Champaign Personal Injury Lawyer

Have you or a loved one been hurt in an accident in the Champaign area? If so, you need an experienced Illinois personal injury attorney to zealously advocate for the compensation you deserve from those responsible for your injuries. At Patel Law, PC, our team of dedicated legal professionals has years of experience representing the injured in central Illinois and a proven track record of success for our clients. Call the office or contact us to learn more about the wide range of legal services offered at Patel Law and schedule your free evaluation of your claims with a Champaign personal injury lawyer today.

The established Champaign personal injury lawyers at Patel Law, PC, have experience successfully advocating for clients in many types of injury cases. Our office has recovered millions of dollars in compensation for victims of auto accidents, medical malpractice, and other personal injury claims. Personal injury cases we have successfully litigated include, but are not limited to, the following:

If you are in need of a local personal injury attorney in Champaign with expertise representing the injured of central Illinois, look no further than Patel Law, PC.

Compensation for Personal Injury Claims

As a member of the Million Dollar Advocates Forum, the Champaign personal injury attorneys at Patel Law, PC, have successfully recovered millions of dollars in damages for their clients injured in personal injury cases in central Illinois. Compensation for personal injury cases in Illinois consist of economic and noneconomic damages for the harm suffered as a result of the negligent or reckless acts of another person. Every client’s case is different, and an experienced attorney like those at Patel Law, PC will be able to provide you with expert legal advice about how much your case is worth.

Economic damages in a personal injury case refers to all of the out of pocket expenses incurred by the victim as a result of the accident. This includes all medical expenses, lost wages, property damage, and the loss of future income and benefits. Noneconomic damages compensate a personal injury victim for all of the other losses caused by an accident. This includes payment for pain and suffering, emotional distress, disability, disfigurement, and the loss of enjoyment of life. In the most devastating personal injury cases, where the victim loses their life as a result of the accident, the family of the victim can also seek wrongful death damages. This includes compensation for all final medical bills, funeral and burial costs, and for the loss of love, security, guidance, and companionship.

However, it is important to note that Illinois uses a modified comparative fault standard when determining compensation for personal injury cases. The court will determine the degree of fault for every party involved in the accident and reduce the overall award by that percentage. If a party is found to be 50% or more at fault for the accident, they are barred from collecting any compensation for their claims. For example, if an auto accident resulted in $100,000 in damages for the victim who was found ten percent at fault, the overall compensation would be reduced to $90,000. Champaign personal injury victims that do not hire a qualified attorney risk losing everything, which is why it is critical that you speak with the experienced personal injury attorneys at Patel Law, PC today.

Do You Need A Personal Injury Attorney?

You should hire an experienced injury attorney for the primary purpose of efficiency. At the experienced injury law firm in Central Illinois, Patel Law, PC, we have dealt with every insurance provider possible. All of which have different procedures and regulations on how they go about handling any type of injury claim. Experience attorneys like Baku Patel and Chae Lee know the trade secrets on how to handle these big insurance companies for Auto Accident claims. Insurance companies will attempt to discourage you from hiring an attorney. They will manipulate you into believing they are on your side. They will assure you consistently that the individual who hit you has taken full responsibility, or we accept all responsibility. Some will even go as far as to say we will cover all medical expenses.

Insurance companies employ a variety of unethical practices of aggressive, deception, and unfair strategies when it comes to personal injury matters. They will consistently lead you down a path that will inevitably offer you a very minimal amount of money that will hardly cover a portion of your medical expenses. Insurance companies will take weeks, if not months, to get back to you on personal injury matters. Many individuals who represent themselves suffer a financial crisis of a handled claim as a result of the aftermath of self-representation.

Hiring an experienced personal injury attorney at Patel Law understands and sees through unfair practices. Through their legal experience and professionalism, attorneys at Patel Law are experts at proving liability and demonstrating the severity and gruesomeness of the countless injuries our clients receive. Baku Patel will fight until you receive the compensation you are rightfully entitled to.

Personal Injury FAQs

How do I know if I have a personal injury case?

First, you must have suffered an injury to your person or property. Second, you should consider whether your injury was someone else’s fault. It is not always necessary to have a physical injury to bring a personal injury lawsuit. Some personal injury claims could be based on a variety of nonphysical losses and harms. In the case of an assault, for example, you do not need to show that a person’s action caused you actual physical harm, but only that you expected some harm to come to you. You also may have a case if someone has attacked your reputation, invaded your privacy, or inflicted emotional distress upon you.

How soon after I am injured do I have to file a lawsuit?

Every state has certain time limits, called “statutes of limitations,” which govern the amount of time you have to file a personal injury lawsuit. In some states, you may have as little as one year to file a lawsuit arising out of an automobile accident. If you miss the deadline for filing your case, you may lose your legal right to damages for your injury. Consequently, it is important to talk with a lawyer as soon as you suffer or discover an injury.

What should I bring with me for my meeting with a lawyer?

You should provide a lawyer with any documents that might be relevant to your case. Police reports, for example, contain eyewitness information and details about the conditions surrounding auto accidents, fires, and assaults. Copies of medical reports and bills from doctors and hospitals will help demonstrate the extent and nature of your injuries. Information about the insurer of the person who caused your injury is extremely helpful, as are any photographs you have of the accident scene, your property damage, and your injury. The more information you are able to give your lawyer, the easier it will be for him or her to determine if your claim will be successful. If you haven’t collected any documents at the time of your first meeting, however, don’t worry; your lawyer will be able to obtain them in his investigation of your claim.

What if a person dies before bringing a personal injury lawsuit?

It depends on whether the person died as a result of injuries from the accident or from unrelated causes. If a person injured in an accident subsequently dies because of those injuries, that person’s heirs may recover money through a lawsuit known as a wrongful death action. Also, even if a person with a personal injury claim dies from unrelated causes, the personal injury claim survives in most cases and may be brought by the executor or personal representative of the deceased person’s estate.

