Car Accident Lawyer Illinois

Car Accident Lawyer in Chicago and Illinois. If you were injured on the road because of another's negligence, call a Burger Law car accident lawyer today at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free consultation. We help our clients in Chicago and throughout Illinois get full financial recoveries for their injuries. You do not pay until we win your case.

In a perfect world, everyone would drive safely and no one would get hurt. In a slightly less perfect world, when people cause others harm they would take responsibility for their actions and their insurance company would give you full compensation without you having to fight for it. In the real world, negligent drivers often do not want to be held accountable for injuring you and their insurance companies will do whatever they can to devalue your claim. That is where Burger Law steps in. Our car accident lawyer team empowers the injured and vulnerable in Chicago and throughout Illinois to demand full compensation for their injuries, and we do not rest until you receive it. Your life can change in a split second because of somebody else's negligence, and Burger Law is here to make sure you get the justice and financial security you are owed for your injuries.

In over 30 years of practice, our car accident lawyer team has secured over $175 million in verdicts and settlements for our Illinois clients. If you were hurt because someone else broke the rules of the road, see how much your claim may be worth by using our free personal injury calculator.

How Common are Car Accidents in Chicago and Illinois?

According to the Illinois Department of Transportation, in 2020 there were 246,752 auto accidents in the state, resulting in 72,989 injuries and 1,195 deaths. In 2021, almost half of fatal crashes occurred in urban areas such as Chicago and Cook County. Over a quarter of Chicago and Illinois accidents involved alcohol and over a third of the drivers killed had drunk alcohol before the crash. Illinois is the 10th most dangerous state for winter driving, and the 10th most dangerous state overall.

While there is the rare accident that may be unavoidable, such as an animal jumping in front of your car, almost every Chicago and Illinois car accident is preventable. Human error is the leading cause of auto accidents, as it causes or contributes to 94 percent of accidents. When you are left to pick up the pieces after you are injured because of a driver's negligence or reckless actions, you may feel a wide range of emotions, which could include vulnerability, fear and uncertainty about how you will pay for all the medical bills, especially if you have to miss work. You do not have to go it alone. Every car accident lawyer at Burger Law has dedicated their life to offering professional and compassionate support and legal counsel to injured residents throughout Illinois. We will help protect you and your family's future by securing you a full financial recovery not only for your medical bills, but for any emotional distress and inconvenience you experienced. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT to take the first step toward becoming whole again.

Common Causes of Car Accidents | Illinois Car Accident Lawyer

There are a lot of ways that people can get hurt on the road. The National Safety Council has identified 23 factors that commonly contribute to car crashes. Below are some of the most common causes that your Burger Law car accident lawyer sees in Illinois:

Drunk Driving

Drunk driving and drug-impaired driving are leading causes of death and injury in car accident cases. About 28 people die every day because of drunk driving, or one person every 52 minutes. Drunk driving accidents are one of the few cases in personal injury claims where you may also be able to recover punitive damages. When we sue drunk drivers on your behalf, we do it so they know just how dangerous and reckless their decisions were.

Distracted Driving

Multitasking is a myth. While we may trust ourselves to multitask behind the wheel, often to save time, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration attributed 3,142 deaths to distracted driving in 2020. It is never worth those two extra minutes to finish combing your hair in the car.

Texting and driving can slow a driver's reaction time more than when they are drunk.

Speeding

According to 2020 Illinois Crash Facts and Statistics, of the 246,752 motor vehicle collisions in Illinois, 32.9 percent involved speeding, including 37.3 percent of crashes that caused injury and 44.9 percent of fatal crashes. Speeding is dangerous because it greatly reduces the reaction time of both the negligent driver and others on the Illinois roads, and it produces more force in collisions.

Drowsy Driving

While many people are aware of the dangers of distracted driving or drunk driving, driving while sleep deprived has similar effects to driving while impaired. Losing just two hours of sleep is the equivalent of having three beers. Drivers should always pull over to the side of the road and rest if they are feeling fatigued.

Inclement Weather

You cannot sue the weather, but the Illinois Rules of the Road sets clear safety measures that drivers must follow in poor conditions, such as using turn signals long before making a turn in fog or increasing following distance when it is snowing. If another driver in Illinois does not account for weather conditions and causes you injury, your Burger Law car accident lawyer will be able to make a claim against them for negligent driving.

