Fairview Heights Personal Injury Lawyer

Our office at 210 S. Main Street in Edwardsville serves clients across the Metro East, including Fairview Heights and the rest of St. Clair County.

We combine a local single-event personal injury practice with attorneys who have litigated cases involving severe injuries and contested claims against businesses, manufacturers, and other corporate defendants.

Different legal challenges arise when defendants control important records, dispute medical causation, or challenge the cost of future treatment and the effect of an injury on earning capacity.

Personal Injury Attorneys With Local and Trial Experience

Our attorneys bring different backgrounds to accident investigations, insurance disputes, and litigation involving serious injuries.

Attorneys whose experience supports this work include:

• Eric Terry: Leads our single-event personal injury practice and has represented clients in Illinois since 2004 in motor vehicle accidents, daycare injuries, trucking collisions, and wrongful death matters.
• Tyler Schneider: Our managing partner has handled substantial individual injury claims involving impaired drivers, medical malpractice, unsafe properties, and animal attacks, alongside complex litigation.
• Eric Cracken: Based in Edwardsville, he handles vehicle accidents, negligent security, premises liability, industrial injuries, and wrongful death after years litigating complex corporate and product-liability cases.
• John G. Pirtle: Works on our single-event team and previously prosecuted traffic offenses and tried cases in Madison County, bringing experience with local court proceedings and disputed conduct.

Founder Tor Hoerman adds more than 35 years of trial experience, including cases against major corporate defendants.

Their legal experience supports different parts of an injury claim: establishing what happened, interpreting medical and technical evidence, obtaining company records, and preparing for court when settlement negotiations fail.

Results in Serious Personal Injury Cases

Our attorneys have obtained recoveries across several types of individual injury cases involving substantial medical harm or disputed responsibility.

Examples include:

• $3.25 million recovery: Tyler Schneider represented a person injured in a drunk driving accident.
• $1.5 million settlement: Eric Terry handled a Southern Illinois motor vehicle accident case.
• $4 million settlement: Eric Terry represented a child who sustained a traumatic brain injury at a Central Illinois daycare facility.
• $300,000 recovery: Tyler Schneider handled a slip-and-fall case involving a fractured arm.

Across our national personal injury, product liability, and other civil litigation practices, we have helped clients secure more than $4.5 billion in verdicts and negotiated settlements.

Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.

How We Prepare Injury Claims

Our investigation depends on the incident and the defenses likely to be raised.

A car crash may require vehicle damage, witness accounts, and collision evidence, while a fall at a commercial property may depend on surveillance footage, inspection records, and evidence identifying who controlled the area.

Medical records, treatment history, wage documentation, and expert opinions may be needed to establish whether the incident caused the injuries and how lasting limitations affect future care or earning capacity.

When an insurer disputes fault or medical causation, we fight unsupported allegations with photographs, records, witness testimony, and expert opinions where needed.

Our attorneys explain settlement terms and the consequences of signing a release before clients decide whether to accept an offer.

If negotiation cannot resolve a supported claim, we can take legal action by filing a lawsuit and preparing the case for trial.

How Much Does a Fairview Heights Personal Injury Lawyer Cost?

We handle qualifying personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis, so clients do not pay upfront hourly attorney fees.

Our fees generally depend on obtaining a recovery through settlement or a court award.

Our written agreement explains the fee percentage, how litigation expenses are handled, and whether any case costs may be the client’s responsibility.

The initial consultation is free and does not obligate you to hire our firm.

Our attorneys handle vehicle crashes, unsafe property conditions, workplace injuries, dangerous products, and other incidents where evidence supports legal responsibility.

Different practice areas involve different evidence, insurance policies, deadlines, and legal standards.

Related practice areas may overlap when one incident, such as a commercial vehicle crash during work, supports more than one kind of claim.

Car, Truck, and Motorcycle Accidents

Our attorneys represent drivers, passengers, and families injured in car accidents involving speeding, distraction, impaired driving, unsafe lane changes, or failure to yield.

A disputed car accident claim may require proof of the driver’s actions, the injuries sustained, and the financial losses that followed.

A truck accident claim may require additional investigation of motor carrier practices, driver logs, maintenance records, cargo loading, and applicable federal safety regulations.

Motorcycle collisions can involve disputed visibility, turning movements, and allegations that a rider contributed to the crash.

Police reports, scene photographs, available video, and medical records help connect a driver’s actions to the injuries sustained.

Pedestrian, Bicycle, and Rideshare Accidents

Pedestrian and bicycle accidents can involve drivers who disregard crosswalks, fail to yield at intersections, or make unsafe turns.

Uber and Lyft crashes may raise additional insurance questions because available coverage can depend on whether the driver was offline, waiting for a ride request, or transporting a passenger.

Our attorneys examine the driver activity, applicable policies, and evidence of the collision to identify potential sources of compensation.

Slip and Fall and Other Premises Liability Claims

Businesses, landlords, and other property controllers may be liable when an actionable unsafe condition causes an injury and the circumstances establish a duty they failed to meet.

