A personal injury claim covers a large number of emotional or physics injuries which were caused by someone else either intentionally or by the lack of action.  There are three areas that most claims fall into:

• Intentional: acts which are known by a person to cause harm to others or put others in significant risk (Stealing road signs)
• Negligence: the failure of a person to think of the consequences their actions (Speeding in a construction zone)
• Strict Liability: an error that happened because a known safety guard didn’t happen (product safety defect)
   

Once a particular type of fault has been determined, there are two different ways to receive compensation.

• Litigation: the lawsuit goes to trial.  The degree of fault is determined by a judge/jury and a compensation amount is paid.
• Settlement: the claim is negotiated between lawyers and a suitable compensation amount is paid to the injured person.

In Illinois, a personal injury claim could include the following:

• Pain and Suffering
• Lost Wages
• Medical Expense relating to the treatment and recovery from the injury
• Lost future earnings if the person unable to work