Personal Injury Lawyer in Glendale Heights, IL

Burger Law fights on behalf of people who get hurt due to the negligence of another. If you has been injured because of someone else’s negligent behavior, Burger Law’s personal injury lawyers in Glendale Heights, 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 contact us online.

To calculate how much compensation you may be owed in Glendale Heights, or anywhere in Illinois, check out our free personal injury calculator.

The negligent people that harmed you are responsible for compensating you for all of your damages, but that does not mean they will do it willingly. Burger Law’s personal injury lawyer team fights hard for the injured against anyone who is trying to keep them from the compensation they are owed. That includes anything from suing large trucking companies, holding negligent physicians, product manufacturers, store owners responsible, taking the fight to the government, to securing justice and financial security for Glendale Heights residents after a a family member passed too soon. If you have questions about your case, what compensation you are owed or other questions regarding personal injury claims, call our personal injury lawyers in Glendale Heights, IL immediately at (779) 800-HURT.

Why Choose Burger Law’s Glendale Heights, IL Personal Injury Lawyers For Your Claim

Choosing the right personal injury lawyer for your case is of utmost importance. You want someone with a history of winning similar cases and who is not afraid of a fight. In order to have a good understanding of the abilities of a law firm, you need to take into account their previous victories, and what their clients and peers say about them:

Premier Glendale Heights, IL Personal Injury Lawyers

The numerous 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 award 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 lawyers are certified by an ABA accredited certification board.

Personal Injury Lawyer Glendale Heights, IL – Recent Successes

Our Glendale Heights, IL personal injury lawyers have a demonstrated history of getting great results. We fight all who have injured our clients, and we fight for a full recovery every time. Our firm is devoted to providing our clients amazing legal representation, and we take tremendous pride in our hard-fought successes. Check out some of our case results 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 no two cases are the same, and the financial recovery you receive is going to be based entirely upon the your specific injuries. We calculate the full extent of your damages so that there is no money left on the table.

Burger Law Client Success Stories

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

Definition of a Personal Injury Claim in Glendale Heights, IL

Under Illinois and U.S. law, you have a right to file a personal injury claim to get financial compensation for the wrong someone else is responsible for, and to achieve justice. The recovery you receive is meant 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 attorney or financial award can truly return you to how things were before the injury. While we can get compensation for the financial losses you sustained, other damages are less tangible. If a family member died, you lost a limb, are disfigured or will have to live the rest of your life in chronic pain, no legal process can change that. What empathetic and skilled personal injury lawyers like those at Burger Law can do is ensure your injuries are recognized, and to provide you with relief from the financial losses resulting from your accident.

Do I Need a Personal Injury Lawyer in Glendale Heights, 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 Glendale Heights, IL. The question to ask when thinking about whether or not to hire a lawyer is, can they add value to my claim? If your injuries were not significant, 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 legal representation in Glendale Heights, IL if the following is true about your claim:

• There is a dispute over who is to blame, or you are being blamed for your injuries
• The insurance company is denying they have to cover certain damages
• Your injuries are serious and require ongoing medical treatment
• There are multiple parties at fault
• Your damages are more than the at-fault policyholder’s policy limits

Our initial conversations and investigations are free, and we are always direct 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 only pay after you have received the full compensation you deserve, and there is no reason for us 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 Glendale Heights, IL?

While state statutes can be complex, whether or not you can seek compensation depends on the answer to one essential question: did another person’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 demonstrate 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 Glendale Heights, IL driver owe everyone else on the 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 instance the relationship between a doctor and patient or between a vendor and a buyer.
2. Breach of duty — Did someone neglect that responsibility? Did a driver crash into you you because they were not following the rules of the road? Did a doctor not take into account your medical history? Did a dog owner let their dog roam unleashed?
3. Cause-in-fact — You must prove how the breach of duty led to your injuries. For instance, 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 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 faulty, someone in the vehicle’s chain of distribution may be ultimately liable.
5. Damages — Finally, you must demonstrate that you sustained some form of financial loss as a direct result of your injuries. In most cases damages are medical expenses and lost wages. If you hold onto your medical bills, an attorney will be able to establish your financial losses with an insurance company. After proving economic damages, we can seek a financial recovery for pain and suffering damages.

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

Types of Cases Our Glendale Heights, IL Personal Injury Lawyers Win

Practicing injury law in Glendale Heights, IL mandates 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 whenever negligence results in an injury. We have won millions for our Glendale Heights, IL clients in the following types of cases:

Auto Accidents

Statistics from the Bureau of Justice Statistics indicate that there are 300,000 to 500,000 personal injury claims in any given year. The majority of those result from auto accidents, for instance:

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

Truck accidents can be especially catastrophic because trucks emit an incredible amount of force, and motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians are all at increased risk of catastrophic injury or death due to their relatively limited protection. Under 625 ILCS 5/11-1003.1, all motorist must “exercise due care” to keep everyone else on the road safe. If someone breaks the rules of the road and you end up hurt, you can file a claim.

