Personal Injury Lawyer in Steward, IL

Burger Law defends the rights of those who get hurt because someone else broke the rules. When you or someone you love are seriously injured because of someone else’s negligent behavior, Burger Law’s personal injury lawyers in Steward, 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 contact us online.

If you want to know how much compensation you may be owed in Steward, or anywhere in Illinois, complete our free personal injury calculator.

The negligent people that harmed you are responsible for compensating you for all of your damages, but that does not mean they will do it willingly. Burger Law’s personal injury lawyer team fights back for the injured against whoever is standing in the way of justice. We handle a litany of cases, including making claims against large trucking companies, holding negligent healthcare professionals, product manufacturers, business owners accountable, suing City Hall, to getting justice and financial security for Steward residents after the wrongful death of a loved one. If you have questions about your case, the damages you may be able to recover or anything else about the personal injury claims process, call our personal injury lawyers in Steward, IL today at (779) 800-HURT.

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

It can be hard to know how to choose the best personal injury lawyer for you. You want someone who has won your type of case before and who is not afraid to take your case all the way to trial if they have to. In order to gauge the abilities of an injury law firm, you need to take into account the cases they have won, and their reputation among their clients and other attorneys:

Award-Winning Steward, IL Personal Injury Lawyers

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

• Martindale-Hubbell Award — AV Preeminent® Rated by Martindale-Hubbell® from NexisLexis® – a notable 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 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 American Bar Association accredited certification board.

Personal Injury Lawyer Steward, IL – Recent Victories

Our Steward, IL personal injury lawyers have a demonstrated history of getting great results. We fight all who have injured our clients, and we insist on nothing but full compensation. Our firm is dedicated to offering our clients the highest standard of legal advocacy, and we take great pride in our hard-fought victories. Check out some of 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 important to remember that no two cases are the same, and the financial recovery you receive is going to depend on the circumstances of your claim. We calculate the full extent of your damages so that there is no money left on the table.

Burger Law Reviews

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

What Is a Personal Injury Claim in Steward, IL?

Under Illinois and U.S. law, you have a right to file a personal injury claim to get monetary reimbursement for the injuries another person caused, and to achieve justice. The purpose of personal injury claims is to make one whole. The goal is to put you in the same position you were in before another person injured you.

Sometimes, no lawyer or financial award can fully “put back” all the things you lost in an injury. While you can be reimbursed for the financial losses you sustained, other damages cannot truly be expressed through dollar signs. If you lost a loved one, you lost a limb, are disfigured or will have to live the rest of your life in chronic pain, no legal process can make that go away. What compassionate 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 acknowledgment, and to give you financial security as it relates to your injuries.

Is it Worth Hiring Personal Injury Lawyer in Steward, 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 Steward, IL. The important question is, can they increase my compensation? If your injuries were not significant, 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 will need an attorney in Steward, IL under the following circumstances:

• There is a dispute about liability, or you are being blamed for your injuries
• The insurance company is denying they have to cover certain damages
• Your injuries are serious and require ongoing care
• There are multiple parties that is liable for your injuries
• Your damages exceed an insurance company’s policy limits

Our initial conversations and investigations are free, and we are always straightforward 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 only pay after you have received the full compensation you deserve, and there is no reason for us to take on your claim if we do not think we can get you substantially more money.

What Do You Need to Prove to Win a Personal Injury Claim in Steward, IL?

While state statutes can be confusing, whether or not you can seek compensation generally depends on one particular question: did another person’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 show 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 Steward, 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. Other times, a special relationship must have formed, for instance the relationship between a doctor and patient or between a vendor and a buyer.
2. Breach of duty — Did the liable party fail in that duty? Did a driver crash into you you because they were distracted? Did a doctor not take into account your medical history? Did a store owner not salt the ice in front of their property sufficiently?
3. Causation — You must show how the breach of duty resulted in your injuries. For instance, you received road rash after being thrown off your motorcycle, or had bad side effects from a prescription drug.
4. Proximate cause — This determines liability. If you were rear ended, it is usually because another driver broke the rules of the road. But if the tires were faulty, a manufacturer or mechanic may be the one who is ultimately liable.
5. Damages — Finally, you have to show that you sustained some form of financial loss as a direct result of your injuries. In personal injury cases, this is usually medical expenses and lost wages. If you keep solid records of your medical expenses, this last part will be fairly easy to prove with the help of an attorney. Once we establish financial losses, we can also seek compensation for pain and suffering damages.

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 Steward, IL before. Get in touch with a personal injury lawyer today at (779) 800-HURT.

Types of Claims Our Steward, IL Personal Injury Lawyers Win

Being a personal injury lawyer in Steward, IL requires 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 regulations and statutes that can arise in a truck accident case that play a large role in whether or not the case is successful. A lawyer who only knows how to deal with car insurance companies may not be the best choice to get you full compensation in a different claim. At Burger Law, we know how to get great results in any type of claim. We have won millions for our Steward, IL clients in the following types of cases:

Auto Accidents

The Bureau of Justice Statistics estimates that there are 300,000 to 500,000 personal injury claims every year. Just over half of those result from auto accidents, for instance:

• 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 avoid colliding with anybody or anything else on the Illinois roads. 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 at fault. As part of our services, your Burger Law personal injury lawyer will conduct an exhaustive investigation into your accident to find out who and what exactly caused your injuries.

