Personal Injury Lawyer in Coleta, IL

Burger Law fights on behalf of people who are injured because someone else broke the rules. If you are seriously injured in an accident or incident caused by another person’s actions, Burger Law’s personal injury lawyers in Coleta, IL demand the recovery you are owed and fight for you every step of the way. Reach out to Burger Law today at (779) 800-HURT or fill out our online form.

To calculate the value of your personal injury claim in Coleta, or anywhere in Illinois, take a look at our free personal injury calculator.

Those who harmed 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 our clients against anyone who is trying to keep them from the money they are owed. We handle a variety of cases, including suing large trucking companies, holding negligent healthcare professionals, product manufacturers, dog owners responsible, taking the fight to City Hall, to getting justice and financial security for a family after the wrongful death of a loved one. If you have questions about your case, the damages you may be able to recover or other questions regarding personal injury claims, speak to one of our personal injury lawyers in Coleta, IL today at (779) 800-HURT.

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

Choosing the right personal injury lawyer for your claim is of utmost importance. You want someone who has won your type of case before and who you know will not back down from a fight. In order to have a good understanding of the abilities of a law firm, you need to take into account the cases they have won, and what their clients and peers say about them:

Award-Winning Coleta, IL Personal Injury Lawyers

The numerous awards and recognition Burger Law has received from other law firms include:

• Martindale-Hubbell Award — AV Preeminent® Rated by Martindale-Hubbell® from NexisLexis® – a remarkable achievement awarded to less 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 award 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. Less than 4 percent of all practicing lawyers are certified by an ABA accredited certification board.

Personal Injury Lawyer Coleta, IL – Cases We Have Won

Our Coleta, IL personal injury lawyers have a demonstrated history of getting great results. We take on all who have hurt our clients, and we demand nothing but full compensation. Our attorneys are devoted to providing our clients the highest standard of legal advocacy, and we have tremendous pride in our hard-fought successes. Read about our case results 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 the financial recovery you receive is going to depend on the your specific injuries. We fight for you so that we get the maximum amount of compensation possible.

Burger Law Reviews

In addition to the videos below, you can see our full list of client testimonials here.

Definition of a Personal Injury Claim in Coleta, IL

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

In some cases, no lawyer, settlement or verdict is can truly “put back” all the things you lost in an injury. While you can be reimbursed for medical expenses, lost wages and other financial losses, other damages cannot truly be expressed through dollar signs. If you lost a loved one, you are permanently disabled, are permanently scarred or will have to receive medical care for the rest of your life, no one can truly change that. What compassionate and skilled personal injury lawyers like those at Burger Law can do is ensure your injuries are recognized, and to give you financial security as it relates to your accident.

Do I Need a Personal Injury Lawyer in Coleta, IL?

While some cases can be successfully navigated without a lawyer, most of the time you will need one to ensure no money is left on the table in Coleta, IL. The important question is, can they increase my compensation? If your medical expenses are low, you did not miss much time off work and the insurance adjuster is being reasonable, you may not need an attorney. But, you should hire a lawyer in Coleta, IL if the following is true about your claim:

• There is disagreement about liability, or the insurance company says the accident are your fault
• The initial settlement offer is substantially below the cost of your damages
• Your injuries are significant and require extensive 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 how much we can help your claim. Our personal injury lawyers work on a contingency-fee basis, meaning you only pay after you have received the full compensation you are owed, and we have no reason 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 Coleta, IL?

