What To Expect After I Hire A Rideshare Accident Attorney
Our Chicago law firm explains the process for handling your accident claim
Keating Law Offices. P.C., has a deep commitment to its clients that sets the foundation for zealous advocacy on behalf of people injured by the negligence of others. This is especially true if you hire our law firm to handle your rideshare accident in Chicago or throughout Illinois. Whether you’re a rideshare driver or a rideshare passenger injured in an accident, we’re here to help you every step of the way.
The Basic Parts of Litigation: Pleading, Discovery, and Trial
Once you sign an attorney-client agreement with Keating Law Offices, our attorneys pursue as many opportunities available to maximize the likelihood that you recover for your losses and to maximize the amount of that recovery. Your attorney is available in person, over the phone, or by email to answer any questions along the way.
Typically, clients sign up with the personal injury attorney at Keating Law Offices shortly after their injury occurs. So, while a client is focusing on making a healthy recovery, we are working behind the scenes to gather as much evidence as possible about your rideshare accident.
We aggressively investigate your rideshare accident
Some of the most important pieces of evidence in rideshare accident cases are medical records and bills. We have staff dedicated to obtaining, updating and tracking your medical treatment and the records related to that treatment. Because most medical information is protected by privacy laws, our clients sign releases giving us explicit permission to obtain, review and analyze medical records and bills. While this work is mostly done behind the scenes, you are more than welcome to reach out to our office for updates or details about what steps we are taking.
We demand the compensation you deserve
After you fully heal and are done with your medical treatment, we compile your best evidence and push for a recovery even before filing a lawsuit by negotiating with the at-fault person or company’s insurance company. Depending on the size and nature of your rideshare accident, these negotiations may take some time, but they are crucial. Insurance companies do not like it when injured individuals retain attorneys because recoveries can be substantially larger when a good personal injury attorney is involved in a claim, as opposed to someone who is not familiar with personal injury law trying to make a claim on their own.
We deal directly with insurance companies and rideshare companies
Don’t be surprised if the insurance company for the rideshare driver who caused your crash contacts your directly after your accident. You may even receive a call from an attorney representing the ridesharing company itself. When these companies call, it’s often for one of two reasons:
- To make a lowball settlement offer that doesn’t even come close to covering your accident-related expenses.
- To ask questions and gather information they hope they can use to deny your claim.
- You do not have to talk to either company, and we strongly advise you not to do so. Instead, we can deal directly with insurance companies, rideshare companies, their attorneys or anyone else who stands in your way for justice. That’s our job, and we’re happy to do it.
We know how insurance companies and large corporations think. That’s because our law firm has extensive experience dealing with them on significant accident claims. As your attorney, we can represent you and deal directly with them. We know what evidence matters to them. We know how to negotiate effectively. If they refuse to cooperate, we will not hesitate to file a rideshare accident lawsuit on your behalf.
We fight for your rights. Contact us. Your rideshare accident matters here.
The attorneys at Keating Law Offices, P.C., have extensive experience negotiating with nearly every insurance company throughout Illinois. We have decades of experience utilizing litigation strategies and techniques to obtain outstanding results for our clients. We thoroughly understand Illinois’s complex laws and how they relate to rideshare accident claims.
Keating Law Offices, P.C., is proud to be one of Chicago’s most prestigious catastrophic personal injury firms, but we also pride ourselves on client communication. We are there for you when you need us after your rideshare accident. You can contact us for a free confidential consultation about your case. Discover what a dedicated, Chicago rideshare accident lawyer can do for you. Schedule an appointment today.
The Basic Parts of Litigation: Pleading, Discovery, and Trial
The experienced rideshare lawyers at Keating Law Offices, P.C., are aggressive litigators who protect the rights of their clients and work to achieve substantial results. Often, securing the best result for a client requires filing formal litigation. The basic phases of litigation fall into three general categories: pleadings, discovery and trial.
Pleadings
Pleadings are the written documents that begin a lawsuit. In Illinois, the first type of pleading that a plaintiff—the person bringing the lawsuit—files is called a complaint. This complaint describes basic facts and allegations of what happened to the plaintiff and why someone else is at fault for the damages that resulted. The person or entity responding to the lawsuit—the defendant—then typically files an answer to the complaint. Most answers either admit or deny the plaintiff’s allegations from the complaint.
Discovery
After the pleading stage of a lawsuit, the plaintiff and defendant in a case will conduct discovery. Discovery is a fact-finding process. The parties often exchange written questions called interrogatories and written requests to produce documents or other tangible evidence related to the case. Discovery also involves depositions, or statements under oath, of key people involved in the case. Attorneys typically take the deposition of the plaintiff, defendant, witnesses and experts.
Trial
Throughout discovery, the lawyers for the plaintiff and defendant are preparing for trial. During a typical trial about a defendant’s negligence, the plaintiff bears a burden to prove that it is more probably true than not true that the defendant did what the plaintiff alleges. The attorneys for both sides have an opportunity to give an opening statement and present evidence to a judge or jury supporting their claims about what happened and whether the defendant is liable.
After the lawyers are done presenting evidence, both sides have the option to present a closing argument. Once closing arguments are finished, the judge will read instructions to the jury about what law the jury needs to follow in order to evaluate the case. Then, the jurors are led to a secluded place where they weigh the evidence together and come to a decision about the case.
This overview of the trial process is just that—an overview. Every step along the path to trial can be nuanced and complicated. Having a great attorney on your side makes the difference. The trial lawyers at Keating Law Offices have dedicated their careers to representing clients who were injured by the negligence of others. If you are interested in a free consultation with an experienced Chicago rideshare accident attorney, contact our law firm and schedule an appointment right away.
