long do I have to file an injury lawsuit in Illinois?
For most injury claims, two years (735 ILCS 5/13-202). Children and some other limited situations can have more time (735 ILCS 5/13-211(a)). An early start protects the evidence.
Does Illinois bar me from recovering if I share the blame?
The rule: you can recover if your share of the fault is 50 percent or less, and your award is reduced by your share; above 50 percent the claim is barred (735 ILCS 5/2-1116). How the facts are described matters from the start. Details from the day of the accident can matter.
How much can I recover for pain and suffering in Illinois?
Pain and suffering is proved by the facts of your case, so ask which rules, if any, apply to your claim. The bills, the missed work and the lasting effects drive the amount. The facts of your claim drive the amount.
What if the other driver has only the minimum coverage?
$25,000 per person, $50,000 per accident and $20,000 for property damage (625 ILCS 5/7-203). A crash with several injured people can use up limits quickly. It helps to learn early what other coverage may exist.
Help Elsewhere in Illinois
The same matching service covers more of Illinois. Pick the community closest to where it happened.
