Personal Injury Lawyer in Cicero, IL

Burger Law defends the rights of people who are injured because someone else did no respect their safety. If you are seriously injured because of someone else’s negligent behavior, Burger Law’s personal injury lawyers in Cicero, IL demand the recovery you are owed and fight for you every step of the way. Reach out to Burger Law now at (779) 800-HURT or contact us online.

To calculate how much compensation you may be owed in Cicero, or anywhere in Illinois, fill out our complimentary personal injury calculator.

The negligent parties that harmed you are financially and legally responsible for taking care of your injuries and paying you 100 percent of what you are owed, but that does not mean they will do it willingly. Burger Law’s personal injury lawyer team fights hard for the injured against whoever is standing in the way of justice. We handle a litany of cases, including suing drunk drivers, holding negligent doctors, product manufacturers, dog owners responsible, taking the fight to City Hall, to securing justice and financial security for Cicero residents after the wrongful death of a family member. If you want to understand if you have a claim, the damages you may be able to recover or anything else about the personal injury claims process, speak to one of our personal injury lawyers in Cicero, IL now at (779) 800-HURT.

Why Burger Law Is The Cicero, IL Personal Injury Law Firm For You

It can be hard to know how to choose the best personal injury lawyer for you. You want someone who has won your type of case before and who is not afraid of a fight. In order to gauge the abilities of an injury law firm, you need to take into account the cases they have won, and what their clients and peers say about them:

Acclaimed Cicero, IL Personal Injury Lawyers

The many awards and honors Burger Law has received from other law firms include:

• Martindale-Hubbell Award — AV Preeminent® Rated by Martindale-Hubbell® from NexisLexis® – a notable achievement awarded to not more than 5 percent of all attorneys nationwide
• Million and Multi-Million Dollar Advocate Honor — Members of the Million and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum, an honor only given to 1 percent of attorneys in the United States.
• Top 100 Trial Lawyers Honor — Selected to the Top 100 Trial Lawyers by The National Trial Lawyers, an invitation-only honor that is made up of the most qualified attorneys in each state.
• Board Certified By the National Board of Trial Advocacy — Board certified in Civil Trial Advocacy and Civil Pretrial Practice Advocacy by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. Fewer than 4 percent of all practicing attorneys are certified by an American Bar Association accredited certification board.

Personal Injury Lawyer Cicero, IL – Recent Victories

Our Cicero, IL personal injury lawyers fight for the full rights and recoveries of our clients. We fight all who harm our clients, and we fight for a full recovery every time. Our firm is committed to providing our clients the highest standard of legal advocacy, and we have tremendous pride in our hard-fought victories. Read about our recent successes for our personal injury clients below:

• $5 Million Settlement – Father Killed By Reckless Truck Driver
• $3 Million Judgment – Son Murdered by Pam Hupp
• $2.5 Million Settlement for Father’s Fatal Car Accident
• From $0 to $2 Million Car Accident Settlement
• $2 Million Settlement – Injured Woman Settles Highway Crash Lawsuit
• $1.435 Million Settlement For Deck Collapse That Injured Couple
• $1 Million Settlement to Family of Man with Sepsis Infection
• Medical Malpractice Case Settles for Over $1 Million
• $900,000 Medical Malpractice Settlement
• $765,000 Settlement After Fatal Collision
• $600,000 Tractor-Trailer Crash
• $600,000 Settlement – Widow in ATV Accident Settles with Property Owner
• Class Action $600,000 Settlement Against the State of Illinois
• $495,000 Uninsured Motorcycle Verdict
• $400,000 Settlement in Employment Discrimination Case
• $350,000 Settlement in Ladder Case

It is worth pointing out that every case is different, and what you may be eligible to recover is going to be based entirely upon the your specific injuries. We fight for you so that we get the maximum amount of compensation possible.

Burger Law Client Success Stories

In addition to the videos below, you can check out more client testimonials here.

What Is a Personal Injury Claim in Cicero, IL?

A personal injury claim is your right under Illinois law to get financial compensation for the damage done by another person’s negligence, and to achieve justice. The recovery you receive is meant to make one whole. The idea is convert all the ways an injury affected you into a dollar amount.

Sometimes, no attorney, settlement or verdict is can fully return you to how things were before the injury. While we can get compensation for medical expenses, time spent off work recovering and other financial losses, other damages are harder to quantify. If you lost a loved one, you are permanently disabled, are permanently scarred or will have to live the rest of your life in chronic pain, no one can truly change that. What compassionate and talented personal injury lawyers like those at Burger Law can do is secure you fair compensation in order to provide a sense of justice and acknowledgment, and to provide you with financial security as it relates to your injuries.

Is it Worth Hiring Personal Injury Lawyer in Cicero, IL?

