Personal Injury Lawyer in West Chicago, IL

Burger Law defends the rights of people who are injured because someone else broke the rules. If you are seriously injured because of someone else’s negligent behavior, Burger Law’s personal injury lawyers in West Chicago, 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 your personal injury claim may be worth in West Chicago, or anywhere in Illinois, take a look at our free personal injury calculator.

Those who harmed 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 back for our clients against anyone who is trying to keep them from the money they deserve. That includes anything from suing large trucking companies, holding negligent doctors, product manufacturers, restaurant owners accountable, suing City Hall, to getting justice and financial security for West Chicago residents after a a family member passed too soon. If you have questions about your case, what compensation you are owed or other questions regarding personal injury claims, call our personal injury lawyers in West Chicago, IL immediately at (779) 800-HURT.

Why Choose Burger Law’s West Chicago, 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 you know will not back down from a fight. In order to have a good understanding of the abilities of a law firm, you need to take into account their previous successes, and their reputation among their clients and other attorneys:

Award-Winning West Chicago, IL Personal Injury Lawyers

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

• Martindale-Hubbell Award — AV Preeminent® Rated by Martindale-Hubbell® from NexisLexis® – a notable achievement awarded to not more than 5 percent of all attorneys 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 award that is made up 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 lawyers are certified by an American Bar Association accredited certification board.

Personal Injury Lawyer West Chicago, IL – Cases We Have Won

Our West Chicago, IL personal injury lawyers fight for the full rights and recoveries of our clients. We fight all who have injured our clients, and we fight for a full recovery every time. Our firm is committed to offering our clients the highest standard of legal advocacy, and we have tremendous pride in our well-deserved successes. Read about our recent victories 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 compensation you receive is going to depend on the your specific injuries. We fight for you so that you are given what you are owed.

Burger Law Client Success Stories

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

What Is a Personal Injury Claim in West Chicago, IL?

A personal injury claim is your right under Illinois law to get monetary reimbursement for the wrong done by another person’s negligence, and to hold wrongdoers accountable. The compensation you receive is intended to make you whole. The idea is to put you in the same position you were in before sustained the damages caused by another’s negligence.

Sometimes, no outcome in your claim can fully “put back” all the things you lost in an injury. While we can get compensation for medical expenses, lost wages and other financial losses, other damages are harder to quantify. 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 one can truly make that go away. What compassionate and skilled personal injury lawyers like those at Burger Law are able to do is ensure your injuries are recognized, and to give you financial security as it relates to your accident.

Is it Worth Hiring Personal Injury Lawyer in West Chicago, 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 West Chicago, IL. The important question is, will I get more money with them? If your injuries were not severe, you did not miss much time off work and the insurance adjuster is being reasonable, a lawyer might not be necessary. But, you will need legal representation in West Chicago, IL under the following circumstances:

• There is a dispute about liability, or you are being blamed for your injuries
• The insurance company or liable party’s offer is well below the cost of your damages
• Your injuries are serious and require extensive medical treatment
• There are multiple parties that is liable for your damages
• Your damages are more than the at-fault policyholder’s policy limits

Our initial conversations and investigations are free, and we are always direct 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 are owed, and we have no reason to accept you as a client 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 West Chicago, IL?

While legal doctrine can be complex, whether or not you have a claim depends on the answer to one specific 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 an obligation to keep you safe. Sometimes, a duty of care is assumed, as motorists all owe everyone on the West Chicago, IL roads a duty of care, or dog owners owe it to others to keep their dog from biting anyone. Other times, a particular relationship must have been agreed to, for example a doctor-patient relationship or a vendor-patron relationship.
2. Breach of duty — Did the other party fail in that duty? Did a driver crash into you you because they were texting and driving? Did a physician not take into account your medical history? Did a trucking company force their employee to drive longer than regulations allow?
3. Cause-in-fact — You must show how the breach of duty resulted in 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 who ultimately is to blame. If you were hit by a vehicle, the liable party is usually the driver that hit you. But if the tires were not safe, a manufacturer or mechanic may be the one who is ultimately liable.
5. Damages — Finally, you have to demonstrate that the incident led to financial losses. In most cases damages are medical bills and lost wages. With access to your medical records, this last part will be fairly easy to prove with the help of an attorney. After proving economic damages, we can pursue compensation for less tangible losses.

If you have any doubts about whether or not you have a case, speak to a lawyer in West Chicago, IL who has won a similar claim before. You can speak to a personal injury lawyer now at (779) 800-HURT.

What Are Common Personal Injury Case in West Chicago, IL?

Being a personal injury lawyer in West Chicago, IL requires that you know how liability laws apply to a wide range of cases. Knowing the difference between how the law applies to auto accidents, medical malpractice and slip and falls is essential. A lawyer that only specializes in a certain type of injury claim may not have the experience to take on other cases. At Burger Law, we know how to get great results no matter the circumstances. We have won millions for our West Chicago, 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 annually. The majority of those result from auto accidents, such as:

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

Truck accidents can cause serious injuries 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, all motorist 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.

