When an individual is injured by another person, group, or company, that individual can bring a legal action to seek compensation for the injury and punish wrongdoing. Illinois personal injury lawyers refer to these legal actions as “torts.” While there are many types of torts, Illinois personal injury attorneys generally classify them into two broad categories: intentional torts and negligence.

Intentional torts include battery, assault, false imprisonment, and intentional infliction of emotional distress. All of these torts involve allegations of intentional wrongdoing, rather than careless or reckless behavior. One or more of these actions may be appropriate against a defendant that has physically attacked or threatened a victim, held someone against his or her will, or intentionally caused a victim to suffer severe emotional or psychological damage. In addition, a doctor or medical professional may commit an intentional tort by operating on or touching a patient without fully informing the patient of what the doctor or professional intends to do. While the wrongdoer may be punished with criminal sanctions by the state, only a civil tort action brought by an Illinois personal injury lawyer can recover compensation for the victim.

Negligence refers to an action or failure to act which violates a duty of care and causes injury to someone. A duty of care is violated when a reasonable person could have foreseen that the action or inaction could have injured someone. One of the most common examples of negligence seen by Chicago personal injury lawyers is the auto collision. For example, it is generally negligent to drive excessively fast, change lanes without looking for other cars or pedestrians, disobey traffic signals and stop signs, or drive while intoxicated. In addition, a company acts negligently by hiring under-qualified or poorly trained employees who do their jobs in an unreasonably dangerous manner, or by failing to properly supervise employees. A company also acts negligently by selling dangerous products that have been poorly designed, poorly made, or contain inadequate warnings of danger. When negligence is committed by a professional, Chicago personal injury lawyers refer to the misconduct as malpractice, e.g., medical malpractice and legal malpractice.

The Personal Injury umbrella covers a wide array of case types, including but not limited to:

Contacting an Illinois Personal Injury Lawyer

In Illinois, a tort action generally must be brought within two years of the injury. By getting involved in a case early, an experienced Illinois personal injury lawyer can collect evidence and prepare an effective case. While many lawyers may be able to initially identify the proper legal action to file, only an experienced personal injury attorney will be able to fully uncover the extent of misconduct and build a case against the persons and/or companies truly responsible.

Fair and Just Compensation

A Plaintiff who has been injured by the wrongful actions or inaction of another is entitled to fair and just compensation. It is the job of a personal injury lawyer to fight for this compensation, which may include: medical expenses, lost wages, physical and emotional pain and suffering, and possibly punitive damages for particularly egregious misconduct.

Contact the Chicago Personal Injury Attorneys at Dolan Law Offices

The personal injury lawyers at Dolan Law Offices represent injured victims throughout Illinois and the greater Chicagoland area, including Aurora, Addison, Chicago Heights, Joliet, Hillsdale, Plainfield, Rolling Meadows, Des Plaines, Schaumburg, Palatine, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect, Hanover Park, Streamwood, Prospect Heights, Wheeling, Wheaton, Waukegan, Inverness, Barrington, Buffalo Grove, Elgin, Bartlett, Itasca, Bloomingdale, Wooddale, Cook County, DuPage County, Lake County, McHenry County, and Will County.

If you have been injured by the actions or inaction of a person or company contact the Chicago personal injury lawyers at Dolan Law Offices online or at 312-676-7600.