That depends on the specifics of your case, but most of the time, yes, you will need a personal injury lawyer to recover the full value of your claim in Cicero, IL. The question to ask when considering whether or not to hire a lawyer is, can they increase my compensation? If your medical expenses are low, you have minimal lost wages and the other party’s fault is clearly established, a lawyer might not be necessary. But, you will need a lawyer in Cicero, IL if the following is true about your claim:

• There is disagreement over liability, or the insurance company says the accident are your fault
• The insurance company is denying they have to cover certain damages
• Your injuries are serious and require ongoing care
• There are multiple parties that is liable for your damages
• Your damages are more than an insurance company’s policy limits

We offer consultations for free, and we will always be honest with you about whether or not it is in your best interest to hire our services. Our personal injury lawyers take on cases based on a contingency-fee, meaning you only pay after you have received the full compensation you deserve, and we have no reason to take on your claim if we do not think we can significantly increase the value of your claim.

What Do You Need to Prove to Win a Personal Injury Claim in Cicero, IL?

While legal doctrine can be complex, whether or not you can seek compensation generally depends on one particular question: were you injured because someone else was negligent? If so, legally speaking you need to prove the five elements of negligence:

1. Duty of care — You first need to demonstrate that the liable party had an obligation to keep you safe. Sometimes, a duty of care is assumed, as Cicero, IL driver owe everyone else on the roads a duty of care, or dog owners owe it to others to keep their dog from biting anyone. In other cases, a unique relationship must be established, for instance the relationship between a doctor and patient or between a vendor and a buyer.
2. Breach of duty — Did someone fail in that responsibility? Did a driver hit you while they were drunk? Did a doctor fail to diagnose a condition? Did a product manufacturer fail to recall a product they knew was dangerous?
3. Causation — You must show how the accident resulted in your injuries. For example, you received a concussions after being thrown off your motorcycle, or were burned by a defective product when it overheated.
4. Proximate cause — This determines who needs to be held accountable. If you were hit by a vehicle, it is usually because another driver broke the rules of the road. But if the brakes were not safe, a manufacturer or mechanic may be the one who is ultimately liable.
5. Damages — Lastly, you must demonstrate that the injuries resulted in financial losses. In personal injury cases, this is usually medical bills and wages you could not earn while you were not able to work. With access to your medical records, damages are easy to prove with the help of an attorney. Once we establish financial losses, we can also pursue compensation for the other ways your injuries have affected you.

The only way to know for certain if you have an injury claim is to speak to an attorney who has handled your type of claim in Cicero, IL before. Get in touch with a personal injury lawyer now at (779) 800-HURT.

Types of Cases Our Cicero, IL Personal Injury Lawyers Handle

Being a personal injury lawyer in Cicero, IL requires that you have a vast knowledge of the different types of cases that people deal with. Knowing the difference between the laws and defendants applicable to different types of claims is paramount. A lawyer who only knows how to deal with car insurance companies may not have the experience to take on other cases. At Burger Law, we know how to secure justice for the injured no matter the circumstances. Cases we take on in Cicero and throughout Illinois include:

Auto Accidents

Research from the Bureau of Justice Statistics indicate that there are 300,000 to 500,000 personal injury claims annually. The majority of those are auto accident claims, such as:

• Car Accidents
• Truck Accidents
• Motorcycle Accidents
• Bicycle Accidents
• Pedestrian Accidents

Truck accidents can be especially catastrophic because of the amount of force they carry in an accident, and motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians are all at increased risk of catastrophic injury or death as they do not have the same protection closed-vehicle occupants have. Under 625 ILCS 5/11-1003.1, all motorist must “exercise due care” to avoid colliding with anybody or anything else on the Illinois roads. If a driver is negligent, causes an accident and injures you, you have an auto accident claim against them.

Sometimes, a vehicle manufacturer, construction company or governmental entity may have at least contributed to your injuries. Your Burger Law personal injury lawyer will conduct a complete investigation into your claim to find out who and what exactly caused your injuries.

Premises Liability

Proprietors have a responsibility to take reasonable measures to make sure their premises is not hazardous for people who are not trespassing. If you sustain damages in a slip and fall because a property was unsafe, you may have a premises liability claim. 740 ILCS 130/, also known as the Illinois Premises Liability Act, mandates that property owners have a duty of care to entrants that is “of reasonable care under the circumstances regarding the state of the premises or acts done or omitted on them.” Essentially, if there is a dangerous condition that is not obvious, the owner has a responsibility to either repair the condition or warn against it. Examples of hazardous conditions are:

• Spills
• A recently mopped floor
• Broken concrete on a walkway
• Broken stairs
• Broken decks and balconies
• Potholes
• Sudden changes in surface level
• Ledges
• Poor lighting
• Black ice
• Wet concrete
• Debris such as litter, fallen leaves and branches, rocks, etc
• Rugs that are not flat
• Electrical cords
• In-ground sprinklers or hardscape features hidden in the grass
• Absence of safety rails

