Car Accident Lawyer DuPage County, IL

Car Accident Lawyer in DuPage County, IL. If you were injured on the road due to another person’s careless behavior in DuPage County, IL, call a Burger Law car accident lawyer now at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free consultation. We help our clients in DuPage County and anywhere in Missouri secure the best possible financial recoveries for their damages. You do not pay until we win your case.

In a perfect world, everyone would drive carefully and no one would become hurt. In a somewhat less perfect world, when people injure others they would take responsibility for their behavior and their insurance company would offer you maximum compensation without you having to argue with them. In the real world, liable drivers all too often do not want to be held accountable for injuring you and their insurance companies will do whatever possible to undervalue your financial recovery. That is when Burger Law intervenes. Our car accident lawyer team supports the injured and vulnerable in DuPage County and throughout Missouri in demanding full compensation for their injuries, and we do not stop until you collect it. Your life can be turned upside down on the blink of an eye because of another person’s negligence, and Burger Law will stand by your side to make certain you get the justice and financial certainty you deserve for your auto wreck.

In over 30 years of defending the rights of the vulnerable, our car accident lawyer team has secured more than $175 million in verdicts and settlements for our Illinois clients. If you were harmed because another person broke the rules of the road, see how much your claim may be worth by filling out our complimentary personal injury calculator.

How Common are Car Accidents in DuPage County and Illinois?

According to reporting from Illinois Department of Transportation, in 2020 there were 246,752 motor vehicle wrecks in the state, which led to 72,989 injuries and 1,195 deaths. In 2021, close to 50 percent of deadly accidents occurred in urban areas like Chicago and Cook County. Over a fourth of Chicago and Illinois crashes involved alcohol and over a third of the motorists who perished had drunk alcohol before the crash. Illinois is the 10th most dangerous state for winter driving, and the 10th most hazardous state altogether.

While there is the uncommon crash that may be unavoidable, such as an animal running out in front of your automobile, nearly every DuPage County, IL auto crash is preventable. Human error is the main cause of motor vehicle wrecks, as it causes 94 percent of accidents. When you have to pick up the pieces after you are injured owing to a driver’s negligence or careless behavior, you may undergo a wide array of emotions, which could include vulnerability, fear and worry about how you will pay for all the medical expenses, especially if you have to miss work. You do not have to go it by yourself. Every car accident lawyer at Burger Law has dedicated their career to offering qualified and passionate advocacy and legal representation to injured residents of DuPage County, IL. We will help preserve you and your family’s future by winning you the best possible compensation not just for your medical expenses, but for any emotional or physical distress and inconvenience you experienced. Call us now at (314) 500-HURT to take the first step toward becoming whole again.

Common Causes of Car Accidents | DuPage County, IL Car Accident Lawyer

There are myriad ways in which people can become hurt on the road. The National Safety Council has picked out 23 factors that commonly cause traffic wrecks. The following are some of the most common causes that your Burger Law car accident lawyer sees in DuPage County, IL:

Driving While Intoxicated

Drunk driving and drug-impaired driving are principal causes of death and injury in motor vehicle accidents cases. About 28 people perish every day because of drunk driving, or one person each 52 minutes. Drunk driving collisions are one of the few cases in personal injury suits where you could also be able to receive punitive damages. When we sue drunk drivers on your behalf, we do it so they understand precisely how dangerous and irresponsible their decisions were.

Distracted Driving

The idea that we can multitask is a myth. While we may trust ourselves to multitask when driving, often to save time, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration attributed 3,142 fatalities to distracted driving in 2020. It is never worth those 90 extra seconds to finish eating breakfast on the road.

Texting and driving can lessen a driver’s reaction time more than when they are impaired by alcohol.

Speeding

According to data from the 2020 Illinois Crash Facts and Statistics, of the 246,752 auto accidents in Illinois, one-third involved speeding, including 37.3 percent of crashes that resulted in injury and 44.9 percent of deadly wrecks. Speeding is dangerous because it substantially lowers the reaction time of both the liable driver and others on the DuPage County, IL roads, and it causes more force in accidents.

Drowsy Driving

While many people appreciate the hazards of distracted driving or driving while impaired, driving while drowsy has analogous effects to driving while impaired. Losing merely two hours of sleep is the equivalent of drinking three beers. Drivers should always pull over to the side of the road and rest if they are feeling drowsy.

Inclement Weather

You cannot sue the weather, but the Illinois Rules of the Road puts in place clear safety measures that drivers need to obey in poor conditions, for example using turn signals much before turning in fog or expanding following distance when in winter conditions. If someone else in DuPage County, IL does not drive correctly 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 says that faulty parts were the chief factor in roughly 2 percent of motor vehicle wrecks. Manufacturers must safely design vehicles, test them and issue recalls whenever a defective parts is learned of. If your injuries were caused by defective brakes or an airbag that did not deploy, your Burger Law car accident lawyer will help you make a claim against a manufacturer.

