A car accident can turn your life upside down in seconds: medical bills, lost income, a damaged vehicle, and an insurance company that may not have your best interests in mind. Our car accident lawyers can help you pursue compensation available under Illinois law when another person, business, or public entity may be legally responsible for the crash.
LeFante Law Offices, P.C. is a personal injury law firm founded in 2009 that represents individuals and families throughout Illinois injured in car accidents. From offices in Peoria and Bloomington, the firm’s car accident attorneys handle claims across the state, guided by an approach that centers on full recovery, not just a settlement check: physical healing, financial stability, and the support to move forward.
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Every car accident is different, and the cause of your crash can shape what your claim looks like and which insurance policies apply. LeFante Law Offices evaluates claims arising from many types of Illinois motor-vehicle crashes.
If you were walking, crossing the street, or otherwise not inside a vehicle when you were hit, our Illinois pedestrian accident attorneys can help. Pedestrian claims often involve different questions about fault than a typical car accident.
Illinois generally prohibits operating or registering a motor vehicle designed for public-highway use unless it is covered by liability insurance, subject to statutory exemptions (625 ILCS 5/7-601). The current minimum liability limits are commonly described as 25/50/20: $25,000 for bodily injury to or death of one person, $50,000 for bodily injury to or death of two or more people in one crash, and $20,000 for damage to another person’s property (625 ILCS 5/7-203).
These are minimum limits. If the responsible driver is uninsured, leaves the scene, or has liability limits lower than the injured person’s applicable UIM limits, the injured person’s own policy may provide another source of coverage. Whether coverage applies depends on the policy language, the facts, the applicable limits, and compliance with policy procedures.
Illinois follows a modified comparative negligence rule (735 ILCS 5/2-1116). If you are found to be 50 percent or less at fault for your accident, you can still recover compensation, though your award is reduced by your percentage of fault. If you are found more than 50 percent at fault, you cannot recover anything.
Fault is not usually decided at the scene of the crash. It is built through evidence: police reports, witness statements, photos, and sometimes expert reconstruction. An insurance company’s early suggestion that you were at fault is not the final word on your claim.
A police officer’s or insurance adjuster’s early opinion does not determine civil liability. A crash report may preserve useful information, but the report does not by itself prove fault.
Seek medical attention. Even if you feel fine, some injuries, like concussions or whiplash, do not show symptoms right away. Call 911 for an emergency, obtain appropriate medical care, follow the provider’s advice, and keep copies of your medical records and bills.
Call the police. Illinois requires immediate notice to law enforcement for crashes involving injury or death and for certain property-damage crashes. Remain at or near the scene. If a damaged vehicle is obstructing traffic and can be moved safely, make every reasonable effort to move it to a safe location. A crash report can record useful information, but it does not determine civil fault.
Gather information at the scene. Get the other driver’s name, license plate, and insurance information. Get contact information from any witnesses. Take photos of the vehicles, the scene, and any visible injuries.
Be careful what you say. Avoid discussing fault with the other driver, and avoid apologizing or making statements that could be read as an admission of fault.
Notify your own insurance company promptly and comply with the notice and cooperation requirements in your policy. Be cautious about giving a detailed or recorded statement to the other driver’s insurer before obtaining legal advice.
Contact a car accident lawyer. Early involvement may help preserve evidence, identify available insurance coverage, and determine which filing deadlines apply.
If you were injured in a car accident, you may be able to recover compensation for:
Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome, and the value of any claim depends on the specific facts of your case.
Insurance companies often assign vehicle-damage and bodily-injury losses to different adjusters, and they may negotiate the two categories separately. Do not assume that resolving one can never affect the other. The wording of a release, settlement agreement, check, or electronic acceptance matters, and broad release language can waive additional claims. Review settlement documents carefully before signing them or accepting payment.
Many people handle a straightforward property-damage claim on their own. Legal advice may be valuable when fault, vehicle valuation, insurance coverage, diminished value, or the scope of a release is disputed.
Most Illinois personal-injury lawsuits must be commenced within two years after the claim accrues, which is ordinarily the date of a car crash (735 ILCS 5/13-202). This is a deadline for commencing a lawsuit. Insurance negotiations do not ordinarily extend it.
An action seeking damages to a vehicle or other personal property is generally subject to a five-year limitation period (735 ILCS 5/13-205). Different statutes can override these general periods. For example, most actions against an Illinois local public entity or employee must be commenced within one year under 745 ILCS 10/8-101.