While civil law can be hard to navigate, whether or not you can seek compensation generally depends on one particular question: did someone else’s negligence cause you injuries? If so, legally speaking you must prove the five elements of negligence:

1. Duty of care — You first need to show that the person you are making a claim against had an obligation to keep you safe. Sometimes, a duty of care is assumed, as motorists all owe everyone on the Coleta, 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 unique relationship must have been agreed to, for example 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 while they were running a red light? Did a physician not take into account your medical history? Did a product manufacturer not properly test their products?
3. Cause-in-fact — You must prove how the incident caused your injuries. For example, you broke your arm when your car was t-boned, or were burned by a defective product when it overheated.
4. Proximate cause — This determines who needs to be held accountable. If you were rear ended, it is usually because another driver broke the rules of the road. But if the brakes were defective, a manufacturer or mechanic may be the one who is ultimately liable.
5. Damages — Finally, you have to demonstrate that the accident resulted in economic harm. In most cases damages are medical bills and wages you could not earn while you were not able to work. With access to your medical records, an attorney will be able to establish your financial losses with an insurance company. Once we establish financial losses, we can also seek compensation for the other ways your injuries have affected you.

If you have any doubts about whether or not you have a case, speak to a lawyer in Coleta, IL who has won a similar claim before. You can speak to a personal injury lawyer today at (779) 800-HURT.

What Are Common Personal Injury Lawsuits in Coleta, IL?

Practicing injury law in Coleta, 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 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 secure justice for the injured no matter the circumstances. We have won millions for our Coleta, IL clients in the following types of cases:

Auto Accidents

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

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

Truck accidents can cause serious injuries 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 someone breaks the rules of the road, causes an accident and injures you, you have an auto accident claim against them.

Sometimes, a vehicle manufacturer, construction company or local municipality may be at fault. As part of our services, your Burger Law personal injury lawyer will conduct a complete investigation into your accident to find every liable party and hold them accountable.

Premises Liability

Property owners and managers have a duty to take reasonable measures to make sure their property does not carry any risks for people who are legally on it. If you are injured in a slip and fall because a property was unreasonably dangerous, you deserve compensation. 740 ILCS 130/, also referred to as the Illinois Premises Liability Act, mandates that property owners have a duty of care to people who lawfully enter their property 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 hazardous condition that is not obvious, the owner needs to either repair 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
• Overly steep inclines
• Ledges
• Poorly lit stairs and walking paths
• Icy or snow-covered concrete
• Wet concrete
• Debris such as litter, fallen leaves and branches, rocks, etc
• Uneven rugs
• Electrical cords
• In-ground sprinklers or hardscape features hidden in the grass
• Broken safety rails

Not all injuries on a property result in a premises liability claim. If you were in a part of a property you were not allowed to be, did not pay attention to warning signs, such as a “wet floor sign,” or were running or not acting in a safe manner, 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 condition and failed to fix it; or
• The owner or manager tried to repair the danger 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 store or insurance adjuster in Coleta, IL may tell you 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 do not accept any settlement offer until you have spoken to a personal injury lawyer.

Medical Malpractice

According to a 2016 study from John Hopkins University, medical errors are responsible for over 250,000 deaths annually. While not every error amount to negligence, when it does, a doctor needs to be held accountable for breaking your trust.

Your medical malpractice cases will come down to what is called the standard of care. The standard is how a prudent physician, in the same area and with the same training as the one you are suing, would treat whatever ailment you saw them for.

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 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 essential that the health professional corroborating your claim has the same training and practices in the same area 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 Decorah, Iowa. Burger Law has a network of expert witnesses in Coleta and throughout Illinois who can corroborate your claim.

Common examples of medical malpractice in Coleta, IL include:

• Nursing home negligence
• Birth injuries
• Misdiagnosis and failure to diagnosis
• Forgetting to remove objects during surgery
• Hospital system errors
• Failure to secure consent
• Not ordering tests that a prudent doctor would
• Blowing off a patient’s complaints
• Not sending you to a specialist or recommending a different treatment plan when theirs is not working
• Prescribing the wrong medication or the wrong dosage

Dog Bites

Every day, almost 1,000 people seek emergency care for dog bites, and annually dog bites lead to about 12,600 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, states that a dog owner is strictly liable for your damages if it bit you, assuming there was no provocation and you were legally allowed to be where you were. “Strict liability” means that the owner is liable as a matter of law and you do not have to prove negligence. This means that the owner owes you a recovery regardless of how they acted.

