Who Pays When You Are Hurt on an E-Bike in Illinois?
Key Takeaways If a driver hits you on a Class 1, 2 or 3 e-bike, the driver’s liability insurance pays first. Illinois treats those e-bikes as bicycles, and a bicycle rider has the same road rights as a driver. Your own auto policy’s uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage may also pay, even though you were […]
Can You Sue the Bar That Served a Drunk Driver in Illinois?
Key Takeaways Yes. Illinois’s Dram Shop Act lets a person hurt by a drunk driver sue the bar, restaurant or liquor store whose alcohol caused the driver’s intoxication, on top of the claim against the driver. You do not have to prove the bar was careless or that the driver looked drunk. You have to […]
Who Is Liable in a Bus Accident in Illinois?
Key Takeaways The company or public body that operated the bus is usually liable for its driver’s negligence. Another driver, a mechanic or a parts maker can share the blame. Who ran the bus decides your deadline. A lawsuit against the CTA, Pace or a public school district must be filed within one year. Most […]
How the Illinois Workers’ Comp Settlement Chart Works
Key Takeaways The “settlement chart” is the schedule of injuries in 820 ILCS 305/8(e), which sets maximum benefit weeks per body part: 205 for a hand, 253 for an arm. A permanent partial disability award is weeks on the schedule, multiplied by the percentage of loss, multiplied by your weekly rate. That weekly rate is […]
How Long Do You Have to Sue for Medical Malpractice in Illinois?
Key Takeaways An adult generally has 2 years from when they knew, or reasonably should have known, of the injury, or got written notice of it, whichever is first (735 ILCS 5/13-212(a)). The clock starts when you know or should know of the injury and that it was wrongfully caused (Moon v. Rhode, 2016 IL […]
Injured as a 1099 Construction Worker in Illinois: Are You Really Not Covered?
Key Takeaways A 1099 does not decide whether you are covered. The Act defines an employee as anyone “in the service of another under any contract of hire.” The phrase “independent contractor” appears nowhere in it (820 ILCS 305/1(b)(2)). Construction is an enterprise the Act calls extra hazardous, so it applies “automatically and without election” […]
Who Pays for a Dog Bite in Illinois?
Key Takeaways The bill almost never comes out of the owner’s pocket. Homeowners or renters liability coverage pays, typically up to $100,000 to $300,000. Dog bite claims are surging. Insurers paid $1.86 billion on 28,450 claims in 2025, and the average claim has risen 97 percent in a decade. “Owner” is far broader than the […]
How Much Uninsured Motorist Coverage Do You Need?
Key Takeaways Minimum UIM protects you against nobody who matters. This is the point of the article. A vehicle is only “underinsured” if its limits are below yours. Equal limits mean no claim. Coverage does not add together. UIM pays its limit less what you already recovered. Raise your own liability limits and UM follows, […]
Can You Sue an Uninsured Driver in Illinois?
Key Takeaways Yes, you can sue them. Having no insurance is not a defense to negligence. Winning and collecting are different problems. A judgment is not money. Uninsured motorist coverage is usually the better route, and often the only one that pays. Look for other defendants, especially a vehicle owner or an employer. The deadline […]
Uninsured Motorist Coverage in Illinois Explained
Key Takeaways Illinois requires it. Every policy must include uninsured motorist coverage. It covers hit-and-run drivers too, which is what the statute is actually titled. Your limits probably match your liability limits, unless you rejected the excess in writing. It pays for bodily injury, not for damage to your vehicle. Disputes go to arbitration, not […]