Regardless of the cause of your injuries, the DuPage County, IL car accident lawyer team of Burger Law will discover the reason your crash happened, ascertain who is to blame, hold them accountable and get you the best possible compensation for your damages. We pride ourselves on offering professional and empathetic legal representation to DuPage County, IL residents who have been hurt through no fault of their own, regardless of of their economic status. If a thoughtless driver harmed you, get in touch with a DuPage County, IL 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 DuPage County, IL 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

Winning Your Car Crash Case | DuPage County, IL Car Accident Lawyer

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

1. Duty of Care: Your car accident lawyer must demonstrate that the other person had an obligation to prioritize your safety. In traffic wreck cases this is automatic. The Illinois Vehicle Code (625 ILCS 5/11-1003.1) specifies 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: After establishing a duty of care, your car accident lawyer must demonstrate that the defendant violated that duty. In car crashes, there can be obvious cases such as drunk driving or reckless driving, and there can be less apparent cases like driving too fast for weather conditions. Your DuPage County, IL car accident lawyer at Burger Law knows traffic collision cases and how to investigate collisions to prove how another person was negligent and hurt you.
3. Cause in Fact: Also called “causation,” you have to show that the driver’s breach of duty directly caused your damages. Sometimes insurance companies try to tell you that you already had your injuries, or that they are owing to degeneration with old age. Your car accident lawyer at Burger Law knows how to conclusively show precisely how the crash caused your injuries. For example, we can show through presentations and medical expert depositions that your whiplash injury was caused by being rear-ended.
4. Proximate Cause: This is what finally confirms liability. Imagine a scenario where a driver does not stop at a stop light and runs into you in an intersection, causing you injuries. If the driver was distracted, they are clearly liable. If the other driver’s brakes were inherently dangerous and failed to work correctly, then a manufacturer, mechanic or vendor could be liable in a product liability claim.
5. Damages. The last aspect to demonstrate is that there was some sort of loss, which can include medical expenses, emotional distress or time away from work because of your injury. One of the best advantages to hiring a car accident lawyer is that we know every category of loss you are owed and know how to quantify them. The defendant and their insurance company will strive to minimize your damages, but the DuPage County, IL car accident lawyer team of Burger Law will demand that you recover maximum compensation.

Can I Still Receive Compensation in Illinois if I Was Partially Liable? | DuPage County, IL Car Accident Lawyer

If you were partly to blame for your car crash in DuPage County, IL, your car accident lawyer will still be able to secure you compensation, however the total will be less. Illinois is a modified contributory fault state, which means that your recovery will be reduced by the portion of fault you share in your crash.

Meaning, if you are awarded $100,000 for injuries sustained in a rear-end collision, but a jury finds that you are liable for 30 percent of the blame because you stopped unexpectedly, 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 liable for the accident, you will not be able to collect any financial recovery in DuPage County or anywhere Illinois.

Transferring blame onto you is a familiar trick insurance adjusters employ to minimize claims or get out of paying them at all. The DuPage County, IL car accident lawyer team of Burger Law stands up to bullies like insurance companies who employ devious tricks to eschew their responsibility to pay you the money you rightfully deserve. If an insurance company in DuPage County, IL is unjustly attempting to place fault for your accident on you, call a Burger Law car accident lawyer now at (314) 500-HURT.

How Long Do I Have to File an Injury Claim in Illinois? | DuPage County, IL Car Accident Lawyer

Following an injury in a motor vehicle crash, the state of Illinois’s statute of limitations stipulates how long you have after you sustain your injuries to file your claim.

• Typically, Illinois Compiled Statute §735 ILCS 5/13-202 states that you have two years after you sustain your injuries to bring 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 wreck.
• If your claim is only for property damage, you have five years from the date of your collision to make a claim, according to Illinois Compiled Statute §735 ILCS 13-205.
• Pursuant to Illinois Compiled Statute §735 ILCS 13-211, if the injury was sustained by a minor, they have up to two years after they turn 18 to bring a claim. Similarly, if someone is under a disability at the time of the accident, they have until two years after the “disability is removed.”

If you have been harmed in an auto wreck, the clock is already winding down for when you can file your claim. Do not hesitate, call a Burger Law car accident lawyer right away at (314) 500-HURT to get justice and maximum compensation for your injuries. We begin working on your case at once and do not rest until we win your case.

How to Avoid Auto Accidents | DuPage County, IL Car Accident Lawyer

Over 75 percent of people who die in traffic crashes are drivers. Every Burger Law car accident lawyer has seen with their own eyes the destruction that a negligent driver can cause. While you cannot always control what other people do, there are various steps you can take to ensure your own safety in addition to the safety of others on the DuPage County, IL roads.

