Car Accident Claims in Illinois by Nolo

If you have been involved in a car accident in Illinois -- whetheras a driver or passenger -- its crucial to understand what to expect if youdecide to make a claim for injuries or seek compensation for vehicle damage,whether through an insurance claim or via a personal injury lawsuit.

This page provides a guide to Illinois resources onAll-About-Car-Accidents.com, including some of the key Illinois laws that couldaffect your car accident claim, and tips on contacting an Illinois car accidentlawyer to get help if you need it.

Illinois Car Accident Laws

Aftera car accident in Illinois, if you decide to file a claim against the at-faultdriver, there are a few state laws that you need to know about, beginning withthe time limit for getting lawsuits started in civil court (this kind of law iscalled a statute of limitations, and every state has one).

Hereare the deadlines for filing a lawsuit after a car accident in Illinois:

• two years after the accident for filinga personal injury lawsuit (this law can be found at 735 Ill.Comp. Stat. 5/13-202)
• five years after the accident for filing alawsuit over vehicle or property damage (youll find this lawcodified at 735 Ill. Comp. Stat. 5/13-205).

Learnmore about Illinoiss car accident lawsuit filing deadline -- and other statelaws that could impact your case -- in Car Accident Settlements in Illinois.   

Illinois Car Insurance Rules

After any car accident in Illinois,  car insurance coverage will almost certainly comeinto play, whether youre making a claim under your own policy or with theother drivers carrier (the latter is known as a thirdparty car insurance claim). Here is a quick snapshot of Illinois carinsurance rules:

• Illinois is a fault car insurance state, so after a car accidentyou are free to file a liability insurance claim or personal injury lawsuitagainst the other driver.
• The minimum car insurance coveragerequirements for drivers in Illinois are: $20,000 for the injury or death ofone person, $40,000 for the injury or death of more than one person in a singleaccident, and $15,000 for vehicle and property damage.
• Illinois requires all car insurance policiesto include uninsured motorist coverage with limitsequal to the policy's injury liability coverage (unless a lower limit is chosenin writing  

For more in-depth information, check out our article IllinoisCar Insurance Laws and Regulations.

Contact a Illinois Car Accident Lawyer

You may not need to hire an Illinois car accident lawyer ifyour case is fairly simple and straightforward. For example, if youre in afender bender where the other drivers insurance company accepts liability andoffers a more-than-fair amount to settle your claim, you may be wise to handlethe matter yourself.

But if the other drivers insurance company is saying youwere at fault for the car accident, or if you suffered significant injuries, alot more might be at stake, and its a good idea to discuss your situation witha car accident lawyer.  

A good car accident attorney knows how to handle theback-and-forth of settlement negotiation, how to anticipate and avoid obstaclesin the process, and the best way to protect your rights at every stage in thecase, including filinga car accident lawsuit in the Illinois civil court system if it comes tothat.