photo__2408910_rosenfeld

Legally Reviewed by:

Jonathan Rosenfeld
J.D

March 2, 2023

Over $400 Million worth of case results

Awarded The Best Lawyer in 2024 by U.S. News

Nationally Recognized in Legal Community

Settlements Chicago Work AccidentsRosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC is committed to obtaining the best possible settlement for people who have been injured at work. Our attorneys appreciate that an accident at work impacts the individual and his or her family. We have had success winning settlements for workers in civil lawsuits and under the Workers Compensation Act.

Do You Have a Civil Claim, Workers Compensation or Both?

In Illinois, if you are injured on the job you are entitled to receive benefits under the Worker’s Compensation Act from your employer. Under the Act, a worker who is hurt on the job can receive the following: medical care, money for lost wages when you are unable to work and a lump-sum payment based on the extent of your injuries.

Some workers may recover additional compensation for their injuries if an entity—other than their employer—causes or contributes to their accident. Sometimes referred to as a third-party or ‘civil’ case, a person can receive compensation for injuries that do not fall under the umbrella of workers’ compensation coverage. For example, in a third-party claim an injured worker may recover compensation for pain and suffering or loss of normal life, which are not addressed under the Act. Set forth below, we have summaries of cases that are broken down by injury type to give you a sense of comparable awards as well as some general information you need to know if you are injured in an Illinois work accident.

Please review the pages below for information on specific cases and injuries:

  • How Much are Work Accident Soft Tissue Injury Cases Worth?
  • How Much are Work Accident Bone Fracture Cases Worth?
  • How Much are Work Accident Back and Neck Injury Cases Worth?
  • How Much are Work Accident Brain Injury Cases Worth?
  • How Much are Work Accident Wrongful Death Cases Worth?

How Much are Work Accident Soft Tissue Injury Cases Worth?

Soft tissue injury claims are valued by the victims’ total 1) bills 2) pain 3) lost income and 4) disability. These case summaries illustrate how that plays out in court and settlement.

$455,000 Settlement; Cook County, Illinois Soft Tissue Injury Claim

This work accident dispute involved a pair of workers. One of them was 23 and the other was 49 years old. They were putting up a traffic sign in Northbrook, Illinois. At some point, they both came in contact with a live power wire. The shock of that interaction caused them great injury including soft tissue damage, burns, disfigurement, nerve loss, and other harms. The young man almost $200,000 in medical bills and lost income. The older worker had approximately $50,000 in these damages. These two men and the wife of the older gentleman sued ComEd and the managing companies. Their complaints alleged that their negligence (including supervision) led to their economic and non-economic harms. Taking a look at their chances in court, neither defendant decided that they wanted to try the case. They settled with the plaintiffs over this work accident. The younger man obtained $400,000 and the couple recovered $55,000 for this work accident.

$310,000 Settlement; Cook County, Illinois Soft Tissue Injury Claim

This legal controversy emerged from a relatively simple incident. A worker (male, 33 years old) was bringing some drywall to a job site. The drywall clipped a light fixture. That fixture fell down onto the man and caused him injury. He sustained a herniation and soft-tissue damage around his shoulder. He sued the electrical company and another contractor for negligence. They both appeared, and filed replies but did not intend to press their points to a jury. Eventually, they started settlement negotiations. The man was able to obtain $310,000 fro the two-$295,000 from the electrical company and $15,000 from the contractor. That was to cover his damages for this work accident including immediate pain, long-term suffering, medical bills, and lost income.

$2,875,000 Settlement; Madison County, Illinois Soft Tissue Injury Claim

The man who filed this case worked for IDOT. He was just 26. His managers told him to clean up some corrosion underneath a bridge. To do that, he needed to go into a Snooper basket. However, the persons operating it did not know how to control it properly. This led to an accident. He suffered spinal injuries, soft-tissue damage, infections, renal failure, and other problems. Combined, he had almost $500,000 in medical bills and lost paychecks because of the accident. Plus, he could not go back to his old job again due to disability. He sued the company managing the project. Knowing upfront that they were responsible, the defendant soon turned the conversation to settlement. The plaintiff received $2.875 million in compensation for the work accident but also had to secure a lien waiver.

How Much are Work Accident Bone Fracture Cases Worth?

Bone fracture claims from work accidents generally fall around the average or below average compared to other types. This is because they often do not present significant long-term damage. Yet, as you can see from the following summaries, that is not always the case.