Falls at retail stores, restaurants, apartment properties, and shopping centers may involve spills, broken stairs, damaged walkways, inadequate lighting, or other hazards.

When an accident occurs at a shopping center along Lincoln Highway, the investigation may require determining whether a tenant, property owner, or maintenance contractor controlled the area where the injury happened.

Maintenance requests, inspection logs, incident reports, photographs, and surveillance footage may help establish who created the condition or had sufficient notice of it.

Workplace and Construction Accidents

A work accident may qualify an injured employee for workers’ compensation benefits, a separate claim against a negligent third party, or both, depending on who caused the harm.

Under 820 ILCS 305/5(b), Illinois allows certain injury claims against third parties who are not protected by the applicable workers’ compensation restrictions.

Construction and industrial accidents may involve negligent contractors, defective equipment, or machinery maintained by another company.

Contracts, workplace records, equipment inspections, and evidence identifying who controlled the work may be necessary to evaluate responsibility and reimbursement obligations.

Dog Bites, Daycare Injuries, and Defective Products

Under the Illinois Animal Control Act, an animal owner may face liability when an animal attacks or injures a person without provocation while that person acts peaceably in a place they are lawfully permitted to be.

Daycare injury claims may involve inadequate supervision, unsafe play equipment, or a failure to respond to foreseeable hazards affecting a child.

Defective products can cause injuries through manufacturing defects, unsafe designs, or inadequate warnings, depending on the applicable theory of liability.

The evidence and legal requirements differ across these claims, and an accident alone does not establish that someone is liable.

Medical Malpractice

Medical malpractice claims may arise when a healthcare professional fails to meet the applicable standard of care and that failure causes injury, including in cases involving surgical errors, delayed diagnosis, or medication mistakes.

An unfavorable outcome does not by itself establish medical negligence, and Illinois generally requires an affidavit and supporting medical review for qualifying healing-art malpractice lawsuits under 735 ILCS 5/2-622.

These claims can also involve specialized filing deadlines, so medical records and the treatment history should be evaluated promptly.

Catastrophic Injuries and Wrongful Death

Severe accidents can cause traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord damage, amputations, burns, and other conditions requiring long-term care or assistance.

Our attorneys evaluate medical opinions, future treatment expenses, reduced earning capacity, and the effect of lasting injuries on daily activities.

When a family member dies because of another party’s wrongful conduct, we assess whether wrongful death claims and a separate survival action may be available under Illinois law.

These claims address different losses, including harm to surviving family members and certain damages the deceased person experienced before death.

Medical care comes first, particularly when symptoms are severe, worsening, or not immediately apparent.

Once you are safe, documenting the incident can help preserve information that may otherwise disappear.

Depending on the circumstances, consider these steps:

1. Seek medical treatment. Have your injuries evaluated and follow the recommendations of your treating providers.
2. Report the incident. Notify law enforcement, a business, an employer, or a property owner when appropriate.
3. Document the location. Photograph vehicle damage, unsafe conditions, equipment, debris, and visible injuries when safe to do so.
4. Identify witnesses. Save contact information for people who saw the incident or knew about the hazard.
5. Preserve records. Keep medical bills, treatment notes, wage statements, incident reports, and insurance correspondence.
6. Retain physical evidence. Preserve damaged products, clothing, or other relevant items when practical.
7. Review releases before signing. A final settlement can prevent recovery for further losses included in the claims being released.

Your own insurance policy or workplace procedures may impose separate reporting and cooperation requirements.

If you need legal help obtaining evidence controlled by another party, our attorneys can assess preservation requests and available court procedures.

How to Obtain a Fairview Heights Police Accident Report

The Fairview Heights Police Department Records Department maintains traffic crash reports and other police records at 10027 Bunkum Road, Fairview Heights, IL 62208.

The department currently lists a $5 charge per report, with regular records hours of Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Records Department can be contacted at (618) 489-2170 to confirm availability, identification requirements, and how to request a report.

Not every injury incident produces a police report; falls and workplace accidents may instead be documented through business records, photographs, and witness accounts.

Most personal injury cases based on negligence require proof that a responsible party owed a duty of care, breached that duty through negligent actions or omissions, and caused an injury or other compensable loss.

Other causes of action, including certain animal injury and product liability claims, may be governed by different legal standards.

A personal injury lawsuit may be necessary when a supported claim cannot be resolved through negotiation or important evidence must be obtained through formal discovery.

We may provide legal assistance at the following stages:

1. Evaluate responsibility. Identify potential defendants, the applicable legal standards, available insurance, and filing deadlines.
2. Preserve and gather evidence. Obtain accident reports, witness accounts, medical documents, photographs, and other personal injury evidence.
3. Document damages. Review treatment costs, lost earnings, anticipated future care, and lasting physical limitations.
4. Negotiate a settlement. Present evidence of fault and damages, address insurer defenses, and explain proposed payment and release terms.
5. File a lawsuit when necessary. Use civil discovery, depositions, expert testimony, and trial preparation when negotiations do not resolve the claim appropriately.

