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(314) 500-HURTDrunk Driving Accident Lawyers in Sycamore, IL. If a selfish drunk driver hurt you or someone you care about, call the Sycamore, IL drunk driving accident lawyers immediately at (312) 500-HURT or contact us online for a complimentary consultation. We serve the injured and vulnerable in Sycamore and throughout Illinois by defending their rights.
You can follow all the rules of the road, but irresponsible drivers can still cause unfathomable devastation. Whether you were driving home from dinner or lazily driving around on the weekend, all of a sudden your entire life was completely disrupted when you did nothing wrong. The Sycamore, IL drunk driving accident lawyers at Burger Law have dedicated their careers to helping people in similar circumstances get peace of mind and maximum compensation when they may be feeling they have nowhere to turn. We know the medical bills are accumulating, you may not be able to work because of your injuries and everything seems different than it was in the recent past. This burden is not yours to bear alone. With the compassions, expertise and aggressive legal counsel of our drunk driving accident lawyers, this too shall pass.
In our over 30 years of litigating and trying cases, we have secured more than $175 million in verdicts and settlements for our Sycamore, IL clients. Our initial consultation and investigation is free, and you do not owe us a thing until we win your case.
If you were hurt by an irresponsible drunk driver, find out how much your damages may be worth by utilizing our free personal injury calculator.
The criminal justice system will likely seek a guilty verdict in criminal court. Still, you will still need a personal injury lawyer to stand up to the drunk driver in civil court and get you the monetary reimbursement you are owed. Talented, seasoned and relentless drunk driving accident lawyers can ensure you get the best possible financial recovery by:
At Burger Law, we have over 30 years of experience handling all types of auto accident claims and getting full compensation for our clients.
Every injury case is different, and you can only truly know when to hire a personal injury lawyer by seeking the advise of one. If the driver accepts culpability and your injuries are minor and do not require much medical treatment, it probably will not be too difficult to get fair compensation. However, there are often many good reasons you will want a drunk driving accident lawyer on your side:
At Burger Law, we answer all of your questions for free. Reach out to us now at (312) 500-HURT to talk for a candid conversation with a drunk driving accident lawyer familiar with Illinois laws who will be honest with you about whether the insurance company is offering a fair settlement.
Understanding just how bad the problem of drinking and driving can be pretty sobering. Every day there are about 28 fatal drunk driving accidents, adding up to roughly one fatality in just under an hour. While drunk driving accidents and deaths have consistently been on the decline in the last four decades, drunk drivers still account for almost a third of total traffic fatalities as of 2018. While safe driving campaigns and harsh punishments for drunk driving have definitely done a lot to make our roads safer, some reckless Sycamore, IL residents still make the irresponsible decision to disregard others’ well-being while not understanding or not caring about the potential consequences of their actions. When that happens and you or a loved one are injured, you deserve to be justly reimbursed with a maximum recovery and the reckless driver needs to pay for breaking the rules. The Sycamore, IL drunk driving accident lawyers at Burger Law will fight to make sure that you receive maximum compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages and pain and suffering.
The Illinois 2020 Crash Facts found that almost one-fifth of the 1,088 fatal crashes in the state involved alcohol. Alcohol was found in the symptoms of almost 40 percent of 448 deceased drivers who were tested.
While the legal limit for alcohol consumption before driving is .08 percent blood alcohol concentration, a level of just .02 percent is sufficient to substantially impair someone’s abilities behind the wheel. At .02 percent blood alcohol concentration the body undergoes a decline in visual functions, inability to multi-task, an altered mood and loss of judgment. At .05 percent – reached after roughly three alcohol beverages – a person suffers from decreased coordination, inability to trace moving objects, challenges using the steering wheel and not being able to respond quickly to unexpected things on the road. It is key to follow proper road safety and let someone else take the wheel if you have had too much to drink. Regrettably, sometimes you can follow all the rules ourselves and still be left reeling from the horrible and unfair consequences of a thoughtless Sycamore, IL driver not caring about the rules, driving drunk and harming you or someone you care about. Just knowing that the negligent driver will likely face criminal charges, steep fees, restrictions on their license and possibly jail time is not enough. Trust in the knowledgeable and aggressive Sycamore, IL drunk driving accident lawyers of Burger law to to secure the financial settlement you and your family need and are owed. Call Burger Law today at (312) 500-HURT to discuss your options and begin on the road to recovery.
Pursuant to 625 ILCS 5/11-501 of the Illinois Vehicle Code, drunk or drug impaired driving is a Class A Misdemeanor. However, a it becomes “aggravated driving under the influence” and a Class 4 Felony if:
Third and fourth violations are Class 2 Felonies, a fifth violation is a Class 1 Felony, and sixth and ensuing violations are Class X Felonies.