A personal-injury action against the Chicago Transit Authority also has a one-year limitation period under 70 ILCS 3605/41. Other government, transit, minor, contractual, and insurance-coverage claims may follow different rules.
Identifying the defendants and the applicable deadline early is safer than assuming every Illinois car accident has the same two-year filing period. Our Illinois bus accident attorneys discuss transit-related claims in more detail.
When you work with LeFante Law Offices after a car accident, your attorney handles the process from start to finish.
Investigation. The firm gathers police reports, photos, witness statements, and any available video, and works to identify potentially responsible parties and applicable insurance coverage.
Demand and documentation. When the injuries, losses, and reasonably anticipated future needs can be assessed, your attorney compiles the evidence and sends a demand to the insurance company.
Negotiation. The other driver’s liability insurer evaluates the claim on behalf of its insured and does not act as the injured person’s adviser. The insurer may dispute fault, causation, treatment, or the value of the losses. Your attorney documents the claim, responds to those disputes, and negotiates on your behalf.
Trial, if necessary. Many car accident claims settle without trial. If negotiations do not produce an acceptable resolution, LeFante Law Offices can file suit and prepare the case for trial.
Former Insurance Defense Experience. Founding attorney James P. LeFante spent years representing insurance companies before switching sides to represent injured people. That experience shapes how the firm approaches every car accident claim, including the tactics insurance companies use to minimize what they pay.
Experience Across Every Type of Car Accident. From distracted and drunk driving to rideshare and bus accidents, the firm’s attorneys understand how the specific cause of a crash affects the claim.
No Fee Unless We Win. You pay no attorney fee upfront. If the firm obtains compensation for you, its fee is the percentage stated in the written contingency-fee agreement. That agreement also explains how the firm handles case expenses.
Post-Settlement Advocacy. The firm’s work does not stop once a settlement or verdict is reached. LeFante Law Offices also negotiates with medical providers to help reduce outstanding bills and liens, so clients keep more of what they recover.
LeFante Law Offices has recovered tens of millions of dollars for injured clients throughout Illinois, with 135+ five-star Google reviews from past clients. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome in any future case.
Evidence can be lost, altered, or overwritten, and legal deadlines continue to run while an insurance claim is being investigated. Early contact gives an attorney more time to preserve evidence, investigate coverage, and identify the applicable filing period.
When you call, it helps to have a few things ready: photos from the accident scene, your medical records, the police report if you have it, and any correspondence you’ve received from an insurance company. Our attorneys will review your case, explain your options, and help you understand what to expect.
Call LeFante Law Offices, P.C. today at (309) 999-1111, or request your free case review online, to talk with an attorney about what happened. There is no fee unless we win.
LeFante Law Offices, P.C. – Peoria 456 Fulton Street, Suite 410, Peoria, IL 61602 (309) 999-1111
LeFante Law Offices, P.C. – Bloomington 121 N Main St, Suite 210, Bloomington, IL 61701 (309) 869-8309
You may have a claim if another person or organization failed to use reasonable care and that failure caused your injuries or other compensable losses. Fault, causation, evidence, insurance coverage, damages, and filing deadlines all affect whether a claim is viable. A consultation allows an attorney to assess those factors using the facts of your crash.
You pay nothing upfront. LeFante Law Offices works on a contingency-fee basis. If the firm recovers compensation for you, it receives the percentage stated in the written agreement. The agreement also explains litigation expenses and whether you could be responsible for any expenses if there is no recovery.
There is no reliable timeline without reviewing the facts. The duration can depend on the investigation, the course of medical treatment, disputed fault, the number of parties, available coverage, settlement negotiations, and whether litigation is necessary. Your attorney can provide more useful timing information as the evidence and procedural posture become clearer.
There is no set answer, since every case depends on its own facts. The value of a claim depends on factors like the severity of your injuries, the strength of the evidence, and the insurance coverage available. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome in any future case.
No. You are not required to give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurance company. Insurance adjusters sometimes use these statements to minimize a claim, so it is generally best to speak with an attorney first.
Most Illinois personal-injury lawsuits must be commenced within two years after the claim accrues. An action for vehicle or other personal-property damage generally has a five-year period. A one-year period can apply to claims against local public entities, their employees, and the Chicago Transit Authority. Other exceptions may shorten or extend the applicable period, so the precise deadline depends on the facts and parties involved.
