Personal Injury Lawyer in Abingdon, IL

Burger Law defends the rights of people who are injured because of the negligence of another. If you have sustained serious injuries all because someone else behaved recklessly or irresponsibly, Burger Law’s personal injury lawyers in Abingdon, IL demand the recovery you are owed and fight for you every step of the way. Call Burger Law now at (779) 800-HURT or contact us online.

To find out the value of your personal injury claim in Abingdon, or anywhere in Illinois, take a look at our complimentary personal injury calculator.

Those who injured you are responsible for compensating you for all of your damages, but they will not 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 variety of cases, including suing large trucking companies, holding negligent doctors, product manufacturers, restaurant owners accountable, suing the government, to getting justice and financial security for Abingdon residents after the wrongful death of a loved one. If you would like to discuss the merits of your case further, what compensation you are owed or anything else about the personal injury claims process, speak to one of our personal injury lawyers in Abingdon, IL immediately at (779) 800-HURT.

Why Burger Law Is The Abingdon, 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 with a history of winning similar cases and who you know will not back down from a fight. In order to gauge the abilities of an injury law firm, you need to look at the cases they have won, and what their clients and peers say about them:

Award-Winning Abingdon, IL Personal Injury Lawyers

The many awards and recognition Burger Law has received from other lawyers include:

• Martindale-Hubbell Award — AV Preeminent® Rated by Martindale-Hubbell® from NexisLexis® – a noteworthy achievement awarded to less than 5 percent of all attorneys in the U.S.
• 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 comprised of the most qualified lawyers 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 Abingdon, IL – Recent Successes

Our Abingdon, IL personal injury lawyers have a demonstrated history of getting great results. We take on all who harm our clients, and we insist on nothing but full compensation. Our attorneys are devoted to providing our clients amazing legal representation, and we have great pride in our well-deserved victories. Check out some of our recent victories in personal injury claims 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 mentioning that every case is unique, and what you may be eligible to recover is going to depend on the circumstances of your claim. We calculate the full extent of your damages so that you secure what you deserve.

Burger Law Client Testimonials

Beyond the videos below, you can see our full list of client testimonials here.

Definition of a Personal Injury Claim in Abingdon, IL

Under Illinois and U.S. law, you have a right to file a personal injury claim to get a financial recovery for the damage done by another person’s negligence, and to hold them accountable for breaking the rules. The purpose of personal injury claims is to make you whole. The goal is to put you in the same position you were in before another person injured you.

In some cases, no lawyer, settlement or verdict is can fully return you to how things were before the injury. While you can be reimbursed for medical expenses, time spent off work recovering and other financial losses, other damages cannot truly be expressed through dollar signs. If you lost a loved one, you lost a limb, are permanently scarred or will have to live the rest of your life in chronic pain, no legal process can change that. What compassionate and talented personal injury lawyers like those at Burger Law can do is ensure your injuries are recognized, and to provide you with financial security as it relates to your accident.

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

While some cases can be successfully navigated without a lawyer, most of the time you will need one to get the full compensation you are owed in Abingdon, IL. The question to ask when thinking about whether or not to hire a lawyer is, will I get more money with them? If your medical expenses are low, you did not miss much time off work and the other party’s fault is clearly established, a lawyer might not be necessary. But, you will need an attorney in Abingdon, IL if the following is true about your claim:

• There is a dispute about liability, or you are being blamed for your injuries
• The insurance company is denying they have to cover certain damages
• Your injuries are significant and require extensive medical treatment
• 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 are always honest about whether or not it is worth it for you to hire our services. Our personal injury lawyers work on a contingency-fee basis, meaning you do not pay until we win your case, and there is no reason for us to take on your claim if we do not think we can get you substantially more money.

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

While legal doctrine can be hard to navigate, whether or not you can seek compensation depends on the answer to one essential question: did someone else’s negligence cause you injuries? From a legal standpoint, you need to prove the five elements of negligence:

1. Duty of care — You first need to show that the person you are making a claim against owed it to you to value your safety. Sometimes, a duty of care is assumed, as motorists all owe everyone on the Abingdon, IL roads a duty of care, or store owners need their properties to be reasonable safe for anyone who legally enters. In other cases, a particular relationship must have formed, for instance the relationship between a doctor and patient or between a vendor and a buyer.
2. Breach of duty — Did someone neglect that duty? Did a driver crash into you you because they were running a red light? Did a physician not take into account your medical history? Did a store owner not salt the ice in front of their property sufficiently?
3. Causation — You must prove how the incident resulted in your injuries. For example, you received a concussions after being thrown off your motorcycle, or had bad side effects from a prescription drug.
4. Proximate cause — This determines who ultimately is at fault. If you were hit by a vehicle, the liable party is usually the driver that hit you. But if the tires were defective, someone in the product’s chain of distribution may be ultimately liable.
5. Damages — Lastly, you need to show that the incident resulted in economic harm. In personal injury cases, this is usually medical expenses and lost wages. 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 a financial recovery for the other ways your injuries have affected you.

