In Chicago, the owners, tenants, and managers of properties you visit have a legal duty to ensure your safety. If you get hurt because of a dangerous condition on their premises that they reasonably should have fixed, kept you away from, or warned you about, you can seek compensation from them and their insurance companies. Premises liability refers to these legal principles.
Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, represents people who have sustained injuries in Chicago premises liability cases. We fight to secure full, fair payment for the harm our clients have suffered.
Contact us today to learn about what our Chicago premises liability lawyers can do for you.
- Schedule A Free Consultation
- A Skilled Team of Chicago Premises Liability Lawyers
- Understanding Premises Liability Compensation
- Types of Premises Liability Cases in Chicago That We Can Handle
- We Handle Insurance Companies in Chicago Premises Liability Cases
- Steps to Protect Your Rights After a Chicago Premises Liability Accident
- Contact an Experienced Chicago Premises Liability Lawyer Today
Schedule A Free Consultation
A Skilled Team of Chicago Premises Liability Lawyers
When it comes to seeking justice and compensation for injuries you suffered on someone else's property in Chicago, you need skilled and experienced lawyers on your side. Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, is that kind of team. We're an award-winning personal injury law firm serving Chicago and the U.S.
Our trial lawyers are proud of their reputation for meticulous case preparation, aggressive advocacy, and strategic approach to getting results in and out of the courtroom. We've compiled a long track record of success on behalf of premises liability victims, demonstrating our total commitment to securing fair compensation for our clients and serving their unique needs and priorities.
Our team is not afraid to stand up to Chicago's largest landowners, developers, and insurance companies to ensure you receive the compensation you deserve.
Understanding Premises Liability Compensation
In Illinois, owners, tenants, and managers of all types of property—commercial, public, and residential—are legally responsible for providing a reasonably safe environment for people who visit their premises. If they fail to fulfill this duty, you can hold them liable for any injuries you sustain as a result.
The steps a Chicago property owner, tenant, or manager might have to take to ensure the safety of visitors can vary widely depending on the circumstances.
It may include conducting routine property inspections to identify hazards, promptly repairing known dangers such as faulty steps or broken handrails, installing adequate lighting in all areas of a property, hiring security personnel or installing security systems, or placing visible warning signs near any areas that may pose potential hazards to visitors.
Victims of Chicago premises liability accidents can generally seek monetary damages for all the physical, emotional, and financial harm they've suffered.
Every such case we handle at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, differs, but we can typically seek payment for:
- Medical expenses for past and future treatment of injuries and health complications.
- Other costs of living with or adapting to injuries or disabilities.
- Lost income and job benefits from missing work while healing.
- Loss of future earning potential due to an inability to work.
- Physical pain and emotional suffering.
- Loss of enjoyment of life.
- Scarring, disfigurement, or loss of bodily function.
In the tragic event that a dangerous condition on a Chicago property causes an otherwise preventable fatality, the victim's surviving spouse or family may have the right to seek damages under the Illinois Wrongful Death Act, which can include compensation for the loss of the victim's services, financial support, guidance, companionship, or consortium. A successful premises liability claim may also include an award of punitive damages, which punish the at-fault party for extremely reckless or malicious conduct.
At Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, we meticulously evaluate the evidence in every Chicago premises liability case we handle. We aim to identify all liable parties and their insurers and evaluate the full scope of potential compensation our clients deserve. This ensures that any legal action we take on their behalf seeks the maximum possible damages from everyone who should face accountability for our client's losses.
Types of Premises Liability Cases in Chicago That We Can Handle
The team at Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, has the talent, know-how, and resources to handle a wide range of premises liability cases in Chicago. Here are just some of the many types of premises liability matters we tackle for our clients:
Preventable Falls—or Slip-And-Fall Accidents
Slips and falls can happen anywhere in Chicago and are among our most common premises liability cases. Poorly maintained walkways, slippery floors, loose railings, uneven pavement, and unmarked obstacles can cause unwitting visitors to Chicago-area businesses, residences, and public areas to fall and sustain severe injuries, including traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, and broken bones.
Environmental Hazards
Environmental contaminants can pose dangers at properties throughout Chicago. Acute or long-term exposure to toxic fumes, caustic chemicals, mold, lead pipes and paint, or asbestos, for example, can lead to Chicagoans suffering chronic ailments and terminal diseases. A Chicago landlord or property owner who fails to disclose or address those hazards should face accountability for their harmful effects.
Fires and Explosions
Building owners, tenants, and managers in Chicago must comply with the municipal fire code, which supplies the requirements for fire suppression and warning systems for all structures in the city. If a fire or explosion occurs due to an owner, tenant, or manager's negligence or through violation of a requirement contained in the fire code, innocent victims may suffer severe burn or smoke inhalation injuries or tragically lose their lives.
Inadequate Security
Owners and others in charge of Chicago properties may not turn a blind eye to security risks or criminal misconduct on their premises. They must take reasonable steps to ensure the safety of visitors by providing adequate security, which might include hiring guards, monitoring cameras, ensuring proper lighting, or installing locks and other access control systems.
Chicagoans who suffer physical injuries due to criminal conduct on a property, such as broken bones, contusions, stabbings, or gunshot wounds, may have the right to sue not just the perpetrator but also the owner, tenant, or manager for failing to take the necessary steps to keep them safe.
