Granite City Personal Injury Lawyer

TorHoerman Law has represented injured people and families for decades, including clients throughout Southern Illinois and the Metro East.

Our law firm was founded by Tor Hoerman, who has more than 35 years of litigation experience and has helped lead major personal injury and product liability cases nationwide.

Eric Terry leads much of our single-event personal injury work and has spent more than two decades handling serious car accidents, truck crashes, wrongful death cases, and other negligence claims.

His background includes cases that required detailed investigations, expert testimony, depositions, settlement negotiations, and jury trials.

Our attorneys have secured substantial settlements and verdicts in cases involving catastrophic injuries, motor vehicle crashes, defective products, and preventable deaths, although past results do not guarantee a particular outcome.

TorHoerman Law also has deep roots in the region, with attorneys working from nearby Edwardsville and experience representing people throughout Madison County and Southern Illinois.

Clients have access to a legal team with the resources to investigate serious injuries, retain qualified experts when appropriate, and prepare disputed claims for trial.

For someone injured in Granite City, TorHoerman Law offers local familiarity combined with decades of experience handling significant personal injury litigation.

What Types of Granite City Personal Injury Claims Can TorHoerman Law Help Me With?

TorHoerman Law represents injured people and families in Granite City in a range of personal injury cases.

Our experienced attorneys can review how the injury occurred, identify potentially responsible parties, and explain what compensation may be available under Illinois law.

Our legal team handles cases involving:

• Car accidents, including rear-end crashes, intersection collisions, impaired driving, and other serious motor vehicle accidents
• Truck accidents involving semi-trucks, delivery vehicles, commercial carriers, and other large vehicles
• Motorcycle, bicycle, and pedestrian accidents including crashes caused by distracted drivers, failure to yield, unsafe turns, speeding, or other negligent driving
• Premises liability claims involving unsafe property conditions, slip and fall accidents, inadequate maintenance, or other hazards
• Medical malpractice involving healthcare providers, hospitals, delayed diagnosis, surgical errors, medication mistakes, or medical negligence
• Workplace injuries, including claims that may involve workers’ compensation and third-party liability
• Defective product claims involving dangerous consumer products, unsafe equipment, or inadequate warnings
• Catastrophic injury claims, including brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, severe burns, fractures, amputations, and permanent harm
• Wrongful death claims when a family has lost a loved one because of negligence

How Much Does It Cost To Hire a Personal Injury Attorney From TorHoerman Law?

TorHoerman Law handles qualifying personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis.

This means clients generally do not pay attorney fees upfront, and our law firm is paid only if compensation is recovered through a settlement or verdict.

The percentage charged and responsibility for case expenses are explained in the written fee agreement before representation begins.

The contingency fee structure allows injured people to hire a personal injury attorney without taking on hourly legal fees while they are already dealing with medical bills, missed work, and other financial pressures.

During a free consultation, our attorneys can explain how the contingency fee arrangement applies to the specific case and answer questions about potential costs.

If no compensation is recovered, clients generally do not owe attorney fees for the legal representation, subject to the terms of the fee agreement.

A serious injury can disrupt your health, work, finances, and daily life, and the legal process will depend on how the injury occurred and who may be responsible.

Whether a claim follows an auto accident, unsafe property condition, defective product, or another act of negligence, the process generally begins with reviewing the facts and available evidence.

TorHoerman Law can investigate liability, document the injuries and damages, and determine which parties or insurance policies may be involved.

Under Illinois law, most personal injury actions generally must be filed within two years after the cause of action accrues, which is often the date of the accident in ordinary injury cases.

Our trusted personal injury lawyers also bring experience with Illinois litigation and the local court procedures and judicial practices that may affect how a Granite City case proceeds.

The personal injury timeline may include:

1. Free consultation: Our attorneys review what happened, your injuries, available evidence, and the legal options that may be available.
2. Investigation: TorHoerman Law gathers accident reports, photographs, video, witness statements, medical records, insurance information, and other relevant evidence.
3. Liability and damages review: Our legal team evaluates who may be responsible and documents medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, future treatment, and other supported losses.
4. Demand and negotiations: When appropriate, our attorneys may send a demand letter presenting the evidence, liability allegations, and damages and negotiate with the insurance company or other responsible party.
5. Filing a lawsuit: If the claim cannot be resolved through negotiations, TorHoerman Law can file a personal injury lawsuit and proceed through discovery, depositions, mediation, and trial preparation when necessary.

Not every Granite City personal injury case follows the same path, and some claims may resolve without a lawsuit.

The time required can depend on the severity of the injuries, disputed liability, available insurance coverage, and whether expert testimony or litigation is necessary.

TorHoerman Law can explain each stage of the process and handle the legal work while clients focus on their recovery and life after the injury.

You may qualify for a personal injury claim if another person, business, property owner, healthcare provider, or other party acted negligently and caused you harm.

A claim generally requires evidence connecting the other party’s conduct to your injuries and resulting losses, such as medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering, or other damages.

Personal injury cases may arise from car and truck accidents, unsafe property conditions, medical negligence, defective products, and other preventable incidents.

Families may also have legal options when negligence results in the death of a lost loved one.

Illinois law places a time limit on personal injury lawsuits, and most negligence-based claims generally must be filed within two years after the cause of action accrues, although different deadlines may apply in certain cases.

You do not need to determine liability or calculate the full value of your damages before speaking with an attorney.

Experienced counsel can review the available evidence, determine which parties may be responsible, and explain the legal options available under Illinois law.

TorHoerman Law can assist injured people and families in Granite City by evaluating the circumstances of the injury and determining whether there may be grounds to pursue a claim.

