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(314) 500-HURTIf you sustained an injury due to someone else’s negligent or careless behavior, call an injury lawyer at Burger Law immediately at (314) 500-HURT or contact us.
You want a hard-hitting injury lawyer championing your claim and demanding justice for you and your family. Burger Law is the injury law firm of choice for hundreds of Illinoisans in Chicago and beyond. In our more than two decades serving the injured in Chicago and throughout Illinois, our injury lawyers have recovered $200 million for our clients. Read about our stupendous Illinois case victories and see what our past clients say about Burger Law. Then, call us immediately at (314) 500-HURT so that our injury lawyers and staff can get to work on your recovery today.
While legal doctrine and state statutes can be confusing, whether or not you have a claim generally depends on one specific question: were you injured because someone else was negligent? If so, legally speaking you have to prove the five elements of negligence:
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 Illinois before. You can speak to an injury lawyer in Chicago, Illinois now at (314) 500-HURT.
The personal injury claim process can be daunting and confusing for those who do not go through it every day like our personal injury lawyers. Below, we have put together a step-by-step guide to the injury claim process, from your injury to securing a full financial recovery.
We offer free consultations and are available 24/7 to take your call. Live chat, text, and virtual meetings are available.
Following any injury due to somebody else’s negligence, these are the steps you will follow and where your case will go once you contact a lawyer:
While this is obviously necessary to ensure you recover safely, it also has implications for how successful your claim will be. If you wait too long to get medical treatment, the insurance adjuster is likely to tell you that your injuries must have come from something besides the accident you are making a claim for. It is important to document all of your medical bills and keep your medical records organized.
An experienced personal injury lawyer will be able to connect you with qualified healthcare professionals who can help get you back to Maximum Medical Improvement.
If you are prompt in seeking medical care and your injuries are not severe, you may be able to secure a fair settlement without the help of an attorney. However, most of the time you will need an attorney to get you the full compensation you truly deserve. Finding the right personal injury lawyer for you can be difficult, so it is a good idea to talk to several before making a decisions.
A good personal injury lawyer will be honest with you about how much compensation you may be able to recover, and whether or not it is in your best interest to hire them. The small claims court limit is $10,000 in Illinois. If your damages exceed those limits, it is almost always a good idea to hire an injury lawyer in Illinois.
Your personal injury lawyer will look over your medical records, evidence from the site of the accident and speak to eyewitnesses, expert witnesses to determine who is liable for your injuries. In some cases, such as if a defective car part caused your injuries, the liable party may not be who you initially think. In other cases, there may be more than one liable party, or there may be additional insurance coverage your injury lawyer can find if your damages exceed the policy limits.
During this phase, you should keep detailed records of how your injuries are affecting you. In addition to your medical bills, keep records of any over-the-counter medications or out-of-pocket expenses, the lost wages you have incurred from time off work. You can also keep a journal detailing how your injuries affect you physically and emotionally every day.
Once your injury lawyer has calculated your total economic damages and non-economic damages, they will send a settlement demand letter to the insurance company. In some cases, the insurance company may accept the demand once they are aware that you have hired an injury lawyer. But most of the time, their offer will be low and your lawyer will have to negotiate with them to get you the amount you really deserve.
In most personal injury cases, you and your lawyer will be dealing with the liable party’s insurance company. If there is no insurance company available, your lawyer will file a personal injury complaint in civil court, and the court will then serve the defendant with the complaint. The defendant usually has one or two months to hire an attorney and respond.
If you and the insurance company cannot agree on a fair settlement negotiated by your injury lawyer, both parties may choose or be required to go to mediation. In mediation, a neutral trier of fact will hear arguments from both sides and try to break the stalemate.
If, after mediation, the insurance company will still not give you a fair settlement offer, your injury lawyer will then file a lawsuit on your behalf. This begins the process of moving toward a jury trial. Often, the threat of a lawsuit is enough to encourage the other side to be fair. A judge will set a deadline for each stage of the trial. The first stage is filing your complaint, the document that details your allegations against the defendant, after which the liable party will have 30 days to file an answer.
Your case will then go to the “discovery phase,” wherein both sides will gather testimony and more evidence, and request documentation from the other side as well as from third parties. You and the defendant will both take depositions and be questioned by both lawyers under oath. This is how each side develops its argument for trial.
If your claim still has not been settled, your lawyer will represent you in front of a judge and jury of your peers. A trial has six steps:
In a jury trial, the jury will follow the judge’s instructions to determine a) if the other party is liable for your injuries, and b) the total extent of your damages in a dollar amount.
The majority of Illinois injury cases do not reach trial. However, if your case does go to trial, your entire recovery is on the line and it is paramount that you have a lawyer and accompanying legal team on your side who is experienced in representing clients in trial and winning excellent verdicts. The Illinois attorneys of Burger Law have decades of experience trying cases and a record of $200 million recovered for our clients, which includes trial verdicts.
Even if a trial date is scheduled, sometimes a skilled Chicago injury lawyer can reach a great settlement for you weeks or even days before the trial takes place. The injury lawyers of Burger Law have done this many times. Call us at (314) 500-HURT to learn more.
What Cases Do Your Injury Lawyers in Illinois Commonly Take?
When you choose a personal injury lawyer who is experienced, knows the law and fights on your behalf, you benefit from our team’s wealth of exceptional experience with every facet of personal injury law because we actively practice every area of personal injury law. We realize that case types often overlap, and having experience with each type of claim gives our team the perfect preparation to successfully fight for our clients’ rights and recoveries. Listed below are overviews of the case types we most commonly pursue, including car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, medical malpractice, slip and fall cases, dog bites, product liability, and more:
Gary Burger and the experienced and aggressive personal injury attorneys at Burger Law in Chicago take every injury claim seriously. You do not owe us anything until we win your claim. Our Illinois injury lawyers are specialized in all areas of injury cases. We handle all aspects of your case from start to finish so that you can focus on your recovery. We know how to fight against resistant insurance companies and defendants who refuse to take accountability for the harm they have caused by breaking safety rules. Our firm has the expertise and winning track record necessary to provide the best possible legal representation in your personal injury case or any other type of accident case.
