A Chicago catastrophic injury lawyer can help you pursue compensation for lifelong medical care, lost income, and a life that changed overnight. A catastrophic injury is one that permanently limits your ability to work, move, or care for yourself. If you are facing surgeries, rehabilitation, and questions no one can answer yet, that fear is understandable.
At Herbert Rosner Connelly Law Firm, we build catastrophic injury claims around the full cost of your future, not just the bills in front of you. Our attorneys investigate what happened, document your long-term needs, and handle the insurance companies while you focus on recovery.
Call us today for a free case evaluation with our Chicago legal team.
Catastrophic injury cases require medical experts, economists, and a legal team prepared for trial if the insurer will not offer a fair settlement. Our settlements in serious injury cases include:
Founding partners Daniel Q. Herbert, Adam R. Rosner, and Thomas M. Connelly lead the firm from our office at 65 W Jackson Blvd, Box 223, in Chicago. Our practice covers personal injury and workers' compensation claims, which matters when a catastrophic injury happens on the job.
Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome in your case.
You may have a catastrophic injury claim if another person, business, or other party caused your injuries through negligence, wrongful conduct, or a defective product.
A viable claim generally requires showing that:
“Catastrophic injury” describes the severity and lasting impact of the harm. It does not create a separate type of lawsuit under Illinois law. The underlying claim may involve a car crash, unsafe property, defective product, workplace accident, medical negligence, or another cause.
Illinois does not track catastrophic injuries as a single category. Traffic and workplace data show how often people in Chicago suffer life-changing harm:
Even in an improving year, that averages more than five serious crash injuries every day.
There is no average value for a catastrophic injury case. Value depends on how the injury affects your health, your work, and your independence for life. Our attorneys evaluate several factors:
Some states limit what juries can award for pain and suffering. The Illinois Supreme Court has rejected legislative caps on non-economic damages, first in Best v. Taylor Machine Works in 1997 and again in Lebron v. Gottlieb Memorial Hospital in 2010.
If your case ends in a judgment in your favor, 735 ILCS 5/2-1303(c) can add interest at 6% per year. Interest begins on the date the lawsuit is filed and runs for no more than 5 years. It does not apply to punitive damages, and government defendants do not pay it.
Catastrophic injury claims often involve expenses that continue for years. Estimating those costs may require input from physicians, rehabilitation specialists, life-care planners, vocational experts, and economists.
Future losses may include:
These projections help show the long-term financial impact of the injury, not just the medical bills already incurred.
Compensation can cover both financial losses and the personal harm an injury causes.
In rare cases involving especially reckless conduct, a court may also allow punitive damages.
Talk to us before you accept an insurance offer. Insurers often make early offers before doctors know the full extent of a catastrophic injury. Call Herbert Rosner Connelly Law Firm for a free case evaluation, and let our team review any offer before you sign.
Yes, in many cases. Illinois follows a modified comparative fault rule under 735 ILCS 5/2-1116. You are barred from recovering only if your fault is more than 50% of the proximate cause of the injury.
Otherwise, your damages are reduced by your percentage of fault. For example, if a jury values your damages at $2 million and finds you 20% at fault, your award would be reduced to $1.6 million. At 51% fault, you would recover nothing.
Insurance companies know this rule, which is why they often try to shift blame onto injured people. We gather evidence to challenge unfair fault claims.
Catastrophic injuries often involve more than one responsible party. Depending on the facts, liable parties may include:
Under 735 ILCS 5/2-1117, each defendant found liable can be held responsible for the full amount of your past and future medical expenses. For other damages, a defendant found less than 25% at fault pays only its own share. A defendant found 25% or more at fault can be held responsible for the full amount.
We represent Chicago clients with injuries that change how they live and work, including:
Learn more about catastrophic injury claims across Illinois and the long-term care these injuries often require.
City data shows that in 2024, right-angle crashes, often called T-bone collisions, accounted for 24% of Chicago crashes that caused serious or fatal injuries. Turning crashes accounted for another 21%. Larger vehicles such as SUVs, pickup trucks, and vans were involved in 64% of pedestrian deaths that year.
Falls from heights, equipment accidents, and struck-by incidents can cause permanent injuries in seconds. Construction accounted for 26 of the 156 workplace deaths in Illinois in 2024.
Other common causes include dangerous property conditions, defective products, and medical errors.
Workers' compensation is usually your only remedy against your own employer under 820 ILCS 305/5. An Illinois workers' compensation claim can help with medical bills and lost wages, but it does not cover every loss a personal injury claim can address.
If a negligent subcontractor, equipment manufacturer, or driver caused your injury, you may be able to pursue a separate claim against that party. Your employer may have a lien on part of that recovery, so we account for it from the start.
Many railroad workers bring railroad injury claims under the Federal Employers' Liability Act (FELA). These claims follow federal rules and deadlines that differ from state workers' compensation.
Most catastrophic injury claims rely on negligence, which generally requires proof of the following:
Strong claims rely on evidence gathered before it disappears. Depending on the case, our team may collect:
Most Illinois personal injury lawsuits must be filed within 2 years after the cause of action accrues under 735 ILCS 5/13-202. In most cases, that means 2 years from the date you were hurt.
Claims against local government entities, such as the City of Chicago or Cook County, generally must be filed within 1 year under 745 ILCS 10/8-101. Claims against the CTA are governed separately from the Illinois Tort Immunity Act but are also generally subject to a one-year filing period under 70 ILCS 3615/5.03.
Different rules may apply in the following situations:
Because deadlines vary, speaking with a lawyer early protects your options.
A catastrophic injury changes your future, but you do not have to face the insurance companies alone. If you need a Chicago catastrophic injury lawyer, Herbert Rosner Connelly Law Firm is ready to review what happened and explain your options.
Our attorneys meet with clients at 65 W Jackson Blvd, Box 223, in Chicago. Call us today or send us your case details through our online contact form to schedule your free case evaluation.