Evidence In A Granite City Personal Injury Case

Evidence can help show how an accident happened, who may be responsible, and how the injury affected the person involved.

In a Granite City personal injury case, strong documentation can also help connect medical treatment, lost income, and other losses to the incident.

The type of evidence needed will depend on whether the claim involves a car accident, unsafe property, medical negligence, a defective product, or another form of preventable harm.

Some evidence may be easier to obtain soon after the incident, while video footage, witness memories, and physical conditions can change over time.

TorHoerman Law can review the available records and help preserve the evidence needed to pursue the compensation injured people deserve after an accident in town.

Helpful evidence may include:

• Police, accident, or incident reports
• Photos and videos of the scene, injuries, and property damage
• Witness statements and contact information
• Medical records, bills, and treatment plans
• Employment and income records showing lost wages
• Insurance correspondence and claim documents
• Vehicle repair estimates or property damage records
• Surveillance, dashcam, or traffic camera footage
• Property maintenance or inspection records when relevant
• Product documents, receipts, warnings, or packaging in defective product cases
• Expert analysis when needed to evaluate liability, injuries, or damages

Potential Compensation In Granite City Injury Claims

Damages are the financial and personal losses caused by an injury and may include both economic and non-economic harm.

Personal injury lawyers assess damages by reviewing medical records, treatment costs, employment information, property damage, and evidence showing how the injury has affected the person’s daily life.

Future losses may also require input from medical, vocational, or economic experts when long-term treatment, disability, or reduced earning capacity is involved.

TorHoerman Law can evaluate the available evidence and calculate the damages supported by the facts of the case.

Potential compensation may include:

• Past and future medical expenses
• Lost wages and reduced earning capacity
• Rehabilitation and long-term care costs
• Property damage and other out-of-pocket expenses
• Physical pain and suffering
• Emotional distress
• Disfigurement and permanent disability
• Loss of normal life
• Wrongful death damages when applicable under Illinois law

Illinois personal injury cases can be affected by several statutes governing filing deadlines, fault, damages, and who may bring a claim.

The law that applies depends on how the injury occurred, who may be responsible, and the type of claim being pursued.

Some laws determine how long an injured person has to file a lawsuit, while others affect whether compensation is reduced because of shared fault.

Claims involving medical negligence, wrongful death, or a local government entity can also follow different rules from an ordinary negligence case.

Understanding these differences can help injured people identify important deadlines and requirements before they affect the claim.

Illinois laws that may apply include:

• 735 ILCS 5/13-202, Personal Injury Statute of Limitations: Most actions seeking damages for personal injury must generally be filed within two years after the cause of action accrues. Different statutes can apply to certain types of claims, so the two-year period should not be assumed to govern every case.
• 735 ILCS 5/2-1116, Modified Comparative Negligence: An injured person can generally recover damages when their contributory fault is 50% or less, but the award is reduced according to their percentage of fault. A plaintiff found more than 50% responsible is barred from recovering damages under this provision.
• 745 ILCS 10/8-101, Claims Against Local Government Entities: Civil actions against an Illinois local public entity or its employees generally must be commenced within one year of the injury or accrual of the claim, subject to statutory exceptions. This shorter deadline can apply to claims involving municipalities and other covered local governmental defendants.
• 735 ILCS 5/13-212, Medical Malpractice Claims: Actions arising from patient care against covered physicians, dentists, nurses, or hospitals generally must be brought within two years after the claimant knew or reasonably should have known of the injury, with a four-year statute of repose in most cases. Separate rules apply to minors and people under certain legal disabilities.
• 740 ILCS 180/2, Illinois Wrongful Death Act: A wrongful death action generally must be brought by the deceased person’s personal representative for the benefit of the surviving spouse and next of kin, and most claims must be filed within two years after the death. Illinois law permits recovery for qualifying losses including pecuniary injuries, grief, sorrow, and mental suffering, subject to the circumstances of the case.

Several of these laws can apply to the same incident, and a shorter or more specialized deadline may control depending on the defendant and cause of action.

TorHoerman Law can review the circumstances of a Granite City injury claim and determine which Illinois statutes, filing deadlines, and fault rules may apply.

Illinois Requirements For Proving Negligence

Many Illinois personal injury claims are based on negligence.

To succeed on a negligence claim, the injured person generally must show that the defendant owed a legal duty, breached that duty, and caused an injury that resulted in damages.

A negligence claim generally requires proof of:

• Duty: The defendant owed the injured person a legal duty to exercise reasonable care.
• Breach: The defendant failed to meet that duty through an act or omission.
• Causation: The defendant’s breach was a proximate cause of the injury.
• Damages: The injured person suffered measurable losses, such as medical expenses, lost income, property damage, pain and suffering, or other harm.

The evidence needed to prove negligence depends on how the injury occurred.

TorHoerman Law can investigate the circumstances, identify the applicable duty of care, and gather evidence showing how the defendant’s conduct caused the client’s injuries and losses.

TorHoerman Law represents injured people and families in Granite City, Madison County, and throughout Southern Illinois.

Our attorneys bring extensive experience to personal injury matters involving serious car accidents, truck crashes, unsafe property conditions, medical negligence, defective products, catastrophic injuries, and wrongful death.

Clients can rely on our legal team to investigate what happened, preserve important evidence, identify potentially responsible parties, and pursue compensation supported by the facts of the case.

Our personal injury and car accident lawyers can also handle insurance communications, evaluate damages, and prepare the matter for litigation when a reasonable resolution cannot be reached.

If you or a loved one was injured because of someone else’s negligence in Granite City, contact TorHoerman Law for a free consultation.

You can also use the chat feature on this page to discuss your case with our legal team.