There are five elements needed in order to prove negligence in a personal injury claim:
There are two factors that set drunk driving accidents apart from most other personal injury claims. Firstly, 625 ILCS 5/11-1003.1 dictates that people who get behind the wheel of a vehicle are required to to “exercise due care to avoid colliding” with anyone else on the road. Meaning the first element is a given. Secondly, the legal theory of negligence per se means that anyone who breaks the law is negligent as a matter of law. Therefore, in drunk driving cases the first two elements are granted automatically as long as you have evidence that the driver was intoxicated. All your drunk driving accident lawyers will need to show is that the driver caused the accident and injured you.
While it may seem like that makes a drunk driving case a slam-dunk, the insurance company will still be motivated to pay you as little as possible. That is why it is imperative to have tenacious and experienced Sycamore, IL drunk driving accident lawyers to stand up to bullies and get the financial recovery you are owed.
The driver is clearly to blame for their selfish decision making, but drunk driving accident lawyers familiar with Illinois law will be able to conduct a full investigation and determine if anyone else is at fault:
Dram shop rules allow you to sue a licensed alcohol vendor after a drunk driving accident if you sustained injuries. Illinois’ dram shop laws are specified in 235 ILCS 5/6-15 of the Illinois Liquor Control Act. Illinois’ dram shop law more liberal than many other states’ in that the drunk driver did not have to be visibly drunk when they were sold alcohol in order for the vendor to be at fault. You just have to prove:
You can only sue a social host — meaning someone who furnishes liquor to a guest in a private residence — if the person who caused your accident was under the age of 21 and became intoxicated at the private residence.
Annually, the Illinois Comptroller stipulates dram shop liability limits on how much a bar, restaurant or social host is required to pay out. As of Jan. 20, 2022, those limits are $77,787.30 for each person incurring damages, or $95,073.37 if the accident led to loss of support or loss of society due to the wrongful death of a loved one.
If the driver was driving someone else’s car, the owner may be responsible for a portion of your damages. According to the philosophy of negligent entrustment, someone may owe you damages if they permit someone else to engage in an activity which is under the control of the actor if it would not be safe to do so. In a drunk driving accident claim in Sycamore, IL, that means that you must show that the owner of the vehicle purposely gave the keys to the drunk driver, and that the owner knew or should have known that the driver had had to much too drink.
If you were injured by someone who earns a living as a driver, such as in a truck accident, bus accident or rideshare accident, the driver’s employer may also owe you damages. Reasons they are liable could include:
Experienced Sycamore, IL drunk driving accident lawyers like those at Burger Law have seen all of these types of claims and know how to get results in them. When you hire us, we start investigating your accident immediately to determine as many liable parties as possible.
Tort claims in the United States are based on the principle of being made whole. The idea behind the doctrine is that when someone is to blame for your injuries, you should receive a financial recovery that is equal to the economic loss and physical pain their negligence put you through. In many car accident claims, for example a rear-end accident, that might mean paying money you lost from work while recovering, physical therapy appointments and the physical strain that comes with rehabilitating from a whiplash injury for a little while. In the most destructive cases, for example if you or a loved one has permanent disability, no financial recovery can be expected to make you whole, but the financial recovery should be great enough to provide a least some sense of comfort.
There are three categories of damages in a personal injury claim:
If we have to take into consideration future medical expenses or lost earning potential, drunk driving accident lawyers will refer to their network of economic experts to be able to precisely account for inflation.
In addition, we have extensive experience winning the following cases for our Sycamore, IL clients:
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We hate bullies, including reckless drivers who do not want to take responsibility for their actions and resistant insurance companies who care more about their profits than doing the right thing. For that reason, each of our Sycamore-based drunk driving accident lawyers in Illinois has pledged their lives to standing up for the injured and vulnerable. We are not on TV or billboards. When we are not investigating and litigating cases, our drunk driving accident lawyers are constantly honing our abilities to secure the best results for our clients in Sycamore and throughout Illinois. We know you deserve it because we know you did nothing to put yourself in this situation; someone else’s horrible behavior did. For expert, empathetic and relentless representation, call the Sycamore, IL drunk driving accident lawyers of Burger Law today at (312) 500-HURT or fill out our online form.
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This page has been written, edited, and reviewed by a team of legal writers following our comprehensive editorial guidelines. This page was approved by Founding Partner, Gary Burger who has more than 30 years of legal experience as a practicing personal injury trial attorney. Gary’s robust legal knowledge is recognized by his peers as demonstrated by his industry awards and frequent Continuing Legal Education (CLE) lectures.
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