Personal Injury Lawyer in Peru, IL

Burger Law defends the rights of those who are injured because someone else broke
the rules. If you or someone you love have sustained serious injuries because of someone else’s negligent behavior,
Burger Law’s personal injury lawyers in Peru, IL
demand the recovery you are owed and fight for you every step of the way. Call Burger Law now at (779) 800-HURT or fill out our online
form.

To calculate the value of your personal injury claim in Peru, or anywhere in Illinois, check out our complimentary personal injury calculator.

Those who injured you are financially and legally responsible for taking care of your injuries and paying
you all of what you are owed, but that does not mean they will do it willingly. Burger Law’s personal injury
lawyer team fights back for our clients against anyone who is trying to keep them from the recovery they are owed. That
includes anything from making claims against large trucking companies, holding negligent doctors, product manufacturers,
dog owners accountable, suing City Hall, to securing justice and financial security for Peru residents after the
wrongful death of a loved one. If you want to understand if you have a claim, what compensation you are owed or anything
else about the personal injury claims process, speak to one of our personal injury lawyers in Peru, IL as soon as
possible at (779) 800-HURT.

Why Burger Law Is The Peru, 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 is not afraid of a fight. In order to gauge the abilities of an injury law firm, you need to take into
account their previous victories, and what their clients and other lawyers say about them:

Acclaimed Peru, IL Personal Injury Lawyers

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

• Martindale-Hubbell Award — AV Preeminent® Rated by Martindale-Hubbell® from NexisLexis® – a notable
  achievement awarded to less than 5 percent of all attorneys in the country
• 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 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. Fewer than 4 percent of all practicing
  attorneys are certified by an ABA accredited certification board.

Personal Injury Lawyer Peru, IL – Recent Successes

Our Peru, IL personal injury lawyers have a demonstrated history of getting great results. We take on all who harm our
clients, and we insist on nothing but maximum compensation. Our firm is devoted to giving our clients the highest
standard of legal representation, and we have great pride in our well-deserved successes. Read about 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 important to remember 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 your specific injuries. We calculate the full extent of your damages so
that you are given what you deserve.

Burger Law Client Testimonials

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

What Is a Personal Injury Claim in Peru, IL?

Under Illinois and U.S. law, you have a right to file a personal injury claim 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 one whole. The goal is convert all the ways an injury affected you into
a dollar amount.

Sometimes, no lawyer, settlement or verdict is can fully “put back” all the things you lost in an injury. While we can
get compensation for the financial losses you sustained, other damages cannot truly be expressed through dollar signs.
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 one can truly make that go away. What empathetic and experienced personal injury lawyers like those at
Burger Law can 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.

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

While some cases can be successfully navigated without a lawyer, most of the time you will need one to ensure no money
is left on the table in Peru, IL. The question to ask when considering whether or not you need a lawyer is, will I
get more money with them? If your injuries were not severe, you did not miss much time off work and the
insurance company is being mostly fair, you may not need an attorney. But, you should hire an attorney in Peru, IL under
the following circumstances:

• There is disagreement 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 extensive medical treatment
• There more than one party at fault
• Your damages are more than the at-fault policyholder’s policy limits

We offer consultations for free, and we are always honest about whether or not it is in your best interest to hire our
services. Our personal injury lawyers take on cases based on a contingency-fee, meaning you do not pay until we win
your case, and there is no reason for us to accept you as a client if we do not think we can get you substantially more
money.

Do I Have a Personal Injury Case in Peru, IL?

While the legal literature concerning negligence and liability can be complex, whether or not you can seek compensation
generally depends on one essential question: did someone else’s negligence cause you injuries? If so, legally
speaking you have to prove the five
elements of negligence:

1. Duty of care — You first need to
   demonstrate that the liable party owed it to you to value your safety. In some cases this is automatic, as
   motorists all owe everyone on the Peru, IL roads a duty of care, or store owners need their properties to be
   reasonable safe for anyone who legally enters. In other cases, a unique relationship must have been agreed to,
   for example a doctor-patient relationship or a vendor-patron relationship.
2. Breach of duty — Did someone neglect that
   duty? Did a driver hit you while they were looking at their phone? Did a physician misdiagnose a condition? Did
   a dog owner let their dog roam unleashed?
3. Causation — You must show how the breach of
   duty resulted in your injuries. For example, you received a concussions after being thrown off your bicycle, or
   were burned by a defective product when it overheated.
4. Proximate cause — This determines who needs to be held accountable. If you were hit by a vehicle, the
   liable party is usually the driver that hit you. But if the tires were defective, someone in the vehicle’s chain
   of distribution may be ultimately liable.
5. Damages — Finally, you need to demonstrate that the accident led to financial losses. In personal injury
   cases, this is usually medical expenses 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. After proving economic
   damages, we can seek compensation for less tangible losses.

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

What Are Common Personal Injury Case in Peru, IL?

Being a personal injury lawyer in Peru, IL mandates that you have a vast knowledge of the different types of cases that
people deal with. Knowing the difference between a car accident case and a truck accident case seems simple, but there
are many different laws and statutes that can arise in a truck accident case that can be the deciding factor in whether
or not the case is successful. 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 no matter the
circumstances. We have won millions for our Peru, IL clients in the following types of cases:

Auto Accidents

The Bureau of Justice Statistics estimates that there are about 400,000 personal
injury claims in any given year. Just over half 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 increased 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
avoid colliding with anybody or anything else on the Illinois roads. 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 governmental entity may be at fault. As part of our
services, your Burger Law personal injury lawyer will conduct an exhaustive investigation into your claim to find every
liable party and hold them accountable.