Personal injury cases arise from preventable injuries, which adds a layer of indignation or frustration for many. You would not be in this situation today had it not been for another person’s carelessness or willfully harmful behavior. To get the closure and compensation you deserve, you need a competent and reputable personal injury lawyer in Chicago to represent your interests. As Chicago personal injury lawyers, we are here to lend our knowledge and talents toward getting you a great recovery and making you whole after being injured by someone else.
In our nearly thirty years as a leading personal injury law firm in Chicago, Burger Law has seen and heard legitimate personal injury claims of all kinds throughout the state of Illinois. Through our tenacity and expertise, the Chicago personal injury lawyers of Burger Law have successfully represented families and individuals in Chicago and throughout Illinois in personal injury claims and lawsuits including auto accidents, slip and falls, medical malpractice, dog bites, defective products and more. Whatever type of injury case you have, call (314) 500-HURT to consult an Illinois injury lawyer at Buger Law for free. We will discuss your case, share our knowledge and determine how we can best help you.
Do I Need an Illinois Injury Lawyer?
While you may be able to receive a fair settlement for minor injuries, getting full compensation for more severe injuries that have a lasting impact on your life almost always requires the help of an injury lawyer. When you require ongoing medical treatment or your injuries have affected your ability to work and make a living, an Illinois personal injury lawyer will be able to precisely value your claim and fight back against a resistant insurance company.
Chicago insurance adjusters are professionals, and their job is to pay you as little as possible. Unfortunately for them, at Burger Law, we are pretty good at our job too. Our injury legal team knows the tricks insurance companies use to minimize your claim or even avoid paying you altogether. When that happens, we fight back. We are more aggressive than most law firms. The insurance company needs to know that you deserve nothing less than full compensation.
Besides dealing with the insurance company, when you hire an injury attorney in Chicago from Burger Law, we will:
Without the help of a skilled and experienced injury lawyer, you may be left without the compensation you need to truly heal, or even be blamed for your injuries. Call a Burger Law injury lawyer in Chicago now at (314) 500-HURT.
The injury lawyers of Burger Law have been in Chicago emergency rooms and visited our clients in the hospital. We have seen firsthand the devastating physical and emotional impact serious injuries can have on families, especially when there is the prospect of long-term or permanent disability. Some of the most severe injuries our injury lawyers have seen are:
If you have suffered a serious injury, you need to focus on recovering, rehabilitating and being with your family, not navigating the complex web of Chicago and Illinois law. Leave the financial and legal aspects of your case to a Burger Law injury attorney. Call us today at (314) 500-HURT.
What Kinds of Compensation Are Available in an Illinois Injury Case?
Your Chicago injury lawyer will seek the following compensatory damages:
Economic Damages: These damages include any financial hardships, either expenses you incurred or earnings you lost, your Chicago injury lawyer deems applicable as a direct result of the accident:
Noneconomic Damages: These damages can include anything that lowers your quality of life and contributes to a loss of enjoyment, including:
Your Chicago injury lawyer works aggressively and is committed to fighting for maximum compensation. It is not enough to simply win a case; your livelihood, family and future are of the utmost importance. If you have been injured in Chicago or Illinois due to someone else’s reckless behavior, use our free personal injury calculator to see how much your claim might be worth.
Burger Law’s Illinois personal injury lawyers hold ourselves to the standard of zealous representation. That means we get started on your case the moment you hire us, investigate your case thoroughly, stand up to insurance companies on your behalf and do not let down until you get the full recovery you deserve. 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 Illinois 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 Illinois personal injury lawyer now at (314) 500-HURT or contact us online for a free consultation.
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Frequently asked questions
How do you determine which personal injury lawyer is right for you? As you’ve undoubtedly heard the disclaimer at the end of TV and radio commercials for law firms: the choice of a lawyer is important and should not be based solely upon advertisements.
The key is to speak with the lawyer and determine whether or not you are comfortable with them handling your claim. The outcome of your case has the potential to drastically change your life for better or worse. Burger Law understands the importance of a competent and caring personal injury lawyer in any accident case. We are available to discuss your case free of charge to help you make this important decision. Call us at 314-542-2222 or contact us online today.
How do you determine which personal injury lawyer is right for you? As you’ve undoubtedly heard the disclaimer at the end of TV and radio commercials for law firms: the choice of a lawyer is important and should not be based solely upon advertisements.
The key is to speak with the lawyer and determine whether or not you are comfortable with them handling your claim. The outcome of your case has the potential to drastically change your life for better or worse. Burger Law understands the importance of a competent and caring personal injury lawyer in any accident case. We are available to discuss your case free of charge to help you make this important decision. Call us at 314-542-2222 or contact us online today.
How do you determine which personal injury lawyer is right for you? As you’ve undoubtedly heard the disclaimer at the end of TV and radio commercials for law firms: the choice of a lawyer is important and should not be based solely upon advertisements.
The key is to speak with the lawyer and determine whether or not you are comfortable with them handling your claim. The outcome of your case has the potential to drastically change your life for better or worse. Burger Law understands the importance of a competent and caring personal injury lawyer in any accident case. We are available to discuss your case free of charge to help you make this important decision. Call us at 314-542-2222 or contact us online today.
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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