Personal Injury Lawyer in Hazel Crest, IL

Burger Law defends the rights of people who get hurt due to negligent and reckless actions. If you have sustained serious injuries in an accident or incident caused by another person’s actions, Burger Law’s personal injury lawyers in Hazel Crest, IL demand the recovery you are owed and fight for you every step of the way. Call Burger Law today at (779) 800-HURT or contact us online.

If you want to know how much your personal injury claim may be worth in Hazel Crest, or anywhere in Illinois, use our complimentary personal injury calculator.

The negligent people that injured 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 back for the injured against whoever is standing in the way of justice. That includes anything from suing drunk drivers, holding negligent physicians, product manufacturers, business owners responsible, taking the fight to City Hall, to securing justice and financial security for Hazel Crest residents after the wrongful death of a family member. 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 Hazel Crest, IL as soon as possible at (779) 800-HURT.

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

Choosing the right personal injury lawyer for your case is essential. 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 their reputation among their clients and peers:

Premier Hazel Crest, IL Personal Injury Lawyers

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

• Martindale-Hubbell Award — AV Preeminent® Rated by Martindale-Hubbell® from NexisLexis® – a significant achievement awarded to less than 5 percent of all lawyers in the United States
• 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 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 attorneys are certified by an American Bar Association accredited certification board.

Personal Injury Lawyer Hazel Crest, IL – Cases We Have Won

Our Hazel Crest, IL personal injury lawyers fight for the full rights and recoveries of our clients. We take on all who have injured our clients, and we insist on nothing but maximum compensation. Our firm is devoted to providing our clients the highest standard of legal advocacy, and we take tremendous pride in our hard-fought 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 injury comes with its own set of circumstances, and what you may be eligible to recover is going to be based entirely upon the circumstances of your claim. We fight for you so that we get the maximum amount of compensation possible.

Burger Law Client Testimonials

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

Definition of a Personal Injury Claim in Hazel Crest, IL

A personal injury claim is your right under Illinois law to get monetary reimbursement for the wrong done by another person’s negligence, and to achieve justice. The recovery you receive is intended to make you whole. The goal is to put you in the same position you were in before another person injured you.

Sometimes, no outcome in your claim can truly return you to how things were before the injury. While you can be reimbursed for the financial losses you sustained, other damages are less tangible. If a family member died, you are permanently disabled, are disfigured or will have to live the rest of your life in chronic pain, no amount of money can make that go away. What empathetic and experienced personal injury lawyers like those at Burger Law are able to do is ensure your injuries are recognized, and to give you relief from the financial losses resulting from your injuries.

Is it Worth Hiring Personal Injury Lawyer in Hazel Crest, IL?

While some cases can be successfully navigated without a lawyer, most of the time you will need one to recover the full value of your claim in Hazel Crest, IL. The important question is, will I get more money with them? If your injuries were not severe, you did not miss much time off work and the other party’s fault is clearly established, you may not need an attorney. But, you should hire an attorney in Hazel Crest, IL if the following is true about your claim:

• There is disagreement over who is at fault, 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 extensive medical treatment
• There more than one party 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 straightforward about how much value we can add your claim. Our personal injury lawyers work on a contingency-fee basis, meaning you do not pay until we win your case, 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 Hazel Crest, IL?

While the legal specifics concerning negligence and liability can be hard to navigate, whether or not you can seek compensation generally depends on one essential question: were you injured because someone else was negligent? From a legal standpoint, you need to prove the five elements of negligence:

