Personal Injury Lawyer in Hillsboro, IL

Burger Law fights on behalf of people who get hurt due to the negligence of another. When you has been injured because of someone else’s negligent behavior, Burger Law’s personal injury lawyers in Hillsboro, 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 find out how much compensation you may be owed in Hillsboro, or anywhere in Illinois, complete our free personal injury calculator.

The negligent people that hurt you are financially and legally responsible for taking care of your injuries and paying you all of what you are owed, 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 litany of cases, including making claims against drunk drivers, holding negligent doctors, product manufacturers, restaurant owners accountable, taking the fight to the government, to getting justice and financial security for a family after the wrongful death of a loved one. If you want to understand if you have a claim, what compensation you are owed or other questions regarding personal injury claims, call our personal injury lawyers in Hillsboro, IL today at (779) 800-HURT.

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

Choosing the right personal injury lawyer for your claim 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 look at the cases they have won, and what their clients and other lawyers say about them:

Award-Winning Hillsboro, IL Personal Injury Lawyers

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

• Martindale-Hubbell Award — AV Preeminent® Rated by Martindale-Hubbell® from NexisLexis® – a noteworthy achievement awarded to not more than 5 percent of all lawyers 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. Less than 4 percent of all practicing lawyers are certified by an ABA accredited certification board.

Personal Injury Lawyer Hillsboro, IL – Cases We Have Won

Our Hillsboro, IL personal injury lawyers fight for the full rights and recoveries of our clients. We take on all who harm our clients, and we fight for a full recovery every time. Our lawyers are committed to giving our clients amazing legal representation, and we take tremendous pride in our well-deserved victories. Read about our recent successes 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 every case is unique, and the financial recovery you receive 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 Reviews

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

Definition of a Personal Injury Claim in Hillsboro, IL

Under Illinois and U.S. law, you have a right to file a personal injury claim to get monetary reimbursement for the wrong someone else is responsible for, and to achieve justice. The purpose of insurance settlements and civil litigation is to make one whole. The idea 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 we can get compensation for the financial losses you sustained, 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 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 secure you fair compensation in order to provide a sense of justice and recognition, and to provide you with financial security as it relates to your accident.

Do I Need a Personal Injury Lawyer in Hillsboro, 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 deserve in Hillsboro, IL. The important question is, can they increase my compensation? If your medical expenses are low, you have minimal lost wages and the insurance adjuster is being reasonable, you may not need an attorney. But, you should hire a lawyer in Hillsboro, IL if the following is true about your claim:

• There is a dispute over 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 ongoing care
• There are multiple parties that is liable for your injuries
• Your damages are more than the at-fault policyholder’s policy limits

Our initial conversations and investigations are free, and we are always honest about how much value we can add your claim. Our personal injury lawyers take on cases based on a contingency-fee, meaning you only pay after you have received the full compensation you deserve, and we have no reason to accept you as a client if we do not think we can significantly increase the value of your claim.

How Do I Know if I Have a Personal Injury Claim in Hillsboro, IL?

While state statutes can be complex, whether or not you can seek compensation generally depends on one essential question: did another person’s negligence cause you injuries? From a legal standpoint, you must prove the five elements of negligence:

1. Duty of care — You first need to demonstrate that the person you are making a claim against had a responsibility to care for your safety. Sometimes, a duty of care is assumed, as motorists all owe everyone on the Hillsboro, IL roads a duty of care, or store owners need their properties to be reasonable safe for anyone who legally enters. Other times, a particular relationship must have been agreed to, for instance a doctor-patient relationship or a vendor-buyer relationship.
2. Breach of duty — Did the liable party neglect that obligation? Did a driver hit you because they were not following the rules of the road? Did a doctor misdiagnose a condition? Did a product manufacturer not properly test their products?
3. Causation — You must demonstrate how the incident resulted in 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 liability. If you were rear ended, it is usually because another driver was not driving properly. 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 you sustained some form of financial loss as a direct result of your injuries. In most cases damages are medical bills and lost wages. If you keep solid records of your medical expenses, an attorney will be able to establish your financial losses with an insurance company. Once we establish financial losses, we can also pursue compensation for less tangible losses.

The only way to know for certain if you have an injury claim is to speak to an attorney who has handled your type of claim in Hillsboro, IL before. You can speak to a personal injury lawyer today at (779) 800-HURT.

Types of Claims Our Hillsboro, IL Personal Injury Lawyers Win

Practicing injury law in Hillsboro, IL mandates that you know how liability laws apply to a wide range of cases. 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 get great results whenever negligence results in an injury. Cases we specialize in in Hillsboro and throughout Illinois include:

Auto Accidents

The Bureau of Justice Statistics estimates that there are 300,000 to 500,000 personal injury claims annually. About 52 percent of those result from auto accidents, including:

• 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 heightened risk of being severely injured due to their relatively limited protection. Under 625 ILCS 5/11-1003.1, anyone behind the wheel must “exercise due care” to keep everyone else on the road safe. If a driver is negligent, causes an accident and injures you, you have an auto accident claim against them.

Sometimes, a vehicle manufacturer, construction company or governmental entity may be fully or partially to blame for your injuries. As part of our services, your Burger Law personal injury lawyer will perform a comprehensive investigation into your claim to find every liable party and hold them accountable.