• Always use a seatbelt. In 2017, seatbelts saved an estimated 14,955 people from death. Over 83 percent of drivers and passengers who are completely thrown out of the vehicle perish, and the majority of the rest experienced serious, life-altering injuries. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that wearing a seatbelt lessens 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 DuPage County, IL drivers. Fundamental suggestions 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 shield you from liability or being partially blamed for a wreck if you do find yourself in one.
• If you drive a motorcycle, wear a helmet. While DuPage County, IL does not have laws requiring motorcycle drivers to use helmets, they can save your life. In 2017, helmets saved 1,872 lives.
• Put down your cell phone. While you can always text somebody later, you can never take back the effects of an auto wreck. 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 radio off so you can clearly hear the directions and do not have to look down at your phone.
• Have the right attitude. The road is for everyone, and we all need to be respectful to other drivers, passengers and pedestrians. Understand that you are controlling several tons of metal moving at high speeds. Safety needs to be your priority. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, almost 25 percent of traffic deaths are people under the age of 25. Maturity is likely a contributing factor.
• Keep both hands on the wheel. Just having one hand on the wheel can substantially lessen your control of the car. Quickly changing the radio is probably OK, but you should mostly be driving with both hands.
• Call a taxi or ridesharing service if you have been drinking. Not only does alcohol substantially impede your ability to operate a motor vehicle safely, but it also raises your confidence and makes you feel more powerful, so you could think driving while drunk will be fine. Your brain might 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 negligent actions of irresponsible drivers can still hurt you. When you get hurt because another person broke the rules of the road, you deserve complete compensation for all of your damages. Every DuPage County, IL car accident lawyer at Burger Law takes on and wins the tough cases, and knows how to get great results.

Learn more about our various practice areas by clicking the links below:

• Survival Action Lawyer in Illinois
• Truck Crash Lawyers in Illinois
• Wrongful Death Lawyers in Illinois
• Semi-Truck Accident Lawyer in Illinois
• Car Accident Attorney in Illinois

CALL BURGER LAW NOW

Car Accident Lawyer DuPage County, IL

You should never have had to bear the financial, physical and emotional hardships of somebody else’s poor decisions and irresponsible behavior. Fortunately, the law provides a path to restitution, however you only have one opportunity to attain it. Trust in a car accident lawyer in DuPage County, IL who has achieved results and won the hard cases before. Burger Law persistently pursues lawsuits so insurance companies know we will accept nothing but maximum compensation. We intimidate insurance companies because they know we use our hard work, knowledge, experience, tenacity and devotion to consistently secure the best possible results for our DuPage County, IL clients and see them made whole again. When you hire a Burger Law car accident lawyer, we begin working on your case at once and do not rest until you get the full financial recovery you are owed. Call a Burger Law car accident lawyer in DuPage County, IL today at (314) 500-HURT or fill out our online form for a free consultation.

Client Reviews

What our clients are saying about us

Juanita Matthews

Year of 2023

This law firm is absolutely amazing. They took on my case, when nobody else would! They fought hard for me when it seemed there was no hope. They kept me informed and always asked for my input before making decisions on my case. Gary puts himself into every case unlike most law firm owners. Gary and his team really care about every one of their clients, and fights hard to get you a fair settlement. They actually won my case out of court, and then reduced my fees to make sure I could get my car fixed and be able to get back to some normality. I would recommend Burger Law over and above any other firm! If you go somewhere else you aren’t getting the best!

Shaunda S.

7 months ago

I am very happy with the staff at Burger Law. I mostly worked with Michael Sheldon, and he did an amazing job. I trusted him completely with my case, and he did not disappoint. I would definitely recommend this team if your ever in need of good attorneys.

Emelia M.

3 months ago

Burger Law Firm is fantastic. Laura and Genevieve were so amazing and helpful throughout the entire process. They helped me with my personal injury case every step of the way and succeeded at getting me the results I desired.

Helen L.

a year ago

We had a great experience with Burger Law for representing us after a serious car accident. Truly impressed by how professional and supportive the entire team is. And, many thanks to Genavieve and Laura – you are amazing!

Judy M.

a year ago

They did an amazing job on my case! Communication with them was great!!! Kept me informed and in the loop with everything that was going on!!! Will definitely be the 1st ones I’ll call if ever I’m in another accident!!! Thank you very much!!!

Chelsea C.

5 months ago

Let me tell you something about Burger Law.. they are so attentive and kind. Jennifer is my savior!! I love the whole team!!! They are truly a miracle team!! I appreciate their business and would recommend it to others.

David D.

2 months ago

Absolutely the best law firm in the St. Louis area. No matter the size of your case you are treated as if you are the only client on the roster. Will explain anything thoroughly and they work around your availability. Very impressed and appreciative of the service.

Lisa B.

11 months ago

Gary and Casey took great care of me for 2.5 years as my lawsuit was finally settled. I feel he helped me achieve justice for me and my 4 children after their father died from medical malpractice and neglect. Thanks to Gary, my kids now have a great start to their college and adult lives. Thank you Gary and Casey, for fighting for us so hard at our most trying and difficult time in our lives thus far. Love and God bless from my family to yours!

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