Personal Injury Lawyer in Lansing, IL

Burger Law defends the rights of people who get hurt because of negligent and reckless actions. When you has been injured in an accident or incident caused by another person’s actions, Burger Law’s personal injury lawyers in Lansing, 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 the value of your personal injury claim in Lansing, or anywhere in Illinois, complete our free personal injury calculator.

Those who harmed you have an obligation to compensate you for all of your damages, but they will not do it willingly. Burger Law’s personal injury lawyer team fights hard for the injured against whoever is standing in the way of justice. That includes anything from suing large trucking companies, holding negligent doctors, product manufacturers, animal owners responsible, suing the government, to securing justice and financial security for a family after the wrongful death of a loved one. If you want to know if you have a claim, the damages you may be able to recover or anything else about the personal injury claims process, call our personal injury lawyers in Lansing, IL immediately at (779) 800-HURT.

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

Choosing the right personal injury lawyer for your claim is essential. 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 gauge the abilities of an injury law firm, you need to look at their previous victories, and their reputation among their clients and other attorneys:

Acclaimed Lansing, IL Personal Injury Lawyers

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

• Martindale-Hubbell Award — AV Preeminent® Rated by Martindale-Hubbell® from NexisLexis® – a remarkable achievement awarded to not more than 5 percent of all lawyers 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 American Bar Association accredited certification board.

Personal Injury Lawyer Lansing, IL – Recent Victories

Our Lansing, IL personal injury lawyers fight for the full rights and recoveries of our clients. We take on all who harm our clients, and we insist on nothing but maximum compensation. Our attorneys are committed to giving our clients the highest standard of legal advocacy, and we have tremendous pride in our well-deserved victories. Check out some of our recent successes 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 important to remember that every case is different, and the compensation you are owed is going to be based entirely upon the your specific injuries. We calculate the full extent of your damages so that we get the maximum amount of compensation possible.

Burger Law Reviews

In addition to the videos below, you can watch more client testimonials here.

What Is a Personal Injury Claim in Lansing, IL?

A personal injury claim is your right under Illinois law to get a financial recovery for the wrong done by another person’s negligence, and to hold wrongdoers accountable. The recovery you receive is intended to make you whole. The idea is convert all the ways an injury affected you into a dollar amount.

Sometimes, no outcome in your claim can truly “put back” all the things you lost in an 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 legal process can change that. What empathetic and talented 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 accident.

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

That depends on the specifics of your case, but most of the time, yes, you will need a personal injury lawyer to get the full compensation you deserve in Lansing, IL. The important question is, can they add value to my claim? 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 a lawyer in Lansing, IL if the following is true about your claim:

• There is disagreement over liability, or the insurance company says the injuries are your fault
• 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 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 straightforward about how much value we can add 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 there is no reason for us to take on your claim if we do not think we can get you substantially more money.

How Do I Know if I Have a Personal Injury Lawsuit in Lansing, IL?

While the legal literature concerning negligence and liability can be complex, whether or not you can seek compensation depends on the answer to one essential question: did someone else’s negligence cause you injuries? From a legal standpoint, you have 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 had an obligation to keep you safe. In some cases this is automatic, as Lansing, IL driver owe everyone else on the roads a duty of care, or dog owners owe it to others to keep their dog from biting anyone. Other times, a unique relationship must have been agreed to, for example a doctor-patient relationship or a vendor-buyer relationship.
2. Breach of duty — Did someone fail in that duty? Did a driver hit you while they were texting and driving? Did a physician prescribe the wrong dosage? Did a trucking company force their employee to drive longer than regulations allow?
3. Cause-in-fact — You must show how the accident led to your injuries. For example, you received a concussions after being thrown off your motorcycle, or had bad side effects from a prescription drug.
4. Proximate cause — This determines liability. If you were hit by a vehicle, it is usually because another driver was not driving properly. But if the brakes were not safe, a manufacturer or mechanic may be the one who is ultimately liable.
5. Damages — Finally, you need to 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. With access to your medical records, damages are easy to prove with the help of an attorney. Once we establish financial losses, we can also seek 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 speak to an attorney who has handled your type of claim in Lansing, IL before. Call a personal injury lawyer today at (779) 800-HURT.

Types of Cases Our Lansing, IL Personal Injury Lawyers Win

Practicing injury law in Lansing, 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 get great results in any type of claim. Cases we specialize in in Lansing and throughout Illinois include:

Auto Accidents

Statistics from the Bureau of Justice Statistics indicate that there are 300,000 to 500,000 personal injury claims every year. About 52 percent of those are auto accident claims, for instance:

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

Truck accidents can be especially catastrophic because trucks emit so much, and motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians are all at heightened risk of being severely injured as they do not have the same protection closed-vehicle occupants have. Under 625 ILCS 5/11-1003.1, anyone behind the wheel 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 have an auto accident claim against them.