Not all injuries on a property lead to a valid premises liability claim. If you were in a part of a property you were not allowed to be, ignored warning signs, such as a “wet floor sign,” or were running or acting dangerously, you likely do not have a slip and fall claim. Successful premises liability claims depend on the following:

• The owner or manager created the dangerous conditions; or
• The owner or manager knew about the hazard and neglected to repair it; or
• The owner or manager tried to fix the condition and repaired it negligently; or
• The owner or manager should have known about the condition, either because it happens often, had been there for an extended length of time or due to other complaints

A property owner or insurance adjuster in Cicero, IL may try to convince you that they are not liable for your slip and fall injuries because they should not have been reasonable expected to repair or warn against the accident or because you are to blame. That is not true, and always speak with a personal injury lawyer before accepting any settlement.

Medical Malpractice

According to a 2016 study from John Hopkins University, medical errors are responsible for more than 250,000 deaths a year. While not every error amount to negligence, when it does, a doctor needs to be held accountable for hurting you.

Proving a medical malpractice claim is based on what is known as the standard of care. The standard refers to how a prudent physician, in a specific field and specific location, would treat a specific condition.

Pursuant to 735 ILCS 5/2-622, any medical malpractice suit needs to be filed along with an affidavit from a health professional who:

• is knowledgeable in the relevant issues of the claim
• practices or teaches the same field as the doctor you are suing, or has practiced or taught in that field within the last six years
• is qualified to review the facts of your case, and determines your claim is “reasonable and meritorious”

It is imperative that the health professional corroborating your claim is in the same practice area and geographic region as the health professional you are making a claim against. An anesthesiologist in Chicago is held to a different standard of care than a family doctor in Rockland, Maine. Burger Law relies on a network of expert witnesses in Cicero and in other parts of Illinois who can help verify that your medical malpractice suit is valid.

Common instances of medical malpractice in Cicero, IL include:

• Nursing home abuse
• Birth injuries
• Misdiagnosis and failure to diagnosis
• Forgetting to remove objects after surgery
• Hospital communication errors
• Lack of consent
• Failing to order tests that a prudent doctor would
• Blowing off a patient’s complaints
• Not changing course when their treatment plan is not working
• Prescription errors

Dog Bites

Each day, almost 1,000 people seek emergency medical treatment for dog bites, and every year dog bites lead to about 12,480 hospitalizations. According to a Chicago Tribune article, Illinois insurance companies pay out the second-most money for dog bites than any state in the country.

510 ILCS 5/, the Illinois Animal Control Act, stipulates that the owner of a dog is strictly liable for your the injuries their dog causes, assuming there was no provocation and you were legally allowed to be where you were. “Strict liability” means that the owner is automatically liable, whether they were negligent or not. This means, the owner cannot get out of paying you by saying they did not know the dog was aggressive, or that it was not their fault the animal got free.

While some dog bites are minor, others can lead to expensive surgeries or lifelong scarring. Regardless of the severity of your injuries, trust in a Burger Law Cicero, IL personal injury lawyer to ensure you get the full financial recovery you deserve.

Product Liability

Strict liability also applies to anyone involved in the chain of distribution of a defective product. There are three types of product liability claims in Cicero, IL:

1. Design defect — This is a defect that occurs even if the product is manufactured correctly. This could include tables or furniture that naturally tip over, or a power tool whose guard rails do not prevent injuries.
2. Manufacturing defect — This type of defect usually occurs to only one or several individual products, instead of an entire line of products. Examples include a bug getting caught in a soda can, or improperly attached electrical outlets.
3. Marketing defect — This refers to labeling that does not mention certain risks when the product is put to foreseeable use. For example, a medication that does not include certain side-effects in the labeling.

In order to recover compensation, you must show that the product was “unreasonably dangerous” when it was used in a way a manufacturer could anticipate, that it caused your injuries and that the product had not been “substantially” changed from its state at the initial sale.

Burger Law’s personal injury lawyers will take on any case in which someone was injured through no fault of their own. One of the benefits of choosing a Burger Law Cicero, IL personal injury lawyer is that our team takes on all types of personal injury claims, and this actually gives our lawyers exceptional experience that they can use towards their clients’ advantage. We understand that case types often overlap, and having experience with each type of claim gives our team the perfect understanding of how to fight for our clients’ rights and recoveries.

What Is the Personal Injury Claims Process in Cicero, IL?