If you have any doubts about the validity of your claim, speak to a lawyer in Abingdon, IL who has won a similar claim before. You can speak to a personal injury lawyer now at (779) 800-HURT.

What Are Common Personal Injury Case in Abingdon, IL?

Being a personal injury lawyer in Abingdon, IL mandates that your lawyers and firm know how negligence laws apply to a wide range of cases. Knowing the difference between a car accident case and a truck accident case seems simple, but there are many different regulations and statutes concerning truck accidents that can be the deciding factor in whether or not the case is successful. A lawyer that only specializes in a certain type of injury claim may not have the experience to take on other cases. At Burger Law, we know how to hold the liable party accountable whenever negligence results in an injury. Cases we take on in Abingdon and throughout Illinois include:

Auto Accidents

The Bureau of Justice Statistics estimates that there are 300,000 to 500,000 personal injury claims annually. The majority of those are auto accident claims, for instance:

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

Truck accidents can be especially catastrophic because trucks emit so much, and motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians are all at heightened risk of being severely injured 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 someone breaks the rules of the road, causes an accident and injures you, you have an auto accident claim against them.

In some cases, a vehicle manufacturer, construction company or local municipality may have at least contributed to your injuries. Your Burger Law personal injury lawyer will conduct an exhaustive investigation into your accident to find out who and what exactly caused your injuries.

Premises Liability

Proprietors have a responsibility to ensure their premises does not carry any risks for people who are legally on it. If you sustain damages in a slip and fall because a property was unsafe, you deserve compensation. 740 ILCS 130/, also called the Illinois Premises Liability Act, states that property owners owe a duty of care to people who legally enter their property that is “of reasonable care under the circumstances regarding the state of the premises or acts done or omitted on them.” Basically, if something that is not obvious makes the property unsafe, the owner has a responsibility to either fix the hazard 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
• Wiring
• In-ground sprinklers or hardscape features hidden in the grass
• Broken safety rails

Not all injuries on a property lead to a valid premises liability claim. If you were trespassing, did not pay attention to warning signs, such as a “wet floor sign,” or were running or acting dangerously, you likely do not have a slip and fall claim. The following must be true in order to make a claim:

• The owner or manager created the unsafe conditions; or
• The owner or manager knew about the risk and neglected to fix it; or
• The owner or manager tried to fix the condition and fixed 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 company in Abingdon, IL may tell you they do not owe you anything because they had no idea about the condition or because the accident was your fault. Do not believe them, and do not accept any settlement offer until you have spoken to a personal injury lawyer.

Medical Malpractice

Based on data from John Hopkins University, medical errors cause over a quarter of a million deaths a year. While not all of those amount to negligence, when it does, you can make a medical malpractice claim.

Your medical malpractice cases will come down to what is referred to as the standard of care. The standard refers to how a prudent doctor, in the same area and with the same training as the one you are suing, would treat a specific condition.

Under 735 ILCS 5/2-622, any medical malpractice lawsuit must be accompanied by an affidavit from a health professional who:

• is knowledgeable in the relevant issues of the claim
• practices or teaches the same field as the negligent doctor, 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 vital that the doctor corroborating your claim is in the same practice area and geographic region as the health professional you are suing. An anesthesiologist in Chicago has a different standard of care than a general practitioner in Kadoka, South Dakota. Burger Law has a network of expert witnesses in Abingdon and in other parts of Illinois who can corroborate that your doctor violated the standard of care.

Common examples of medical malpractice in Abingdon, IL include:

• Nursing home abuse
• Birth injuries
• Misdiagnosis and failure to diagnosis
• Forgetting to remove objects during surgery
• Hospital system errors
• Lack of consent
• Failing to order tests that a prudent doctor would
• Ignoring a patient’s complaints
• Not changing course when their treatment plan is not working
• Prescribing the wrong medication or the wrong dosage

Dog Bites

Every day, almost 1,000 people require emergency medical treatment for dog bites, and every year dog bites lead to about 12,600 hospitalizations. According to a Chicago Tribune article, Illinois has the second-highest rate of dog bites in the country.

510 ILCS 5/, the Illinois Animal Control Act, mandates that a dog owner 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 result in reconstructive surgeries or permanent scarring. Regardless of the seriousness of your injuries, trust in a Burger Law Abingdon, IL personal injury lawyer to secure you the maximum financial recovery you deserve.