Premises Liability

Property owners and managers have a responsibility to take reasonable measures to make sure their premises is not
hazardous for people who are not trespassing. If you sustain damages 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.” Basically, if there is a dangerous condition that is not
obvious, the owner has a responsibility to either repair the hazard, post signage or rope it off. Examples of hazardous
conditions are:

• 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
• Broken safety rails

Not all injuries on a property result in a premises liability claim. If you were in a part of a property you were not
allowed to be, did not pay attention to warning signs, such as a “wet floor sign,” or were running or not acting in a
safe manner, it might be hard to get compensation. Successful premises liability claims depend on the following:

• The owner or manager created the unsafe conditions; or
• The owner or manager was aware of the condition and failed to repair it; or
• The owner or manager tried to repair the hazard 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 Peru, 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. That is
not true, and do not accept any settlement offer until you have spoken to a personal injury lawyer.

Medical Malpractice

Based on data from John Hopkins University, medical errors are responsible for over a quarter of a million
deaths a year. While not all of those amount to negligence, when it does, you can make a medical malpractice
claim.

Proving a medical malpractice claim will come
down to what is known as the standard of care. The standard refers to how a prudent physician, in the same
area and with the same training as the one you are suing, would treat a specific condition.

According 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 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 imperative that the physician corroborating your allegations 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 Decorah, Iowa. Burger Law relies on numerous expert witnesses in Peru and throughout Illinois who
can help verify that your medical malpractice suit is valid.

Common instances of medical malpractice in Peru, IL include:

• Nursing home negligence
• Birth injuries
• Misdiagnosis
  and failure to diagnosis
• Leaving objects in during 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
• Prescription errors

Dog Bites

Every day, nearly 1,000 people require emergency medical treatment for dog bites, and every
year 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, stipulates that the
owner of a dog is strictly liable for your the
injuries their dog causes, as long as 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 lead to only superficial wounds, others result in expensive surgeries or permanent scarring. In any
case, you likely need an experienced and skilled Peru, IL personal injury lawyer to secure you the best possible
compensation you are owed.

Product Liability

Strict liability also applies to anyone involved in the chain of distribution of a defective product. There are three types of product liability claims in Peru, 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 usually occurs to only one or several individual products,
   instead of every product with the same design. 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 instructions 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 make a product liability 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 know how to get great results whenever a rule breaker injured someone else. One of
the great parts of choosing a Burger Law Peru, IL personal injury lawyer is that our team takes on all types of personal
injury claims, and this actually gives our lawyers exceptional experience that they can use to benefit all their
clients. 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.

What Is the Personal Injury Claims Process in Peru, IL?

The journey to getting maximum compensation for your injuries starts the day you are injured. 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
includes:

• Seeking Medical Care — Get medical care 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 your final payout. Our personal injury lawyers work with several experienced Peru, IL doctors,
  chiropractors and physical therapists who can help you in your recovery.
• Consulting With an Attorney — Even if you do not know if you need an attorney, it is best to consult with
  one as soon as possible so they can become familiar with your case. A good lawyer will tell you bluntly what
  your legal recourses are.
• Investigation and Documentation — Once you have hired an attorney, your personal injury lawyer will
  perform a complete investigation into your claim, determine who we need to hold accountable and acquire the
  evidence required for full compensation. You should also keep a record of every dollar you have spent because of
  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 those who are liable for compensating
  you. In the package we will include how we calculated your damages, and insist that nothing but the full amount
  is acceptable. Most of the time, the insurance company will counter our offer with a lower number, and we keep
  negotiating until they decide to be truly fair.
• Filing a Lawsuit — If the insurance company will not be fair in negotiations, we will file a lawsuit in
  court, which begins the formal process of your claim going to trial. 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, a neutral third party will try to get each party to
  accept the merits of the other side’s arguments.
• Pre-Trial — If mediation fails, we will go into the pre-trial “discovery” phase. In discovery, we take
  depositions of eyewitnesses and expert witnesses, 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. In fact, 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 front of a judge and jury. Trial consists
  of:
  • Jury selection
  • Opening statements
  • Testimony and cross-examination
  • Closing arguments
  • Jury instruction
  • Jury deliberation and verdict

Most of our Peru, IL clients have never been through the personal injury claims process before, and do not know what to
expect. Burger Law will be your advocate every step of the way, be there to answer all of your questions and manage all
the legal aspects of your case so you can focus on your physical recovery.

What Compensation Can I Recover In My Peru, IL Personal Injury Claim?

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

• Economic damages compensate you for your financial losses 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 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

Sometimes, we may also be able to pursue punitive
damages if the at-fault 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 get you the best
possible financial recovery.

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

In Illinois, the statute of limitations is shorter than most states at just
two years, under 735 ILCS 5/. That means the clock starts ticking when your
accident occurs, and expires after two years. However, there are three notable 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 under 18. Then you would have until your 22nd birthday.

While two years may seem like a long time, your attorney will want as much time as possible to build your case. Do not
delay in speaking to an attorney. Call a personal injury lawyer today at (779)
800-HURT.

Other cases we take on in Peru, 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 Peru, IL Now

Burger Law’s Peru, IL personal injury lawyers fiercely believe in zealous representation. That means we start working for
your recovery immediately, investigate your case thoroughly, stand up to insurance companies on your behalf and do not
give up until you are awarded the full compensation you are owed. We offer the highest standard of legal advocacy; all
of our advice will be based on the facts of the case and our experience, but we always leave the ultimate decisions on
your claim to you and your Peru, 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 Peru, IL personal injury lawyer now at (779)
800-HURT or contact us online for a free consultation.