The journey to getting maximum compensation for your injuries starts the second you are injured. While some accidents and injuries settle fairly early, others can take several years before a jury finally renders a decision. In total, the path to getting compensation consists of:

• Getting Medical Care — Seek medical treatment as soon as possible after an injury, and follow your doctor’s treatment plans to a “T.” Waiting too long could bring complications to your claim, and not getting the full treatment will lower your final payout. Our personal injury lawyers know reliable Cicero, IL doctors, chiropractors and physical therapists who can help you in your recovery.
• Speaking With an Attorney — Even if you are not sure you are going to need legal representation, it is best to know what your options are as soon as possible. A good attorney will tell you bluntly what your legal options are.
• Investigation and Documentation — Once you have legal representation, your personal injury lawyer will carry out a comprehensive investigation into your claim, determine every liable party and obtain the evidence they need to get you the best possible financial recovery. You should also keep detailed records of your expenses related to your injuries, and how keeping a journal detailing how your injuries have affected your life.
• Settlement Demand and Negotiations — Once we know how much your claim is worth, we will send a settlement demand package to those who are liable for compensating you. In the package we will include how we calculated your damages, and insist that nothing but the full amount is acceptable. Usually, they will respond with a lower offer, and there will be several back-and-forths until they offer full compensation.
• Filing a Lawsuit — If the insurance company will not be fair in negotiations, we will file a lawsuit in court, which begins the formal process of your claim going to trial. During this time, both parties continue negotiating.
• Mediation — If a settlement agreement still has not been reached, your personal injury lawyer and the liable party will likely pursue mediation. In mediation, an unbiased third party will try to get each party to accept the merits of the other side’s arguments.
• Pre-Trial — If mediation fails, we will go into the pre-trial “discovery” phase. In discovery, we will speak to eyewitnesses and expert witnesses, acquire more evidence and share with and request documentation with the other side.
• Trial — Only six percent of personal injury claims go to trial. In fact, many times we have gotten the settlement we were seeking in the weeks immediately before trial. However, if the insurance company still cannot see reason, we will defend your rights in court. Trial consists of:
  • Jury selection
  • Opening statements
  • Testimony and cross-examination
  • Closing arguments
  • Jury instruction
  • Jury deliberation and verdict

Most of our Cicero, IL clients have never had to deal with seeking compensation for an injury before, and do not know what to expect. Burger Law will be your advocate every step of the way, keep you up to date on the status of your claim and handle all documentation, negotiation and litigation so you can focus on your physical recovery.

What Compensation Can I Recover In My Cicero, IL Personal Injury Claim?

Typically, there are two types of compensation available in a personal injury claim: economic damages and non-economic damages:

• Economic damages compensate you for your financial losses resulting from your injuries, for instance:
  • Lost wages
  • Lost earning potential if your injuries do not allow you to earn a living as you used to
  • Medical expenses, past and future
  • Out-of-pocket expenses
• Non-economic damages compensate you for the less tangible aspects of your injuries, such as:
  • Pain and suffering
  • Stress and anxiety
  • Loss of ability to enjoy life
  • Scarring and disfigurement
  • Inconvenience
  • Physical impairment
  • Loss of consortium

In some cases, we may also be able to pursue punitive damages if the at-fault harmed you on purpose or they were incredibly reckless. Examples can include a drunk driver, or a doctor who performs surgery after drinking. While punitive damages are rarely awarded, your Burger Law personal injury lawyer will pursue every legal avenue possible to maximize your compensation.

What Is the Time Limit for Personal Injury Claims in Cicero, IL?

In Illinois, the statute of limitations is relatively short at two years for most personal injury claims, under 735 ILCS 5/. That means the clock starts ticking when your accident occurs, and expires after two years. However, there are three notable exceptions:

1. If you were under 18 when the injury occurred, you have two years to file a claim after your 18th birthday.
2. If you were under a “legal disability” when the injury occurred, you have two years from the date the disability was “removed.”
3. In medical malpractice cases, you have two years from the date you discovered the injury or should have discovered the injury. No medical malpractice claim can be made more than four years after the injury occurred, unless you were a minor at the time. Then you would have until your 22nd birthday.

While two years may seem like a long time, thoroughly investigating an injury and developing a legal strategy takes time. Do not hesitate to contact an attorney. Call a personal injury lawyer today at (779) 800-HURT.

Other cases we get great results in in Cicero, IL include:

• 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

Speak to Personal Injury Lawyer in Cicero, IL Now

Burger Law’s Cicero, IL personal injury lawyers fiercely believe in zealous representation. That means we get started on your case the moment you hire us, investigate your case thoroughly, fight back against insurance companies on your behalf and do not give up until you receive the full recovery you are owed. We offer the highest standard of legal advocacy; all of our advice will be based on the facts of the case and our experience, but we always leave the ultimate decisions on your claim to you and your Cicero, IL family. You do not have to pay for someone else’s careless actions. To start on your road to true recovery, call a Burger Law Cicero, IL personal injury lawyer now at (779) 800-HURT or contact us online for a free consultation.