Product Liability

Like dog owners, anyone in the chain of distribution of a product is strictly liable for the injuries stemming from a defective product. There are three categories of product liability claims in Abingdon, 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 safety guards do not offer sufficient protection.
2. Manufacturing defect — This type of defect affects several individual products instead of an entire line of products. Examples include rat droppings getting caught in a soda can, or a seatbelt with a loose screw that comes undone during impact.
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 carried inherent risks when used in a foreseeable manner, that it was the proximate cause of injuries and that you had not significantly modified the product.

Burger Law’s personal injury lawyers will take on any case in which someone was injured due to another’s negligence. One of the great parts of choosing a Burger Law Abingdon, IL personal injury lawyer is that we are not limited to any one type of claim, and have won your type of claim before. 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.

How Does the Personal Injury Claims Process Work in Abingdon, IL?

The path to getting a financial settlement or verdict for your injuries can be long and complex. While some cases only take a few months, others can take several years before a jury finally renders a decision. Generally, the path to getting compensation consists of:

• Seeking Medical Treatment — Get medical treatment immediately after an injury, and keep attending all treatments that your physician recommends. If you delay, it could bring complications to your claim, and not getting the full treatment will lower your final payout. Our personal injury lawyers know trustworthy Abingdon, IL doctors, chiropractors and physical therapists who can ensure you recover physically as best as possible.
• Discussing Your Case With an Attorney — Even if you do not know if you need an attorney, you need to know what your options are as soon as possible. A good lawyer will be straightforward with you about the value of your claim and how they can help.
• Investigation and Documentation — Once you have hired an attorney, your personal injury lawyer will perform a full investigation into the circumstances surrounding your injuries, determine who we need to hold accountable and gather the evidence needed for maximum compensation. You can help by keeping detailed records of your expenses related to your injuries, and how they affect your day-to-day life.
• Settlement Demand and Negotiations — Once we have determined the full extent of your damages, we will send a settlement demand package to the liable party’s insurance company. In the package we will include full documentation of all of your damages, and insist that nothing but the full amount will be agreed to. Most of the time, the insurance company will counter our offer with a lower number, and there will be several back-and-forths until they agree to pay for all of your damages.
• Filing a Lawsuit — If the insurance company will not be fair in negotiations, we will proceed to litigating the case and setting up a trial. During this time, we will continue negotiating in an effort to avoid a trial.
• Mediation — If a settlement agreement still has not been reached, your personal injury lawyer and the liable party will likely pursue mediation. In mediation, a neutral third party hears arguments from both sides and tries to get everyone to reach an agreement.
• Pre-Trial — If mediation fails, the “discovery” phase begins. In this phase, we will speak to eyewitnesses and expert witnesses, obtain more evidence and both parties will share with the other what they plan to bring up at trial.
• Trial — Most personal injury claims are settled before trial. In fact, we often finally get a fair settlement offer just before trial begins. However, if the insurance company refuses to do the right thing, we will defend your rights in front of a judge and jury. Trial consists of:
  • Jury selection
  • Opening statements
  • Testimony and cross-examination
  • Closing arguments
  • Jury instruction
  • Jury deliberation and verdict

Most people who speak with our Abingdon, IL personal injury lawyers 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 from our initial consultation to full compensation, keep you up to date on the status of your claim and manage all the legal aspects of your case so you can focus on healing.

What Types of Compensation Are Available in My Abingdon, IL Personal Injury Claim?

Typically, there are two types of damages you can be compensated for in a personal injury claim: economic damages and non-economic damages:

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

Sometimes, you may also be eligible for punitive damages if the liable harmed you intentionally 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 We can to maximize your compensation.

What Is the Time Limit for Personal Injury Claims in Abingdon, 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 important exceptions:

1. If you were under 18 at the time of injury, 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, your attorney will want as much time as possible to build your case. Do not delay in speaking to an attorney. Call a personal injury lawyer today at (779) 800-HURT.

Other cases we take on in Abingdon, IL include:

• 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 Abingdon, IL Now

Burger Law’s Abingdon, IL personal injury lawyers hold ourselves to the standard of zealous representation. That means we get started on your case immediately, pursue every legal option we have, fight back against insurance companies on your behalf and do not give up until you are awarded the full compensation you deserve. We offer the highest standard of legal representation; all of our advice will be sincere and in your best interest, but we always leave the ultimate decisions on your claim to you and your Abingdon, 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 Abingdon, IL personal injury lawyer now at (779) 800-HURT or contact us online for a free consultation.