Defective Parts

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that defective parts were the critical cause in about 2 percent of motor vehicle wrecks. Manufacturers must safely design vehicles, test them and issue recalls whenever a defective component is discovered. If your injuries were caused by faulty breaks or an airbag that did not deploy, your Burger Law car accident lawyer will help you bring a claim against a manufacturer.

Whatever the cause of your injuries, the Illinois car accident lawyer team of Burger Law will get to the bottom of your crash, find out who is responsible, hold them liable and get you full compensation for your injuries. We pride ourselves on offering expert and compassionate legal representation to Illinois residents who have been injured through no fault of their own, regardless of their financial status. If a negligent driver injured you, call a Burger Law car accident lawyer today at (314) 500-HURT.

Take a look at some of the links below to see the great results Burger Law's Illinois car accident lawyer team has gotten for our clients:

• $2 million Multi-Vehicle Collision Settlement
• $765,000 Wrongful Death Car Accident Settlement Against Fire Department
• $327,000 Settlement for Rear-End Collision
• $250,000 Settlement for Crash After A Driver Ran a Red Light
• $205,000 Settlement After Failure to Stop at a Stop Sign
• $125,000 Settlement After Rear-End Collision at a Stop Light
• $100,000 Settlement for Distracted Driving
• $100,000 Settlement for Head-On Collision
• $90,000 Settlement for an Injured Passenger

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Winning Your Car Crash Case | Illinois Car Accident Lawyer

In order to win your case, your car accident lawyer will have to prove the five elements of negligence found in tort law:

1. Duty of Care: Your car accident lawyer must show that the defendant had an obligation to care for your safety. In motor vehicle crash cases this is a given. The Illinois Vehicle Code (625 ILCS 5/11-1003.1) states that drivers are "to exercise due care." So anybody who gets behind the wheel automatically owes you a duty of care.
2. Breach of Duty: Next, your car accident lawyer must demonstrate that the defendant neglected that duty. In motor vehicle wrecks, there can be egregious cases such as drunk driving or reckless driving, and there can be less obvious cases like driving too fast for weather conditions. Your Illinois car accident lawyer at Burger Law knows all the rules of the road and how to investigate crashes to prove how another driver breaking those rules caused you harm.
3. Cause in Fact: Also called "causation," you must prove that the driver's breach of duty directly caused your injury. Sometimes insurance companies try to say that you already had your injuries, or that they are due to degeneration with old age. Your car accident lawyer at Burger Law knows how to conclusively show exactly how the accident caused your injuries. For example, we can show through presentations and medical expert testimony that your whiplash injury was caused by being rear-ended.
4. Proximate Cause: This is what ultimately determines liability. Imagine a scenario where someone runs a red light and hits you in an intersection, causing you injuries. If the driver was drunk or inattentive, they are clearly liable. If the other driver's breaks were defective and failed to work, then a manufacturer, mechanic or vendor could be liable in a product liability claim.
5. Damages. The last thing to prove is that there was some form of loss, which can include medical bills, emotional distress or time away from work because of your injury. One of the biggest benefits of hiring a car accident lawyer is that we know every type of damage you are owed and know how to calculate them. The defendant and their insurance company will try to minimize your damages, but the Chicago-based Illinois car accident lawyer team of Burger Law will demand that you get full compensation.

Can I Still Receive Compensation in Illinois if I Was Partially to Blame? | Illinois Car Accident Lawyer

If you were partially at fault for your auto accident in Illinois, your car accident lawyer will still be able to secure you compensation, although the amount will be less. Illinois is a modified contributory fault state, which means that your compensation will be reduced by the percentage of blame you share in your accident.

Meaning, if you are awarded $100,000 for injuries sustained in a rear-end collision, but a jury finds that you share 30 percent of the blame because you stopped suddenly, you will receive $70,000 in total. It is important to note that 735 ILCS 5/ §2-1116 states that:

The plaintiff shall be barred from recovering damages if the trier of fact finds that the contributory fault on the part of the plaintiff is more than 50 percent of the proximate cause of the injury or damage for which recovery is sought.

That means that if you are over 50 percent to blame for the accident, you will not be able to recover any compensation in Chicago or Illinois.

Shifting blame onto you is a common trick insurance companies use to minimize claims or avoid paying them altogether. The Illinois car accident lawyer team of Burger Law fights back against bullies like insurance companies who employ dishonest tactics to eschew their obligation to pay you the money you rightfully deserve. If an insurance company in Illinois is unfairly trying to place blame for your accident on you, call a Burger Law car accident lawyer now at (314) 500-HURT.

