A Chicago traumatic brain injury lawyer can pursue compensation from the person or company whose negligence caused your head trauma. Illinois gives most injured people 2 years to file suit, and that window is shorter when a city agency or the Chicago Transit Authority is involved.
At Herbert Rosner Connelly Law Firm, we represent people across Chicago who are living with the effects of a traumatic brain injury (TBI), from a concussion that will not resolve to an injury that requires lifetime care. Our attorneys investigate how the injury happened, document what it has cost you, and handle the insurance company while you focus on treatment.
Brain injury claims are won or lost on proof. Our team builds that proof from medical records, scene evidence, and testimony from the people who knew you before the injury.
Daniel Q. Herbert, Adam R. Rosner, and Thomas M. Connelly founded our firm to handle personal injury and workers' compensation claims for people across Chicago. Our office sits at 65 W Jackson Blvd in the Loop, and we take head injury cases seriously from the first call.
Brain injuries often sit at the catastrophic end of a caseload. Settlements our attorneys have secured include:
Every claim rests on its own facts, and prior results do not predict what another case may produce.
Head trauma sends thousands of Illinois residents to the hospital each year. According to the Illinois Department of Public Health, in 2021:
Traffic crashes add to that total every day in Cook County. Statewide, Illinois Department of Transportation data records 303,913 crashes in 2024, including 63,109 injury crashes.
No attorney can name a figure before your medical picture is clear. A brain injury that looks mild at week two can look permanent at month eight, and settling early can leave real losses uncovered.
Value in a brain injury claim generally turns on the following:
Illinois law allows recovery for financial losses and for human losses that do not appear on a bill.
Injuries this severe often overlap with our other catastrophic injury claims. When a brain injury proves fatal, surviving family members may bring a wrongful death claim instead.
Often, yes. Under 735 ILCS 5/2-1116, you may still recover as long as your share of fault is not more than 50% of the proximate cause of the injury.
Your damages are then reduced by your percentage of fault. If the trier of fact assigns you 30% of the fault, your award drops by 30%. Above 50%, Illinois law bars recovery completely.
That line is why insurers push fault onto injured people, and why early evidence matters so much.
Several rules can change what a claim is worth and how quickly it must be filed.
Fault percentages are decided by the trier of fact, not by an adjuster or a police officer's opinion. We gather the evidence that keeps an unfair share of fault off our client.
A fall on public property or a collision with a city vehicle follows different rules. Under 745 ILCS 10/8-101, most injury actions against a local public entity or its employees must be filed within one year.
Claims against the Chicago Transit Authority carry their own one-year deadline under section 41 of the Metropolitan Transit Authority Act.
Undiagnosed bleeding and oxygen loss during treatment can cause or worsen a brain injury. Under 735 ILCS 5/13-212, those claims run 2 years from discovery, with an outer limit of 4 years from the act or omission.
A head injury on the job may support a workers' compensation claim. In some situations, an injured worker may also have a separate claim against a negligent party who was not the employer, such as an equipment manufacturer or an outside contractor.
A brain injury is not only a hospital bill. It is missed promotions, a shorter fuse at home, and tasks that used to take minutes.
Insurers often argue that a concussion resolved on its own, especially when a scan came back clean. We answer that argument with evidence:
Most brain injuries we handle trace back to preventable conduct. Common causes include:
The days right after a head injury shape the case that follows. If you are able, take these steps:
Negligence is the failure to use reasonable care. Proving it requires several connected elements.
Our attorneys move quickly on proof that disappears, then build the medical record around it.
Most injured people have 2 years from the date of injury under 735 ILCS 5/13-202. When a brain injury causes death, families generally have 2 years from the date of death under the Illinois Wrongful Death Act.
Miss the deadline and the court can dismiss the case without reaching the evidence.
Claims against a local public entity, including the CTA, carry a one-year filing deadline. Anyone hurt on a bus, a train, or public property should speak with an attorney promptly.
Under 735 ILCS 5/13-211, the clock for a child's injury claim generally does not begin until their 18th birthday. Shorter government deadlines can still apply, so a parent should not assume there is extra time.
A brain injury changes what your family can plan for, and the insurance company is already building its file. Our attorneys can review what happened, explain the deadlines that apply, and outline the legal options available to you.
Herbert Rosner Connelly Law Firm represents injured people throughout Chicago and Cook County from our office at 65 W Jackson Blvd. To speak with a Chicago traumatic brain injury lawyer, call us today for a free case evaluation.