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 a full investigation into your accident to find every liable party and hold them accountable.

Premises Liability

Proprietors have an obligation to take reasonable measures to make sure their premises is safe for people who are not trespassing. If you are injured in a slip and fall because a property was unreasonably dangerous, you deserve compensation. 740 ILCS 130/, also known as 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.” Essentially, if something that is not obvious makes the property unsafe, 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 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 was aware of the condition and failed to fix it; or
• The owner or manager tried to fix the risk 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 store or insurance company in West Chicago, 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 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 over a quarter of a million deaths each year. While not all of those constitutes malpractice, 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 refers to how a prudent healthcare professional, in a specific field and specific location, would treat whatever ailment you saw them for.

Under 735 ILCS 5/2-622, any medical malpractice 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 doctor you are suing, or has practiced or taught in that field within the last six years
• is qualified to review the facts of your case, and determines your claim is “reasonable and meritorious”

It is vital that the health professional who writes the affidavit has the same training and practices in the same area as the health professional you are suing. A thoracic surgeon in Chicago is held to a different standard of care than a pediatrician in Kadoka, South Dakota. Burger Law knows numerous expert witnesses in West Chicago and in other parts of Illinois who can corroborate that your doctor violated the standard of care.

Common examples of medical malpractice in West Chicago, IL include:

• Nursing home negligence
• Birth injuries
• Misdiagnosis and failure to diagnosis
• Forgetting to remove objects after surgery
• Hospital communication errors
• Failure to secure consent
• Failing to order tests that a prudent doctor would
• Ignoring a patient’s complaints
• Not changing course when their treatment plan is not working
• Prescription errors

Dog Bites

Each day, nearly 1,000 people require emergency medical treatment 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, mandates 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 liable as a matter of law and you do not have to prove negligence. 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 are minor, others can lead to expensive surgeries or lifelong scarring. In any case, trust in a Burger Law West Chicago, IL personal injury lawyer to ensure you get the full compensation you are owed.

Product Liability

Like dog owners, the designers, manufacturers, distributors and vendors of a product are strictly liable for the damages stemming from a defective product. There are three categories of product liability claims in West Chicago, 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 prevent injuries.
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 a bug getting caught in packaging, or improperly attached electrical outlets.
3. Failure to warn — 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 have a successful claim, you must show that the product was “unreasonably dangerous” when it was used in a way a manufacturer could reasonably expect, that it caused your injuries and that you had not substantially modified the product.

Burger Law’s personal injury lawyers know how to get great results whenever someone was injured through no fault of their own. One of the benefits of choosing a Burger Law West Chicago, IL personal injury lawyer is that we are not limited to any one type of claim, 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 West Chicago, IL?

The path to getting maximum compensation 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. From beginning to end, the personal injury claims process includes:

• Getting Medical Treatment — Seek medical treatment immediately after an injury, and do not miss any appointments with your doctor, chiropractor or physical therapist. If you delay, it could bring complications to your claim, and not attending all your appointments will reduce how much compensation you receive. Our personal injury lawyers work with several experienced West Chicago, IL health professionals who can help you in your recovery.
• Consulting With an Attorney — Even if you are not sure you are going to need to hire a lawyer, you need to know what your options are as soon as possible. A good attorney will tell you bluntly what your legal recourses are.
• Investigation and Documentation — Once you have retained a lawyer’s services, 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 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 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 there will be several back-and-forths until they offer full compensation.
• Filing a Lawsuit — If the insurance company will not be fair in negotiations, we will proceed to litigating the case and setting up a 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, the “discovery” phase begins. In discovery, we take depositions of eyewitnesses and expert witnesses, acquire more evidence and share with and request documentation with the other side.
• Trial — Most personal injury claims are settled before 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 West Chicago, IL personal injury lawyers have never been through the personal injury claims process before, and do not know what to expect. Burger Law will be your advocate from our initial consultation to full compensation, be there to answer all of your questions and oversee all the legal aspects of your case so you can focus on your physical recovery.

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

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

• Economic damages compensate you for your financial losses resulting from 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 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, you may also be eligible for punitive damages if the liable 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 are rarely awarded, your Burger Law personal injury lawyer will pursue every legal avenue We can to maximize your compensation.

What Is the Time Limit for Personal Injury Claims in West Chicago, 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 under 18 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 a minor at the time. Then you would have until four years after your 18th birthday.

While two years may seem like a long time, 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 take on in West Chicago, 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 West Chicago, IL Now

Burger Law’s West Chicago, IL personal injury lawyers fiercely believe in zealous representation. That means we start working for your recovery immediately, pursue every legal option we have, fight back against insurance companies on your behalf and do not let down until you are awarded the maximum compensation 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 West Chicago, 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 West Chicago, IL personal injury lawyer now at (779) 800-HURT or contact us online for a free consultation.