How Long Do I Have to Make an Injury Claim in Illinois? | Illinois Car Accident Lawyer

Following an injury in an auto accident, the state of Illinois's statute of limitations dictates how long you can wait after the date of the accident to file your claim.

• Generally speaking, Illinois Compiled Statute §735 ILCS 5/13-202 states that you have two years after the date of the accident to file a personal injury claim.
• To file a wrongful death claim, Illinois Compiled Statute §740 ILCS 180/ states that you have two years from the date of the deceased's death - not the accident.
• If your claim is only related to property damage, you have five years from the date of your accident to file a claim, according to Illinois Compiled Statute §735 ILCS 13-205.
• Pursuant to Illinois Compiled Statute §735 ILCS 13-211, if the injury was incurred by a minor, they have up to two years after the date of their 18th birthday to file a claim. Similarly, if someone is disabled at the time of the accident, they have until two years after the "disability is removed."

If you have been injured in a car accident, the clock is already ticking for when you can make your claim. Do not wait, call a Burger Law car accident lawyer now at (314) 500-HURT to get justice and maximum compensation for your injuries. We start working on your case right away and do not rest until we win your case.

How to Avoid Auto Accidents | Illinois Car Accident Lawyer

More than 75 percent of people killed in car accidents are drivers. Every Burger Law car accident lawyer has seen firsthand the devastation that a negligent or reckless driver can cause. While you cannot always control other people's actions, there are several measures you can take to ensure your own safety as well as the safety of others on the Chicago and Illinois roadways.

• Always wear a seatbelt. In 2017, seatbelts saved an estimated 14,955 lives. Over 83 percent of drivers and passengers who are completely ejected from the vehicle die, and most of the rest suffered serious, life-altering injuries. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that wearing a seatbelt reduces the risk of death by 45 percent and moderate to critical injury by 50 percent.
• Know the laws and best driving practices. The Illinois Secretary of State offers a Quick Guide to Safe Driving for anyone on Chicago and Illinois roads. Simple tips like driving slower and increasing following distance in winter conditions not only go a long way in keeping you and everyone else on the road safe, but they also protect you from liability or being partially blamed for an accident if you do find yourself in one.
• If you drive a motorcycle, wear a helmet. While neither Chicago nor Illinois has laws obligating motorcycle drivers to wear helmets, they are literal life-savers. In 2017, helmets saved 1,872 lives.
• Put away your cell phone. While you can always call someone back, you can never take back the effects of an auto accident. Pull over safely if you need to make an urgent call. If you use your phone for directions, put the volume on high and turn the music off so you can clearly hear the directions and do not have to look.
• Have the right attitude. No one owns the road, and we all need to be courteous and respectful to other drivers, passengers and pedestrians. Understand that you are in control of thousands of pounds of metal moving at high speeds. Safety needs to be your priority. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, almost a quarter of motor vehicle deaths are people under the age of 25. Maturity is likely a contributing factor.
• Drive with both hands on the wheel. Just having one hand on the wheel can significantly diminish your control of the vehicle. Quickly changing the A/C settings is probably OK, but both hands should be on the wheel the majority of the time.
• Call a taxi or ridesharing service if you have been drinking. Not only does alcohol significantly impair your ability to drive safely, but it also boosts your confidence and makes you feel more powerful, so you might think driving while drunk will be fine. Your brain may trick you into believing you can drive home safely, but it is never true.

You can take every possible precaution when you get behind the wheel, but unfortunately the reckless actions of irresponsible drivers can still cause you injury. When you get hurt because someone else broke the rules of the road, you are entitled to maximum compensation for all of your damages. Every Chicago-based Illinois car accident lawyer at Burger Law takes on and wins the tough cases.

You should never have had to carry the financial, physical and emotional burden of someone else's poor decisions and reckless actions. Fortunately, the law offers the chance for restitution, however you only have one opportunity to get it. Trust in a car accident lawyer in Illinois who has gotten results and won tough cases before. Burger Law aggressively pursues litigation and lawsuits so insurance companies know we will settle for nothing less than full compensation. Insurance companies fear us because they know we use our hard work, knowledge, experience, tenacity and dedication to consistently get the best possible results for our Illinois clients and see them made whole again. When you hire a Burger Law car accident lawyer, we start working on your case right away and do not let up until you get the full financial recovery you deserve. Call a Burger Law car accident lawyer in Illinois now at (314) 500-HURT or fill out our online form for a free case review.