Most people cannot compel a business to turn over internal records before litigation. Through the personal injury claim and lawsuit process, our attorneys can seek voluntary preservation of evidence and, when a lawsuit is filed, use formal discovery to obtain relevant records and testimony.

The legal process does not always end in a trial.

Clients decide whether to accept or reject a settlement after considering the legal compensation the evidence may support, the risks of litigation, and the effect of any release.

Where Are Fairview Heights Personal Injury Lawsuits Filed?

A lawsuit arising from a Fairview Heights injury may proceed in the St. Clair County Circuit Court, part of Illinois’s 20th Judicial Circuit, when jurisdiction and venue are appropriate.

The St. Clair County Courthouse is located at 10 Public Square in Belleville.

The proper court depends on the defendants, claim, and other procedural requirements, and not every personal injury claim requires a lawsuit.

Illinois law governs how fault is allocated, what deadlines apply, and whether particular defendants may assert additional statutory defenses.

The rules are not identical for every injury claim, especially when a government entity or healthcare provider is involved.

Illinois Comparative Fault

Under 735 ILCS 5/2-1116, an injured person’s damages in qualifying negligence and strict product liability claims generally are reduced by their share of fault when that share is 50% or less.

When the injured person’s share exceeds 50%, recovery under that provision generally is barred.

For example, proven damages of $100,000 generally become $80,000 if the injured person is found 20% responsible, before other applicable adjustments.

An insurer’s assessment of fault is not a final legal determination, and some statutory claims follow different liability rules.

Illinois Personal Injury Filing Deadlines

Most Illinois lawsuits seeking compensation for personal injuries must be filed within two years after the cause of action accrues, often the accident date, under 735 ILCS 5/13-202.

Certain claims against local public entities or employees generally must be filed within one year under 745 ILCS 10/8-101, subject to statutory exceptions.

Medical malpractice claims against specified providers generally have a two-year discovery-based period and a four-year outside limit, with exceptions, under 735 ILCS 5/13-212.

Additional rules can apply to minors, wrongful death cases, and other circumstances, while settlement discussions do not necessarily pause a filing deadline.

The seriousness of an injury affects the treatment needed, the potential recovery period, and the evidence required to assess long-term losses.

Injuries involved in these cases may include:

• Head injuries: Concussions, traumatic brain injuries, and lasting neurological symptoms.
• Neck and back injuries: Disc damage, nerve impairment, and chronic pain or movement restrictions.
• Spinal cord injuries: Damage affecting movement or sensation, sometimes causing paralysis.
• Fractures and joint injuries: Broken bones, orthopedic surgery, and rehabilitation needs.
• Internal injuries and severe wounds: Organ damage, internal bleeding, burns, amputations, or permanent scarring.
• Psychological injuries: Anxiety, trauma-related symptoms, and other documented effects of an accident.

Medical records, rehabilitation history, and work restrictions can help establish the extent of the injury and what additional care may be needed.

Whether a person can recover damages depends on factors such as the injuries sustained, disputed fault, and the medical and financial evidence connecting those losses to the incident.

Depending on the circumstances, compensation may include:

• Medical expenses: Emergency care, hospitalization, surgery, rehabilitation, and reasonably necessary future treatment.
• Lost wages and earning capacity: Income missed during recovery and reductions in future earning ability.
• Property damage: Repair or replacement costs when legally recoverable as part of the claim.
• Pain and suffering: Physical discomfort and interference with normal activities.
• Emotional distress and loss of normal life: Psychological effects and limitations attributable to the injury.
• Permanent injuries: Disability, scarring, disfigurement, and long-term impairment supported by the evidence.

Economic damages address measurable financial losses, while non-economic damages concern physical and emotional harm.

A serious injury claim may require medical or vocational experts to assess future expenses and long-term work limitations, while attorney fees, case expenses, and valid reimbursement claims may affect the net amount received.

What If the Injury Was Fatal?

Under the Illinois Wrongful Death Act, qualifying wrongful death actions generally are brought by the deceased person’s personal representative for the benefit of the surviving spouse and next of kin.

Recoverable losses may include financial support and, where permitted, grief, sorrow, and mental suffering; a separate survival action may address certain losses incurred before death.

The appropriate parties, damages, and deadlines depend on the circumstances.

Families pursuing wrongful death claims may seek justice by establishing responsibility and recovering legally recognized losses, but past case results cannot predict a particular recovery.

Our Fairview Heights attorneys represent injured people and families from our nearby Edwardsville office in motor vehicle, premises liability, workplace, daycare, medical negligence, and wrongful death matters.

If you are dealing with an insurer disputing liability, unexpected medical expenses, or an injury that prevents you from working, our legal team can assist with investigating responsibility and pursuing compensation supported by the evidence.

Call TorHoerman Law today or contact us for a free case evaluation. We can discuss legal help for you or a loved one without an obligation to hire us.