Personal injury law deals with injuries and deaths caused by negligence or wrongdoing. There are nearly countless ways that a party’s negligent behavior or wrongful actions can lead to an injury. Many personal injury claims involve car accidents and commercial truck accidents. Others involve injuries caused by defective products. Negligent design or maintenance of a property may also lead to injury claims.

The at-fault party in most personal injury claims is an individual or private company. However, there are also instances in which the government is ultimately at fault for an injury or death. In this situation, is it possible to sue the government for negligence?

Injury Claims Involving the Government

It is possible to sue the government and recover damages for an injury, but doing so is an especially challenging feat. Claims against the government are subject to special rules and procedures. An injured person can bring a claim against the state of Illinois if his or her injury was caused by a state employee or agency. For example, if a state-owned government property contained a dangerous condition and someone was hurt while visiting the property, that person may be able to sue the state for damages. Similarly, if someone was hurt in a car crash caused by a state employee who was on the clock, the state may be responsible for the damages caused in the crash.

Personal injury claims deal with legal responsibility for injuries caused by negligence or wrongdoing. Injured people may be harmed by the careless actions of a property owner, trucking company, distracted driver, manufacturing company, or numerous other parties.

Through a personal injury claim, an injured person may be entitled to financial reimbursement for economic and non-economic damages. However, many injured people assume that they cannot recover compensation through an injury claim because their actions may have contributed to their own injury. Fortunately, in Illinois, injured people may still be able to recover compensation even if they were partly at fault for the injurious accident.

Shared Fault Accidents and Personal Injury Claims

Consider the following scenario: A working mother only has a few minutes to quickly shop on her lunch break. She jogs from her vehicle to the store’s entrance, tripping on a broken slab of pavement in the parking lot. The woman falls and suffers a serious back injury that requires expensive medical care.

Illinois law gives injured people the right to seek financial compensation for their injury-related costs when an accident is caused by another party’s actions. In many cases, injured individuals are also entitled to compensation for the non-financial losses they suffered as a result of their injury. These losses are often referred to as “pain and suffering” damages. If you or a loved one were hurt in a car crash, fall, work accident, or another incident, read on to learn about how non-financial damages are calculated in Illinois personal injury cases.

Understanding Economic and Non-Economic Damages in a Personal Injury Case

Economic damages are financial losses that a person experiences because of a personal injury. For example, a truck accident victim may be faced with a massive hospital bill and ongoing medical expenses for physical therapy and medication. He may be unable to work during his recovery and forced to deplete his paid time off days. His vehicle may be totaled or in need of significant repairs. Calculating the total cost of these financial losses is usually straightforward.

However, it is much harder to put a price tag on non-financial losses caused by an accident. Consider an accident victim who loses sight in both eyes because of a defective airbag. Can we really put a price tag on an individual’s ability to see? What about the physical pain that a person suffers due to a preventable accident?

Our lungs give us life. Exposure to smoke, airborne chemicals, particulates, toxic fumes can severely damage the lungs and reduce a person’s ability to work. Respiratory illnesses and lung disease may be caused by work environments. Unfortunately, many people with respiratory illnesses caused by their jobs struggle to be taken seriously. Their symptoms are often blamed on allergies, pre-existing conditions, or other issues. If you or a loved one have developed lung problems because of your job, work with a skilled workers’ compensation lawyer.

How Work Conditions Can Lead to Lung Disease

Acute or repetitive exposure to mineral dust, gases, vapors, or airborne pathogens can eventually lead to lung diseases or breathing problems. Lung cancer, bronchiectasis, silicosis, pulmonary disease, pneumonia, and asthma are just some of the issues a worker may suffer from due to his or her work conditions. Anyone can suffer from these illnesses, but workers in certain industries are more likely to suffer from occupational diseases affecting breathing. People who work in farming or manufacturing industries are often especially vulnerable to lung illnesses due to the chemicals and materials used in those industries. Laboratory workers, miners, firefighters, and individuals who work with animals may also be exposed to materials that can cause lung disease.

Getting Workers’ Compensation for an Occupational Illness Affecting the Lungs

If you were diagnosed with a lung illness caused by your work conditions, you may be entitled to workers’ compensation. Depending on the nature and severity of your illness, you may be entitled to compensation for partial or total disability payments. You may also be compensated for your past and future medical bills related to the illness. However, workers are only entitled to workers’ compensation benefits if their injury or illness is directly caused by their job. Consequently, you will need ample evidence to show the connection between your job and your medical condition. A workers’ compensation lawyer can help you find and preserve evidence and build a strong claim. If you already filed a workers’ compensation claim but were denied, a lawyer may help you file an appeal.

Over 1.3 million violent crimes were reported in the United States in the year 2020. Assault, battery, sexual assault, and other violent crimes can leave victims with physical and psychological injuries that dramatically impact their everyday lives. Sometimes, the perpetrators are brought to justice through the criminal courts. In other cases, perpetrators are able to avoid criminal culpability for their heinous actions. Regardless, criminal consequences like incarceration do not provide restitution to the victims. Many people who are injured in a violent attack are left unable to work and facing steep medical bills. Fortunately, victims of violence in this situation may be able to sue for monetary damages.

Premises Liability Lawsuits for Assault and Other Violent Crimes

If someone is assaulted or otherwise injured in an intentional act of violence, he or she may be able to seek justice through the civil court system. The victim may also be able to recover financial compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, and other damages. The at-fault party in cases like these varies. The victim may be able to the person who committed the violent crime. However, many perpetrators of violence do not have the financial means to pay damages so suing them may be a fruitless pursuit. In some cases, it is a better idea to sue the party who allowed the assault or other violent act to occur.

Consider an example: A woman complained to her landlord about her broken front door several times, but the landlord never fixed it. The woman is sexually assaulted by an intruder who was able to enter her apartment through the broken door. In this case, the woman may be able to sue the apartment complex and/or landlord because the landlord’s negligence contributed to the attack.