1. Duty of care — You first need to demonstrate that the liable party had a responsibility to care for your safety. Sometimes, a duty of care is assumed, as Hazel Crest, IL driver owe drivers, passengers and pedestrians a duty of care, or store owners need their properties to be reasonable safe for anyone who legally enters. In other cases, a special relationship must have formed, such as a doctor-patient relationship or a vendor-patron relationship.
2. Breach of duty — Did the other party fail in that obligation? Did a driver crash into you you while they were looking at their phone? Did a physician prescribe the wrong dosage? Did a trucking company force their employee to drive longer than regulations allow?
3. Causation — You must show how the breach of duty resulted in your injuries. For example, you sustained a whiplash injury after being rear ended, or had bad side effects from a prescription drug.
4. Proximate cause — This determines who needs to be held accountable. If you were rear ended, it is usually because another driver was negligent. But if the brakes were faulty, a manufacturer or mechanic may be the one who is ultimately liable.
5. Damages — Finally, you need to show that the injuries caused financial losses. In personal injury cases, this is usually medical bills and lost wages. With access to your medical records, an attorney will be able to establish your financial losses with an insurance company. After proving economic damages, we can pursue a financial recovery for the other ways your injuries have affected you.

The only way to know for certain if you have an injury claim is to consult with an attorney who has handled your type of claim in Hazel Crest, IL before. Get in touch with a personal injury lawyer today at (779) 800-HURT.

Types of Cases Our Hazel Crest, IL Personal Injury Lawyers Win

Being a personal injury lawyer in Hazel Crest, IL mandates that your lawyers and firm know how negligence laws apply to a wide range of cases. Knowing the difference between how the law applies to auto accidents, medical malpractice and slip and falls is essential. A lawyer that only specializes in a certain type of injury claim may not be the best choice to get you full compensation in a different claim. At Burger Law, we know how to secure justice for the injured in any type of claim. We have won millions for our Hazel Crest, IL clients in the following types of cases:

Auto Accidents

Research from the Bureau of Justice Statistics indicate that there are 300,000 to 500,000 personal injury claims annually. Just over half of those are auto accident claims, such as:

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

Truck accidents can cause serious injuries because trucks emit an incredible amount of force, and motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians are all at heightened risk of being severely injured 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, causes an accident and injures you, you can file a claim.

Sometimes, a vehicle manufacturer, construction company or governmental entity may have at least contributed to your injuries. Your Burger Law personal injury lawyer will carry out a complete investigation into your accident to find every liable party and hold them accountable.

Premises Liability

Proprietors have a responsibility to take reasonable measures to make sure their property does not carry any risks for invitees and licensees. If you are injured in a slip and fall because a property was unreasonably dangerous, you may have a premises liability claim. 740 ILCS 130/, also known as the Illinois Premises Liability Act, stipulates 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.” Essentially, if there is a dangerous condition that is not obvious, the owner has a responsibility to either repair the condition or warn against it. Examples of a dangerous condition on a property include:

• 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
• Uneven rugs
• Wiring
• In-ground sprinklers or hardscape features hidden in the grass
• Absence of safety rails

Not all injuries on a property lead to a valid 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, for example 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 dangerous conditions; or
• The owner or manager knew about the hazard and failed to fix it; or
• The owner or manager tried to repair the condition 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 property owner or insurance adjuster in Hazel Crest, IL may tell you they do not owe you anything because they should not have been reasonable expected to repair or warn against the accident or because the accident was your fault. Do not believe them, and always speak with a personal injury lawyer before accepting any settlement.

Medical Malpractice

Based on research from John Hopkins University, medical errors are responsible for over 250,000 deaths a year. While not every error amount to negligence, when it does, a physician needs to pay for breaking your trust.

Proving a medical malpractice claim is based on what is called the standard of care. The standard refers to how a prudent healthcare professional, in a specific field and specific location, would treat whatever ailment you saw them for.

Under 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 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 imperative that the doctor 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 Decorah, Iowa. Burger Law has a network of expert witnesses in Hazel Crest and throughout Illinois who can corroborate your claim.

Common instances of medical malpractice in Hazel Crest, IL include:

• Nursing home negligence
• Birth injuries
• Misdiagnosis and failure to diagnosis
• Leaving objects in after surgery
• Hospital communication errors
• Lack of 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

Each day, nearly 1,000 people seek emergency care for dog bites, and annually about 12,600 people are hospitalized. 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, states that a dog owner is strictly liable for your damages if it bit you, assuming you did not provoke it and were not trespassing. “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 only lead to minor injuries, others result in reconstructive surgeries or permanent disfigurement. In any case, you likely need an experienced and skilled Hazel Crest, IL personal injury lawyer to secure you the full financial recovery you are owed.