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 conduct a complete investigation into your claim to find every liable party and hold them accountable.

Premises Liability

Property owners and managers have an obligation to take reasonable measures to make sure their property is safe for people who are legally on it. 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 called the Illinois Premises Liability Act, stipulates that proprietors owe a duty of care to people who legally enter their property that is “of reasonable care under the circumstances regarding the state of the premises or acts done or omitted on them.” Basically, if something that is not obvious makes the property dangerous, the owner has a responsibility to either fix the hazard, 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
• Poorly lit stairs and walking paths
• 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 acting dangerously, 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 knew about the condition and neglected 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 store or insurance company in Lansing, IL may try to convince you that 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 more than 250,000 deaths each year. While not every error constitutes malpractice, when it does, a physician needs to pay for breaking your trust.

Proving a medical malpractice claim will come down to what is called the standard of care. The standard refers to how a reasonable physician, 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 claim must be accompanied by an affidavit from a health professional who:

• is knowledgeable in the relevant issues of the claim
• practices or teaches the same field as the negligent doctor, or has practiced or taught in that field within the last six years
• is qualified to review the facts of your case, and determines your claim is “reasonable and meritorious”

It is vital that the doctor corroborating your claim is in the same practice area and geographic region as the health professional you are suing. A thoracic surgeon in Chicago has a different standard of care than a pediatrician in Rockport, Maine. Burger Law relies on a network of expert witnesses in Lansing and throughout Illinois who can help verify that your medical malpractice suit is valid.

Common instances of medical malpractice in Lansing, IL include:

• Nursing home abuse
• Birth injuries
• Misdiagnosis and failure to diagnosis
• Forgetting to remove objects during surgery
• Hospital communication errors
• Lack of consent
• Failing to order tests that a prudent doctor would
• Blowing off a patient’s complaints
• Not changing course when their treatment plan is not working
• Prescription errors

Dog Bites

Each day, nearly 1,000 people seek emergency medical treatment for dog bites, and every year 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 the injuries their dog causes, as long as 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 are minor, others result in expensive surgeries or lifelong scarring. Regardless of the seriousness of your injuries, you likely need an experienced and skilled Lansing, IL personal injury lawyer to secure you the full compensation you are owed.

Product Liability

Strict liability also applies to anyone involved in the chain of distribution of a defective product. There are typically three theories a personal injury lawyer will use to make a product liability claim in Lansing, IL:

1. Design defect — This is a defect that occurs even if the product is manufactured correctly. This could include an SUV that is prone 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 rat droppings 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 labeling that does not mention certain risks when the product is put to foreseeable use. For example, a medication that does not include certain side-effects in the labeling.

In order to make a product liability claim, you must show 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 due to another’s negligence. One of the great parts of choosing a Burger Law Lansing, 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 Lansing, IL?

The journey 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 can take several years before a jury finally renders a verdict. Generally, the path to getting compensation includes:

• Getting Medical Care — Seek medical treatment immediately 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 work with several experienced Lansing, IL health professionals who can help you in your recovery.
• Speaking With an Attorney — Even if you are not sure you are going to need to hire a lawyer, it is best 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 an exhaustive investigation into your claim, determine every liable party and acquire the evidence they need to get you maximum 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 the liable party’s insurance company. In the package we will include how we calculated your damages, and insist that nothing but the full amount will be agreed to. Most of the time, the insurance company will counter our offer with a lower number, and we keep negotiating until they agree to pay for 100 percent of your damages.
• 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. While the case is being litigated, both parties continue negotiating.
• Mediation — Mediation is often the last option for an agreement before trial. 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 still does not result in a fair settlement, the “discovery” phase begins. In discovery, we will speak to eyewitnesses and expert witnesses, gather more evidence and both parties will share with the other what they plan to use as evidence in trial.
• Trial — Only six percent of personal injury claims go to 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 court. Trial consists of:
  • Voir dire
  • Opening statements
  • Testimony and cross-examination
  • Closing arguments
  • Jury instruction
  • Jury deliberation and verdict

Most of our Lansing, 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 from our initial consultation to full compensation, be there to answer all of your questions and manage all documentation, negotiation and litigation so you can spend your energy on healing.

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

Typically, your compensation will fall into two categories: 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 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

In some cases, we may also be able to pursue punitive damages if the negligent harmed you on purpose or they were 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.

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

In Illinois, the statute of limitations is relatively short at two years for most personal injury claims, under 735 ILCS 5/. That means you must file a claim within two years of when the injury occurred. However, there are three noteworthy exceptions:

1. If you were a minor 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 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 wait to contact an attorney. Call a personal injury lawyer today at (779) 800-HURT.

Other types of claims we win in Lansing, 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 Lansing, IL Now

Burger Law’s Lansing, 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 representation; 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 Lansing, 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 Lansing, IL personal injury lawyer now at (779) 800-HURT or contact us online for a free consultation.