$6,900,000 Settlement; DuPage County, Illinois Bone Fracture Claim

Here, a small thing overlooked led to substantial injury and damage. A carpenter (age 31) was working at a construction site. Apparently, another contractor had improperly replaced the barricade on the top of the building. When the carpenter leaned against that barricade it came undone and he fell off the building. The man’s injuries were extraordinary. For instance, one of his lungs collapsed. He also broke his tibia, ulna, and elbow. The man suffered great immediate pain but also immense long-term damage. He could never return to his job again either. To make up for this, he sued the companies responsible and their insurers. Once the nature of company’s error in replacing the barricade came out, fault was obvious and trial was unnecessary. The man obtained $6.9 million from the defendants combined. This was to cover his past and future medical bills; lost wages; pain; future suffering; disability; and other related harms from his work accident.

$2,075,000 Settlement; Cook County, Illinois Broken Bone Claim

The plaintiff in this work accident matter was just thirty-one. He had been hired by a general contractor to work in a basement of a recently built house. When he was doing that, a beam came loose and fell on him. He broke several bones in his spine. This led to long-term and excessive pain as well as disability. He cannot work in that job anymore. He sued the companies involved for negligent supervision, management, and other errors. The incident caused him about $400,000 in medical expenses and he predicted around $1.5 million in lost wages. He offered those numbers to support his case for damages as well as the pain, handicap, and other harms that necessarily following from the work accident. While the defendants disagreed with some of his points, they could not argue that they were not at fault. Therefore, the real issue was money-how much he was owed. Collectively, they paid him a combined sum of $2,075,000.

How Much are Work Accident Back and Neck Injury Cases Worth?

Back and neck injury claims really depend on the extent of the claimant’s injuries, costs, and suffering. Read about what these back and neck injury victims were able to obtain in Illinois truck accident cases.

$945,000 Settlement; Cook County, Illinois Back Injury Claim

The claimant in this controversy was forty-seven years old. He was given a temporary assignment at a facility in West Chicago, Illinois. Allegedly, another worker ran into him with a forklift. That employee had not received training on how to use that vehicle from the company. The man suffered substantial harm from the work accident. He injured his knee. That issue took three different operations and eventually a whole knee replacement to repair. He also herniated his disk at the L4/S1 spot. Surgeons had to fuse this together to correct the problem. All told, he spent nearly $500,000 on medical bills. He also lost close to $400,000 from missed work. To recoup some of these bills, he filed suit against the company. The man claimed the defendant business negligently trained and supervised its workers and that these failures caused his damages. Eventually, they were able to work out a settlement and avoid trial. The main obtained $945,000 in compensation from the defendants for the work accident.

$482,500 Settlement; Whiteside, Illinois Back and Neck Injury Claim

This case was brought by a truck driver in his late forties. He operated a commercial truck. One day, he tried to unload it without any help or assistance. It did not go well. He herniated a disk in his spine and tore his rotator cuff. Both of these injuries needed surgery and long-term rehabilitation to address. Obviously, he also sustained substantial pain and aggravation from the events. He filed a claim against the company involved in the affair for negligence. Though it thought he was to blame, the defendant company still found it reasonable to settle with the driver for his damages. They offered him a little under $500,000 and he accepted.

How Much are Work Accident Brain Injury Cases Worth?

Brain injury cases from work accidents commonly obtain thousands of dollars -sometimes even millions of dollars. This is due to the fact that these injuries negatively touch upon every part of a person’s life. All facets of the day-to-day experience are reduced as you can witness from these case summaries.

$2,100,000 Settlement; Cook County, Illinois Brain Injury Claim

This case was brought by a carpenter in his middle-fifties. He was working on a residential job. He stood on a beam in order to lay joists when it gave way and he fell down to the floor. The fall was about ten feet. That might not sound like a long distance but it caused him tremendous harm. He suffered a traumatic brain injury, skull fracture, and subarachnoid hemorrhage. Also, doctors diagnosed him with long-term eye and brain damage. The incident cost him $900,000 in lost income and medical expenses. Allegedly, his contracting company did not give him proper fall-prevention equipment (against OHSA standards). He also complained that they were negligent in their set up and supervision of the work site. The two defendants (general contractor and homeowner) denied these contentions and replied that the man was negligent and responsible for his own injuries. Yet, as the matter dragged on, they became less sure of these defenses. Their defense fell apart completely when they settled for $2.1 million. The contract paid $2 million of that and the owner paid the rest. This sum was primarily to reimburse him for long-term medical bills and lost income due to the disability that the work accident caused him.