Premises Liability

Property owners and managers have an obligation to take reasonable measures to make sure their premises is safe for invitees and licensees. If you sustain damages in a slip and fall because a property was unsafe, you can make a premises liability claim. 740 ILCS 130/, also called the Illinois Premises Liability Act, stipulates that proprietors have a duty of care to people who lawfully enter their property that is “of reasonable care under the circumstances regarding the state of the premises or acts done or omitted on them.” Generally, if something that is not obvious makes the property dangerous, the owner needs to either repair the condition, post signage or rope it off. Some hazardous conditions include:

• Spills
• A recently mopped floor
• Broken concrete on a walkway
• Broken stairs
• Broken decks and balconies
• Potholes
• Sudden changes in surface level
• Ledges
• 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
• Absence of 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, such as a “wet floor sign,” or were running or acting dangerously, you likely do not have a slip and fall claim. The following must be true in order to make a claim:

• The owner or manager created the unsafe conditions; or
• The owner or manager knew about the danger and failed to repair it; or
• The owner or manager tried to repair the risk 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 Steward, IL may try to convince you that 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 you are to blame. That is not true, and always speak with a personal injury lawyer before accepting any settlement.

Medical Malpractice

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

Your medical malpractice cases will come down to what is known as the standard of care. The standard is 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 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 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 Kadoka, South Dakota. Burger Law relies on numerous expert witnesses in Steward and all over Illinois who can corroborate your claim.

Common instances of medical malpractice in Steward, IL include:

• Nursing home abuse
• Birth injuries
• Misdiagnosis and failure to diagnosis
• Leaving objects in after surgery
• Hospital system errors
• Failure to secure consent
• Not ordering tests that a prudent doctor would
• Ignoring a patient’s complaints
• Not changing course when their treatment plan is not working
• Prescribing the wrong medication or the wrong dosage

Dog Bites

Every day, nearly 1,000 people require emergency care 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, states 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, 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 can lead to expensive surgeries or permanent disfigurement. Regardless of the seriousness of your injuries, trust in a Burger Law Steward, IL personal injury lawyer to ensure you get the best possible financial recovery you are owed.

Product Liability

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

1. Design defect — This is a defect that occurs even if the product is manufactured correctly. This could include an SUV that is susceptible to rollover accidents, or a power tool whose safety guards do not offer sufficient protection.
2. Manufacturing defect — This type of defect affects several individual products instead of every product with the same design. Examples include rat droppings getting caught in packaging, or a seatbelt with a loose screw that comes undone during impact.
3. Marketing defect — 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 it was used in a way a manufacturer could reasonably expect, that it was the proximate cause of 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 Steward, 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.

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

The path to securing maximum compensation for your injuries can be long and complex. While some accidents and injuries settle fairly early, others can take several years before a jury finally renders a verdict. In total, the path to getting compensation includes:

• Getting Medical Care — Get medical treatment as soon as possible after an injury, and keep attending all treatments that your physician recommends. If you delay, it could bring complications to your claim, and not getting the full treatment will reduce how much compensation you receive. Our personal injury lawyers work with several trustworthy Steward, IL health professionals who can ensure you get the full treatment you need.
• Discussing Your Case With an Attorney — Even if you are not sure you are going to need legal representation, it is best to consult with one as soon as possible so they can become familiar with your case. A good attorney will be honest with you about the value of your claim and how they can help.
• Investigation and Documentation — Once you have hired an attorney, your personal injury lawyer will perform a full investigation into your claim, ascertain who we need to hold accountable and obtain the evidence needed for the best possible financial recovery. You can help by keeping a record of every dollar you have spent because of your injuries, and how keeping a journal detailing how your injuries have affected your life.
• Settlement Demand and Negotiations — Once we have determined the full extent of your damages, we will send a settlement demand package to those who are liable for compensating you. In the package we will include 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 there will be several back-and-forths until they decide to be truly fair.
• 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 option for an agreement before trial. In mediation, an unbiased third party hears arguments from both sides and tries to break the stalemate.
• 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, acquire more evidence and both parties will share with the other what they plan to use as evidence in trial.
• Trial — It is rare that a personal injury claim makes it all the way to trial. Indeed, we often finally get the settlement we were seeking just before trial begins. However, if the insurance company refuses to do the right thing, we will fight for your compensation in court. Trial consists of:
  • Voir dire
  • Opening statements
  • Testimony and cross-examination
  • Closing arguments
  • Jury instruction
  • Jury deliberation and verdict

Most of our Steward, IL clients have never had to deal with seeking compensation for an injury before, and do not know what to expect. Burger Law will be by your side from our initial consultation to full compensation, be there to answer all of your questions and handle all documentation, negotiation and litigation so you can spend your energy on healing.

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

In general, 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, including:
  • Lost wages
  • Lost earning capacity 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, including:
  • Pain and suffering
  • Stress and anxiety
  • Loss of ability to enjoy life
  • Scarring and disfigurement
  • Inconvenience
  • Physical impairment
  • Loss of consortium

Though rare, you may also be eligible for punitive damages if the negligent party’s conduct was purposefully harmful or incredibly reckless. 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 We can to get you the best possible financial recovery.

What Is the Time Limit for Personal Injury Claims in Steward, 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 important exceptions:

1. If you were under 18 when the injury occurred, 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 should have discovered the injury. No medical malpractice claim can be made more than four years after the injury occurred, unless you were a minor at the time. Then you would have until your 22nd birthday.

While two years may not cause immediate concern, your attorney will want as much time as possible to build your case. Do not wait to contact an attorney. Call a personal injury lawyer today at (779) 800-HURT.

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

Burger Law’s Steward, IL personal injury lawyers hold ourselves to the standard of zealous representation. That means we get started on your case immediately, pursue every legal option we have, stand up to insurance companies on your behalf and do not give up until you are awarded the maximum recovery you are owed. We offer the highest standard 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 Steward, 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 Steward, IL personal injury lawyer now at (779) 800-HURT or contact us online for a free consultation.