Tainted or Unsafe Food and Drink
Anyone who sells food and drink to the public, including restaurants in Bucktown, Wrigleyville pubs, food trucks in Lincoln Park, and stadium concession stands, must ensure their offerings are safe for human consumption. An establishment responsible for causing foodborne illnesses or triggering allergies due to mislabeled products can face liability to those who suffer harm.
Drownings and Near-Drownings
Public or private pools, spas or hot tubs, and other water-centered recreational areas in Chicago can, unfortunately, become venues for tragic accidents due to mismanagement. Poor maintenance, inadequate supervision, or failure to adhere to safety regulations can result in disastrous consequences for swimmers and others, including fatalities. Victims of near-drowning accidents may suffer from severe and long-lasting injuries, such as brain damage, due to oxygen deprivation.
Unsafe Attractions or Equipment
Owners and operators of Chicago properties must ensure the safety of any attractions they offer or equipment they supply for visitors to use. This responsibility is far-reaching and applies to amusement park rides and kitchen appliances at rental properties. The failure to take measures to protect visitors from unsafe items can lead to catastrophic trauma, including facial injuries, crush injuries, and burns.
We Handle Insurance Companies in Chicago Premises Liability Cases
Insurance coverage plays a significant role in compensating victims for their injuries in most Chicago premises liability cases. Your insurance may cover some of the associated costs, but often, the property owner, tenant, or manager's liability insurance should bear the brunt of your damages. Homeowners' insurance, renters' insurance, or commercial liability coverage may apply, depending on your case.
Obtaining money from insurers isn't easy, however. Insurance companies are businesses, and like many others, their primary concern is their bottom line. This means they will frequently employ tactics to minimize the amount they pay out in claims. These strategies can include denying liability, disputing the severity of your injuries, or suggesting that you were somehow at fault for the accident.
At Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, we have extensive experience dealing with insurance companies and know too well the tactics they use. We can handle all communications with the insurers who owe you money, protecting your rights and preventing insurance companies from taking advantage of you.
Our team aggressively pursues the full amount of compensation our clients deserve and will hold insurance companies to their obligations, whether that means negotiating with them or taking them to court.
Steps to Protect Your Rights After a Chicago Premises Liability Accident
When you've suffered injuries on someone else's property in Chicago, taking the right steps afterward can significantly enhance your chances of securing the compensation you deserve. Here are some steps that can protect your rights after a premises liability accident:
Prioritize Your Health and Well-Being
Your health should always be the priority. After seeking prompt medical attention, follow your doctor's instructions, and make all reasonable efforts to heal from your injuries. Go to follow-up appointments and physical therapy and avoid activities that your doctor directs you to avoid.
Putting your health and well-being first doesn't just promote healing. It also enhances your chances of a successful damages claim by creating valuable evidence in the form of medical records and preventing insurers and defense lawyers from arguing that you're to blame for your physical impairments.
Notify the Property Owner Promptly
Inform the property owner or someone else in charge of the premises about the accident or incident that harmed you as soon as possible. This puts them on notice of the dangerous property condition that led to your injury, which can preserve your rights and protect others from suffering similar injuries.
A property owner, tenant, or manager's steps after becoming aware of an accident can constitute significant evidence supporting your claim. If you have not notified the property owner of your injury, an experienced premises liability lawyer can do it if you act quickly.
Do Not Accept In-Kind Payments or Quick Insurance Settlements
Be wary of accepting in-kind payments from the property owner, such as a free hotel room or meals. These might seem like generous gestures and good customer service, but they have minimal value, and taking them can potentially interfere with your rights to seek compensation for your injuries. Talk to a lawyer first.
Do not agree to or sign any settlement offer the property owner's liability insurance company makes to you directly. Those offers virtually always fall well short of the amount you deserve to receive. Insurance companies make them because they hope you'll say yes without realizing a skilled attorney could get you a lot more and that by agreeing, you forfeit your rights to full compensation. Leave negotiations with property owners and insurance companies to an experienced lawyer.
Hire an Experienced Chicago Premises Liability Lawyer Immediately
Engaging a Chicago premises liability lawyer soon after getting hurt on someone else's property can be crucial to securing full payment for your losses. Quick action allows your lawyer to locate and preserve evidence to support your claim. It also protects your rights to pursue your claim by preventing you from missing the applicable legal deadlines.
Hiring an experienced premises liability lawyer is affordable. At Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, we offer free consultations to explain your rights and legal options. We also represent our clients on contingency, which means we don't charge upfront fees or hourly rates and only receive compensation if and when we secure money for your losses. You pay us nothing, in other words, unless we win for you.
Contact an Experienced Chicago Premises Liability Lawyer Today
You have valuable rights to demand compensation for losses suffered due to injuries at someone else's property in Chicago. Don't wait to seek the money you need to cover your expenses and rebuild after a traumatic injury. Contact Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, today online or call our Chicago office at (312) 500-2901 to discuss your claim with a knowledgeable legal professional.
Glad I chose Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA. Hiring Matt Dolman is the best decision you could make if you are injured in an accident. He resolved my case quickly (it only took about 4 1/2 months) and it was a pleasure to deal with the staff. The communication was great as I always knew what to expect with each stage of the process.
Refreshing. It was very refreshing to work with an attorney that took such a professional and personal approach to helping me with my legal needs. I was kept informed on everything Mr. Dolman was doing so I never felt “in the dark”. Another positive was Mr. Dolman’s knowledge in the trial procedures. I never felt misled through the whole process and recieved the services and results that I was promised upon our initial consultation. There were no unexpected issues or occurrences.