$950,000 Settlement; Cook County, Illinois Brain Injury Claim

In this work accident case, a forty-year-old carpenter was working on the roof of a house. He fell down an elevator shaft eventually landing in the basement of the home. He experienced a traumatic brain injury, broken bones, and other physical injuries. These cost him north of $750,000 in medical bills. Also, he was still left with long-term pain, disability, suffering, and reduced earning potential. He sued the contractor responsible for the incident. He claimed they should have warned of the risk and taken steps to make sure this did not happen. The company replied and generally disagreed with the contentions contained in his complaint. Still, the plaintiff was able to bring them over to settlement talks. In the end, he got $950,000 for his harms, costs, and other damages.

How Much are Work Accident Wrongful Death Cases Worth?

Families of wrongful death accidents at work have obtained some of the large settlements and awards in Illinois. Their recovery is meant to compensate them for the tragic loss of their loved one as well as to help them move on from the ordeal. These cases demonstrate the relief that is possible after these tragedies.

$5,505,000 Settlement; Sangamon County, Illinois Wrongful Death Claim

This lawsuit was brought against a construction company and a manufacturer after a man in his early forties passed away when a tool he was using exploded. The work accident occurred in Springfield, Illinois. His wife and three children survived him. They collectively filed this action. Their complaint stated that the construction company entirely failed to train or supervise him to use that plumbing tool. Additionally, they argued that the equipment manufacturer knew the device was defective and dangerous but did not warn consumers. Neither defendant made a real attempt to complain that the decedent was negligent and the cause of his injuries. The parties entered settlement negotiations in order to end the matter fairly and quickly. The family eventually obtained $5,505,000 in compensation from the parties and their insurance carriers.

$1,500,000 Settlement; Cook County, Illinois Wrongful Death Claim

In this recent work accident lawsuit, a forty-seven-year-old man was working at a condo in Palatine, Illinois. A light fixture was not working so he got a ladder and tried to solve the problem. However, while he was doing that, he ran into an electrical line. The force of the shock sent him off the ladder and down to the ground. He suffered a traumatic brain injury and died from the wound. His wife survived him. She brought this action on his behalf and hers for the tragedy of his pain, untimely death, their expenses, and her incredible suffering. The actual wrongful death lawsuit was filed against the condo association and property manager. It alleged their negligence led to his interaction with the wire and subsequent injuries and death. They did not articulate any substantial defenses or objections. Instead, the parties began settlement talks. The woman and her counsel worked with the defendants and their insurance representatives. In the end, the woman received $1.5 million for her extraordinary damages.

Contact Our Chicago Work Accident Lawyers for a Free Case Review

Our attorneys handle work accident and workers’ compensation cases on a contingency fee basis. Under this arrangement, we only receive a fee for our work when we have recovered compensation for you. If we are unsuccessful in obtaining recovery, our services are completely free. Complete our on-line case intake form or call our firm at 888-424-5757 and let us get to work for you.

Client Reviews

Jonathan Rosenfeld was professionally objective, timely, and knowledgeable. Also, his advice was extremely effective regarding my case. In addition, Jonathan was understanding and patient pertaining to any of my questions or concerns. I was very happy with the end result and I highly recommend Jonathan Rosenfeld.

- Michonne Proulx

Extremely impressed with this law firm. They took control of a bad motorcycle crash that left my uncle seriously injured. Without any guarantee of a financial recovery, they went out and hired accident investigators and engineers to help prove how the accident happened. I am grateful that they worked on a contingency fee basis as there was no way we could have paid for these services on our own.

- Ethan Armstrong

Jonathan helped my family heal and get compensation after our child was suffered a life threatening injury at daycare. He was sympathetic and in constant contact with us letting us know all he knew every step of the way. We were so blessed to find Jonathan!

- Giulia

This lawyer really helped me get compensation for my motorcycle accident case. I know there is no way that I could have gotten anywhere near the amount that Mr. Rosenfeld was able to get to settle my case. Thank you.

- Daniel Kaim

Jonathan did a great job helping my family navigate through a lengthy lawsuit involving my grandmother's death in a nursing home. Through every step of the case, Jonathan kept my family informed of the progression of the case. Although our case eventually settled at a mediation, I really was impressed at how well prepared Jonathan was to take the case to trial.

- Lisa
Free Consultation (888) 424-5757
TAP TO CALL TAP TO TEXT