What is “negligence?”

The critical issue in many personal injury cases is just how a “reasonable person” was expected to act in the particular situation that caused the injury. A person is negligent when he or she fails to act like an “ordinary reasonable person” would have acted. The determination of whether a given person has met the “ordinary reasonable person” standard is often a matter that is resolved by a jury after presentation of evidence and argument at trial.

What if I can’t prove someone’s negligence caused my injury?

Yes. Some persons or companies may be held “strictly liable” for certain activities that harm others, even if they have not acted negligently or with wrongful intent. Under this theory, a person injured by a defective or unexpectedly dangerous product, for instance, may recover compensation from the maker or seller of the product without showing that the manufacturer or seller was actually negligent. Also, persons or companies engaged in using explosives, storing dangerous substances, or keeping dangerous animals can be strictly liable for harm caused to others as a result of such activities.

Will the person who caused my injury be punished?

Not in the traditional sense of the word. Defendants in civil actions for personal injury do not receive jail terms or criminal fines as punishment. Those are criminal sentences, and personal injury cases are civil actions. However, in some cases, juries and courts can award what are called “punitive damages,” which are designed to punish defendants who have behaved recklessly or intentionally against the public’s interest. The goal in ordering the payment of punitive damages is to discourage such defendants and others from engaging in the same kind of harmful behavior in the future.

Attorney Baku N. Patel and his Law Team currently handles all of the criminal defense cases, auto accidents, personal injury and wrongful death matters at Patel Law, PC. Patel has recovered millions for his clients. As a former US Navy Officer, Patel will fight for you. Do not take on the insurance company alone, get Patel Law on your side. Mr. Patel has recovered millions of dollars on behalf of those injured in auto accidents and medical negligence. In fact, he is a member of the exclusive Million Dollar Advocates Forum due to his years of successes recovering million+ dollars for his clients. However, no case is too big or too small. He has successfully taken on every major insurance carrier in the nation and made them pay his client for all of their losses due to the other person’s negligence. Do not just hire any lawyer, get one with the experience and fight to get you what you deserve for your injuries. PERSONAL INJURY FAQS – As a former Lt. Commander and Navy JAG, Mr. Patel has the experience to take the fight to the insurance company on your behalf.

Auto accidents or criminal defense – The attorneys at Patel Law, PC have the extensive criminal law experience necessary to defend your rights. Even though statistics show that nearly 90 percent of criminal cases are resolved through negotiation, you require a criminal defense team with actual jury trial experience to protect your rights. We offer representation for felony and misdemeanor charges, as well as for federal criminal cases.

What is medical malpractice?

Medical malpractice is negligence committed by a professional health care provider, such as a doctor, nurse, dentist, technician, hospital worker or hospital, whose treatment of a patient departs from a standard of care met by those with similar training and experience, resulting in harm to a patient.

Does someone who is not satisfied with the results of his or her surgery have a malpractice case?

In general, there are no guarantees of medical results, and unexpected or unsuccessful results do not necessarily mean negligence occurred. To succeed in a medical malpractice case, a plaintiff has to show an injury or damages that resulted from the doctor’s deviation from the standard of care applicable to the procedure.

What is “informed consent?”

Although the specific definition of informed consent may vary from state to state, it means essentially that a physician (or other medical provider) must tell a patient all of the potential benefits, risks and alternatives involved in any surgical procedure, medical procedure or other course of treatment, and must obtain the patient’s written consent to proceed.

Do I have a case against a doctor who prescribed me a drug for treatment, but failed to tell me it was part of an experimental program?

Your physician had a duty to tell you that the drug was part of an experimental program, and you had the right to refuse to participate in it. You may have grounds for an action against your doctor based on his or her failure to obtain your “informed consent” relative to this treatment.

If the consent form I signed prior to a procedure is considered valid, can I recover any damages in a malpractice action against my doctor?

Yes, you still may be able to recover damages. A consent form does not release a physician who performed a procedure negligently from liability. If you can establish that your doctor deviated from the applicable standard of care in performing the procedure, and you were injured as a result, you may still recover against him or her. You may also have a claim that the procedure the physician performed went beyond the consent you gave, in which case the doctor might even be liable for battery.

How does a jury determine if a doctor’s actions were negligent?

A jury will consider the testimony of experts, usually other doctors, who will testify whether they believe your physician’s actions followed standard medical practices or fell below the accepted standard of care.

What is a “Certificate of Merit?”

One obstacle plaintiffs in many states may have to overcome before they can even file a malpractice action against a health care professional is the requirement that they file what is commonly known as a “certificate of merit.” In order to file a certificate of merit, a plaintiff will first have to have an expert, usually another physician, review the relevant medical records and certify that the plaintiffs health care provider deviated from accepted medical practices, which resulted in injury to the plaintiff. The plaintiffs attorney then files the certificate of merit, which confirms that the attorney has consulted with a medical expert and that the plaintiffs action has merit.

Contact Our Experienced Champaign Personal Injury Lawyer Today

The slightest detail, that may not seem trivial at all, has the potential to make or break a case. It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to the average layperson to notice these details. With representation from Baku Patel, all those details will be documented and explore further to establish proof of a claim.

The period to get a claim resolved is intense, compact, and leaves no margin for error. Many times, the smallest error could lead to a dismissal of your claim leaving you with nothing except debt and everlasting injuries. At Patel Law, we will ensure that your claim will be resolved most quickly and efficiently because we understand the financial burdens that lawsuits can place on an individual. If you would like to speak with an expert in Illinois personal injury law about your case, call or contact Patel Law, PC today to schedule a free consultation.

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