Product Liability

Strict liability also applies to anyone involved in the chain of distribution of a defective product. There are three categories of product liability claims in Hazel Crest, 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 guard rails do not prevent injuries.
2. Manufacturing defect — This type of defect usually occurs to only one or 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. Insufficient instructions — This refers to a product that did not carry sufficient warnings when it was 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 was “unreasonably dangerous” when used in a foreseeable manner, that it caused your injuries and that the product had not been “substantially” changed from its state at the initial sale.

Burger Law’s personal injury lawyers will take on any case in which someone was injured through no fault of their own. One of the benefits of choosing a Burger Law Hazel Crest, IL personal injury lawyer is that our team takes on all types of personal injury claims, 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 Hazel Crest, IL?

The journey to getting maximum compensation for your injuries can be long and complex. While some accidents and injuries settle fairly early, others go completely through to a jury trial. Generally, the path to getting compensation includes:

• Getting Medical Care — Get medical care immediately after an injury, and follow your doctor’s treatment plans to a “T.” The insurance company will be harder to deal with if you wait, and not getting the full treatment will reduce your final payout. Our personal injury lawyers work with several reliable Hazel Crest, IL health professionals who can help you in your recovery.
• Consulting With an Attorney — Even if you are not sure you are going to need to hire a lawyer, you need to know what your options are as soon as possible. A good attorney will tell you bluntly what your legal recourses are.
• Investigation and Documentation — Once you have hired an attorney, your personal injury lawyer will carry out a complete investigation into your claim, ascertain every liable party and obtain the evidence they need to get you full 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 know how much your claim is worth, 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. Usually, they will respond with a lower offer, and there will be several back-and-forths until they agree to pay for all of your damages.
• Filing a Lawsuit — If negotiations do not result in fair compensation, 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 — Mediation is often the last chance for an agreement before trial. In mediation, an unbiased third party will try to get each party to accept the merits of the other side’s arguments.
• 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, acquire more evidence and both parties will share with the other what they plan to use as evidence in trial.
• Trial — Most personal injury claims are settled before trial. Indeed, we often finally get a fair settlement offer on the eve of trial. However, if the insurance company still cannot see reason, 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 people who speak with our Hazel Crest, 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 by your side from our initial consultation to full compensation, keep you up to date on the status of your claim and handle all documentation, negotiation and litigation so you can spend your energy on your physical recovery.

What Compensation Can I Get In My Hazel Crest, IL Personal Injury Claim?

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

• Economic damages compensate you for your financial losses 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 put a dollar figure on, such as:
  • Pain and suffering
  • Stress and anxiety
  • Loss of ability to enjoy life
  • Scarring and disfigurement
  • Inconvenience
  • Physical impairment
  • Loss of consortium

Sometimes, 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 are rarely awarded, your Burger Law personal injury lawyer will pursue every legal avenue possible to maximize your compensation.

What Is the Time Limit for Personal Injury Claims in Hazel Crest, 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 at the time of injury, you have until your 20th 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 could reasonably have been expected to discover 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 four years after your 18th birthday.

While two years may seem like a long time, thoroughly investigating an injury and developing a legal strategy takes time. Do not delay in speaking to an attorney. Call a personal injury lawyer today at (779) 800-HURT.

Other cases we get great results in in Hazel Crest, 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 Hazel Crest, IL Now

Burger Law’s Hazel Crest, IL personal injury lawyers hold ourselves to the standard of zealous representation. That means we get started on your case the moment you hire us, pursue every legal option we have, fight back against insurance companies on your behalf and do not let down until you receive the full compensation you deserve. We only give our clients 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 Hazel Crest, 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 Hazel Crest, IL personal injury lawyer now at (779) 800-HURT or contact us online for a free consultation.