What Is My Illinois Personal Injury Case Worth?

Attorneys Helping Victims Receive Compensation for Accidents and Injuries in Springfield, Champaign, Peoria, and Decatur

A serious personal injury can affect your life in many ways, and you may be concerned about your ability to meet your family's financial needs while you are struggling to address costly medical bills and other expenses. Fortunately, you can take steps to pursue financial compensation from a person or company that was responsible for your injury. By working with a skilled attorney, you can fully understand the damages you have suffered, and you can take steps to receive the compensation you need.

The lawyers of Kanoski Bresney are highly experienced in the fields of personal injury, medical malpractice, premises liability, and product liability. For over 40 years, we have been fighting on behalf of injury victims, and we have obtained more than $550 million for our clients through both jury verdicts and out-of-court settlements. When you work with us, we pledge to give you respect, provide an effective response to your needs, and help you attain the results you deserve.

Understanding the Value of a Personal Injury Claim

Every injury case is unique, and there are multiple factors that can affect the amount of compensation that can be recovered. These include:

• The age and health of the victim
• The severity of the injuries suffered
• The victim's income level and future earning capacity
• Whether the victim suffered temporary or permanent disabilities due to the injury
• How the injuries affected the victim and their family
• Whether the injury occurred because of misconduct or gross negligence

The damages that can be recovered typically fall into two categories: economic damages and non-economic damages. Economic damages address the actual expenses related to an injury and the financial impact on the victim and their family. Non-economic damages address the personal impact of an injury, including physical pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of companionship, and loss of enjoyment of life.

Medical expenses are often one of the most significant costs experienced by injury victims. The costs involved in emergency medical treatment, hospitalization, surgery, and other immediate medical needs can add up quickly, often totaling tens of thousands of dollars. These expenses can be even higher if ongoing treatment is needed, such as physical therapy, prescription medications, corrective surgeries, and assistive devices to address a disability. In some cases, the medical care needed following an injury can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars over a person's lifetime, and victims should be fully compensated for these expenses.

Victims and their families may also be affected by the loss of income while a person is recovering from their injuries, and they should be repaid for any income lost during their recovery period. For example, if a person earns $30,000 per year and is unable to return to work for six months, they may be able to receive $15,000 in compensation to address this loss of income. In cases involving permanent disabilities, a person may be able to receive compensation that addresses impairment to their ability to earn an income throughout the rest of their lifetime. If a 30-year-old victim is permanently unable to return to work, they may be able to receive compensation for the income they would have been able to earn if they worked until reaching the retirement age of 65. At $30,000 per year, this adds up to $1,050,000. In addition to this income, compensation may also address other benefits a person would have earned, such as medical insurance coverage or retirement benefits.

Determining the value of non-economic damages is not always straightforward, since it can be difficult to place a monetary value on the pain and suffering a person and their family have experienced. In many cases, non-economic damages are determined using a multiplier that is applied to the amount of economic damages that are awarded. This multiplier will depend on the extent and severity of a person's injuries, and it will be higher in cases where a person has suffered extreme pain and emotional distress that has affected their relationships with their family members and caused a loss of enjoyment of life. For instance, a jury may determine that a multiplier of 3 is appropriate due to the seriousness of a person's injuries. If the amount of economic damages was $800,000, the non-economic damages would be three times this amount, or $2,400,000.

Contact Our Bloomington Personal Injury Lawyers

At Kanoski Bresney, we can help you determine the full value of the damages you have suffered, and we will fight to make sure you are fully compensated for your injuries. To schedule a complimentary consultation and learn more about how we can provide the legal help you need, contact us at 888-U-COUNT-2 or 888-826-8682. We provide legal help to personal injury victims in Sangamon County, Macon County, Peoria, Bloomington, Tazewell County, Champaign, Macomb, Quincy, Adams County, McLean County, Springfield, Decatur, Pekin, Peoria County, McDonough County, Champaign County, Schuyler County, and Rushville.