While some dog bites only lead to minor injuries, others can lead to expensive surgeries or permanent disfigurement. In any case, trust in a Burger Law Coleta, IL personal injury lawyer to secure you the maximum compensation you are owed.

Product Liability

Like dog owners, the designers, manufacturers, distributors and vendors of a product are strictly liable for the injuries stemming from a defective product. There are three categories of product liability claims in Coleta, IL:

1. Design defect — This is a defect that was present when the product was initially designed. This could include tables or furniture that naturally tip over, or an electrical appliance that melts when turned on high.
2. Manufacturing defect — This type of defect affects several individual products instead of an entire line of products. Examples include a bug getting caught in a soda can, or a seatbelt with a loose screw that comes undone during impact.
3. Failure to warn — This refers to instructions 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 have a successful claim, you must demonstrate that the product carried inherent risks when it was used in a way a manufacturer could reasonably expect, that it was the proximate cause of injuries and that you had not substantially altered the product.

Burger Law’s personal injury lawyers know how to get great results whenever someone was injured due to another’s negligence. One of the benefits of choosing a Burger Law Coleta, 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.

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

The path to getting maximum compensation for your injuries can be long and complex. While some cases only take a few months, others go completely through to a jury trial. From beginning to end, the path to getting compensation consists of:

• Getting Medical Care — Seek medical treatment immediately after an injury, and do not miss any appointments with your doctor, chiropractor or physical therapist. The insurance company will be harder to deal with if you wait, and not attending all your appointments will reduce both your economic and noneconomic damages. Our personal injury lawyers have a network of experienced Coleta, IL health professionals who can help you in your recovery.
• Consulting With an Attorney — Even if you do not know if you need an attorney, it is best to consult with one as soon as possible so they can become familiar with your case. A good attorney will tell you bluntly what your legal recourses are.
• Investigation and Documentation — Once you have retained a lawyer’s services, your personal injury lawyer will conduct a comprehensive investigation into your claim, ascertain every liable party and acquire 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 demand a financial recovery for all the ways your injuries have affected you. 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. While the case is being litigated, 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 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 take depositions of eyewitnesses and expert witnesses, acquire 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, many times we have gotten the settlement we were seeking on the eve of trial. However, if the insurance company still cannot see reason, we will fight for your compensation 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 Coleta, IL personal injury lawyers have never been through the personal injury claims process before, and do not know what to expect. Burger Law will be your advocate every step of the way, be there to answer all of your questions and oversee all documentation, negotiation and litigation so you can focus on your physical recovery.

How Much Is My Personal Injury Claim in Coleta, IL Worth?

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

• Economic damages compensate you for the economic harm related to your injuries, for instance:
  • Lost wages
  • Lost earning capacity if your injuries result in permanent disability
  • Medical expenses, past and future
  • Out-of-pocket expenses
• Non-economic damages compensate you for losses that are harder to quantify, including:
  • Pain and suffering
  • Stress and anxiety
  • Loss of ability to enjoy life
  • Scarring and disfigurement
  • Inconvenience
  • Physical impairment
  • Loss of consortium

Though rare, we may also be able to pursue punitive damages if the liable 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 do not apply to most personal injury claims, your Burger Law personal injury lawyer will pursue every legal avenue We can to get you the best possible financial recovery.

What Is the Statute of Limitations for Personal Injury Claims in Coleta, IL?

In Illinois, the statute of limitations is shorter than most states at just two years, under 735 ILCS 5/. That means you must file a claim within two years of when the injury occurred. 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 under 18. 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 types of claims we get great results in in Coleta, 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 Coleta, IL Now

Burger Law’s Coleta, 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, stand up to insurance companies on your behalf and do not let down until you receive the maximum compensation 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 Coleta, 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 Coleta, IL personal injury lawyer now at (779) 800-HURT or contact us online for a free consultation.