Premises Liability

Proprietors have an obligation to ensure their property is not hazardous for people who are not trespassing. If you are injured in a slip and fall because a property was unsafe, you deserve compensation. 740 ILCS 130/, also called the Illinois Premises Liability Act, stipulates 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.” Essentially, if there is a hazardous condition that is not obvious, the owner needs to either fix the condition, post signage or rope it off. 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
• Overly steep inclines
• Ledges
• Poor lighting
• Icy or snow-covered concrete
• 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

You do not automatically have a claim just because a property had a dangerous condition. If you were trespassing, did not pay attention to warning signs, for example a “wet floor sign,” or were running or not behaving in a safe manner, you likely do not have a slip and fall claim. Successful premises liability claims depend on the following:

• The owner or manager created the dangerous conditions; or
• The owner or manager was aware of the risk and neglected 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 adjuster in Hillsboro, 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. Do not believe them, and do not accept any settlement offer until you have spoken to a personal injury lawyer.

Medical Malpractice

Based on research from John Hopkins University, medical errors are responsible for over a quarter of a million deaths annually. While not every error amount to malpractice, when it does, a healthcare professional needs to pay for breaking your trust.

Proving a medical malpractice claim will come down to what is referred to as the standard of care. The standard is 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 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 physician corroborating your allegations is in the same practice area and geographic region as the health professional you are making a claim against. A thoracic surgeon in Chicago is held to a different standard of care than a general practitioner in Decorah, Iowa. Burger Law has a network of expert witnesses in Hillsboro and all over Illinois who can help verify that your medical malpractice suit is valid.

Common instances of medical malpractice in Hillsboro, IL include:

• Nursing home negligence
• Birth injuries
• Misdiagnosis and failure to diagnosis
• Leaving objects in after surgery
• Hospital communication errors
• Failure to secure consent
• Not ordering tests that a prudent doctor would
• Ignoring 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, almost 1,000 people require emergency care for dog bites, and every year about 12,480 people are hospitalized. 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, stipulates that the owner of a dog 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 that the owner owes you a recovery even if they did not necessarily do anything wrong.

While some dog bites lead to only superficial wounds, others can lead to reconstructive surgeries or permanent disfigurement. In any case, you likely need an experienced and skilled Hillsboro, IL personal injury lawyer to ensure you get the full compensation you deserve.

Product Liability

Like dog owners, anyone in the chain of distribution of a product is strictly liable for the harm stemming from a defective product. There are generally three theories a personal injury lawyer will use to make a product liability claim in Hillsboro, 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 offer sufficient protection.
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 a product that did not carry sufficient warnings when it was put to foreseeable use. For example, an electric shaver not mentioning that shock can occur if used in the shower.

In order to recover compensation, you must show that the product was “unreasonably dangerous” when it was used in a way a manufacturer could anticipate, 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 due to another’s negligence. One of the benefits of choosing a Burger Law Hillsboro, IL personal injury lawyer is that we are not limited to any one type of claim, 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 Hillsboro, IL?

The path to getting a financial settlement or verdict for your injuries begins the second you are injured. While some accidents and injuries settle fairly early, others go completely through to a jury trial. In total, the path to getting compensation consists of:

• Seeking Medical Care — Get medical treatment as soon as possible after an injury, and keep attending all treatments that your physician recommends. The insurance company will be harder to deal with if you wait, and not attending all your appointments will lower your final payout. Our personal injury lawyers work with several experienced Hillsboro, IL health professionals who can help you in your recovery.
• Discussing Your Case With an Attorney — Even if you do not know if you need an attorney, you need to consult with one as soon as possible so they can become familiar with your case. A good attorney will be straightforward with you about whether or not their services are needed.
• Investigation and Documentation — Once you have legal representation, your personal injury lawyer will conduct an exhaustive investigation into your claim, ascertain who we need to hold accountable and obtain the evidence they need to get you maximum compensation. You can help by keeping 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 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 there will be several back-and-forths until they decide to be truly fair.
• Filing a Lawsuit — If negotiations do not lead anywhere, we will file a lawsuit in court, which begins the formal process of your claim going to 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, an unbiased 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 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 a fair settlement offer just before trial begins. However, if the insurance company refuses to do the right thing, we will fight for your compensation in front of a judge and jury. 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 Hillsboro, IL personal injury lawyers have never had to deal with seeking compensation for an injury before, and are unsure of what lies ahead. 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 manage all the legal aspects of your case so you can focus on your physical recovery.

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

In general, 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 the economic harm resulting from your injuries, for instance:
  • Lost wages
  • Lost earning potential 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 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

In some cases, we may also be able to pursue punitive damages if the liable 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 available to maximize your compensation.

How Long Do I Have to File a Personal Injury Claim in Hillsboro, 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 a minor 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 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 under 18. Then you would have until your 22nd 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 types of claims we handle in Hillsboro, IL include:

• Survival Action Lawyer in Illinois
• 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 Hillsboro, IL Now

Burger Law’s Hillsboro, IL personal injury lawyers fiercely believe in zealous representation. That means we get started on your case immediately, investigate your case thoroughly, stand up to 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 level of legal advocacy; 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 Hillsboro, 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 Hillsboro, IL personal injury lawyer now at (779) 800-HURT or contact us online for a free consultation.