In some cases, a vehicle manufacturer, construction company or local municipality may be fully or partially to blame for your injuries. Your Burger Law personal injury lawyer will carry out a comprehensive 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 invitees and licensees. If you are injured in a slip and fall because a property was unreasonably dangerous, you deserve compensation. 740 ILCS 130/, also called the Illinois Premises Liability Act, states that property owners owe 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.” Basically, if there is a hazardous condition that is not obvious, the owner needs to either fix the hazard, post signage or rope it off. Some hazardous conditions include:

• Spills
• A recently mopped floor
• Broken concrete on a walkway
• Broken stairs
• Broken decks and balconies
• Potholes
• Sudden changes in surface level
• Ledges
• Poorly lit stairs and walking paths
• Black ice
• Wet concrete
• Debris such as litter, fallen leaves and branches, rocks, etc
• Rugs that are not flat
• Stray 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 trespassing, did not pay attention to warning signs, such as a “wet floor sign,” or were running or acting dangerously, it might be hard to get compensation. Successful premises liability claims depend on the following:

• The owner or manager created the hazardous conditions; or
• The owner or manager knew about the condition and failed to fix it; or
• The owner or manager tried to repair the hazard 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 Glendale Heights, 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 the accident was your fault. That is not true, and always speak with a personal injury lawyer before accepting any settlement.

Medical Malpractice

Based on data from John Hopkins University, medical errors are responsible for more than 250,000 deaths annually. While not all of those constitutes negligence, when it does, you can make a medical malpractice claim.

Your medical malpractice cases is based on what is known as the standard of care. The standard is how a reasonable healthcare professional, in the same area and with the same training as the one you are making a claim against, would treat whatever ailment you saw them for.

Pursuant to 735 ILCS 5/2-622, any medical malpractice claim 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 vital that the health professional who writes the affidavit has the same training and practices in the same area as the health professional you are making a claim against. A thoracic surgeon in Chicago has a different standard of care than a general practitioner in Rockport, Maine. Burger Law relies on numerous expert witnesses in Glendale Heights and all over Illinois who can corroborate that your doctor violated the standard of care.

Common examples of medical malpractice in Glendale Heights, IL include:

• Nursing home negligence
• Birth injuries
• Misdiagnosis and failure to diagnosis
• Leaving objects in after surgery
• Hospital system errors
• Failure to secure consent
• Not ordering tests that a prudent doctor would
• Blowing off 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, nearly 1,000 people require emergency medical treatment for dog bites, and annually dog bites lead to about 12,600 hospitalizations. According to a Chicago Tribune article, Illinois is the second-highest dog bite 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, as long as 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 even if they did not necessarily do anything wrong.

While some dog bites are minor, others result in expensive surgeries or permanent scarring. Regardless of the seriousness of your injuries, trust in a Burger Law Glendale Heights, IL personal injury lawyer to secure you the full compensation you are owed.

Product Liability

Like dog owners, the designers, manufacturers, distributors and vendors of a product are strictly liable for the harm a defective product causes. There are typically three theories a personal injury lawyer will use to make a product liability claim in Glendale Heights, IL:

1. Design defect — This is a defect that occurs even if the product is manufactured correctly. This could include an SUV that is susceptible to rollover accidents, 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 packaging, 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, an electric shaver not mentioning that shock can occur if used in the shower.

In order to have a successful claim, you must show that the product carried inherent risks when it was used in a way a manufacturer could anticipate, that it caused your injuries and that you had not substantially altered the product.

Burger Law’s personal injury lawyers will take on any case in which a wrongdoer injured someone else. One of the great parts of choosing a Burger Law Glendale Heights, 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 Glendale Heights, IL?

The journey to securing a financial settlement or verdict 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 personal injury claims process consists of:

• Getting Medical Care — Get medical attention as soon as possible after an injury, and follow your doctor’s treatment plans to a “T.” If you delay, it could bring complications to your claim, and not getting the full treatment will lower how much compensation you receive. Our personal injury lawyers know trustworthy Glendale Heights, 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, it is best to know what your options are as soon as possible. A good lawyer will be honest with you about whether or not their services are needed.
• Investigation and Documentation — Once you have legal representation, your personal injury lawyer will perform a full investigation into your claim, determine every liable party and acquire the evidence needed for full compensation. You should also keep a record of every dollar you have spent because of your injuries, and how keeping a journal detailing how your injuries have affected your life.
• Settlement Demand and Negotiations — Once we have determined the full extent of your damages, we will send a settlement demand package to those who are liable for compensating you. In the package we will include full documentation of all of 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 we keep negotiating until they decide to be truly fair.
• Filing a Lawsuit — If negotiations do not result in fair compensation, we will proceed to litigating the case and setting up a trial. While the case is being litigated, 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 objective third party listens to arguments from both sides and tries to get everyone to reach an agreement.
• Pre-Trial — If mediation still does not result in a fair settlement, the “discovery” phase begins. In this phase, we will speak to eyewitnesses and expert witnesses, gather more evidence and share with and request documentation with the other side.
• Trial — It is rare that a personal injury claim makes it all the way to trial. Indeed, we often finally get the settlement we were seeking in the weeks immediately before trial. However, if the insurance company refuses to do the right thing, we will fight for your compensation in court. Trial consists of:
  • Voir dire
  • Opening statements
  • Testimony and cross-examination
  • Closing arguments
  • Jury instruction
  • Jury deliberation and verdict

Most of our Glendale Heights, IL clients have never been through the personal injury claims process before, and are unsure of what lies ahead. Burger Law will be by your side 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 healing.

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

In general, 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 related to your injuries, including:
  • 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

Though rare, we may also be able to pursue punitive damages if the negligent party’s conduct was purposefully harmful or grossly negligent. 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.

How Long Do I Have to File a Personal Injury Claim in Glendale Heights, 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 not cause immediate concern, 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 types of claims we get great results in in Glendale Heights, 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 Glendale Heights, IL Now

Burger Law’s Glendale Heights, IL personal injury lawyers hold ourselves to the standard of zealous representation. That means we start working for your recovery 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 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 Glendale Heights, 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 Glendale Heights, IL personal injury lawyer now at (779) 800-HURT or contact us online for a free consultation.