Personal Injury Lawyer in Decatur, IL

Pursuing Compensation That Allows Our Clients to Move Forward

Decatur is known for its strong agricultural roots, manufacturing and industrial operations, and busy transportation corridors that connect surrounding rural communities. From farm work and construction sites to commercial traffic, local businesses, and everyday travel, people in and around Decatur stay active.

Unfortunately, all of this activity also means accidents can happen. An unexpected injury can impact your health, your work, and your family life. While personal injury compensation cannot undo your injuries, it can provide financial relief that allows you to focus on recovery.

At Onward Injury Law, we fight for the compensation you deserve. Led by Managing Attorney Josh Rohrscheib, we’ve handled Illinois personal injury cases for years. Our Decatur personal injury lawyers are the right people to guide you through the legal process, providing clear advice and practical support from start to finish. For a free consultation, contact our law firm today.

Do You Have a Valid Personal Injury Claim?

Not every accident or injury gives rise to a personal injury lawsuit. In most cases, another party must have acted negligently. Under Illinois law, individuals, businesses, and organizations are required to act with reasonable care to avoid causing injury to others.

When that responsibility is not met, and an injury occurs as a result, a personal injury claim may allow you to pursue financial relief that supports your recovery.

The Key Elements of a Personal Injury Claim

Most personal injury claims are based on negligence. For a claim to succeed, the following elements must be present:

• Duty of Care: The at-fault party had a legal responsibility to act reasonably, such as a driver obeying traffic laws or a property owner keeping walkways safe
• Breach of Duty: That responsibility was violated, for example, through distracted driving, speeding, or failing to address a known safety hazard on a property
• Causation: The breach of duty directly led to the injury, such as a collision caused by reckless driving or a fall caused by an unmarked spill
• Damages: The injury resulted in measurable harm, including medical bills, time away from work, or other financial and personal losses

All four elements must be established for a claim to proceed under Illinois personal injury law. As an established personal injury law firm in Decatur, Onward Injury Law deals with negligence every day. We can quickly assess whether negligence was a factor in your case and help you decide on the most appropriate next steps.

Types of Personal Injury Cases We Handle

Onward Injury Law represents clients in Decatur and throughout Central Illinois in a wide range of personal injury matters, including:

• Motor Vehicle and Transportation Accidents: Car, truck, motorcycle, bicycle, pedestrian, bus, train, and boat accidents.
• Farm, Agricultural, and Rural Injuries: Injuries involving farm equipment, agricultural vehicles, and rural roadways.
• Construction and Worksite Accidents: Injuries caused by unsafe conditions, equipment, or negligent third parties.
• Premises Liability: Slip and fall accidents and other injuries caused by unsafe property conditions.
• Dog Bites and Animal Attacks: Attacks by pets in public spaces or in homes due to negligence by the owner.
• Child Injury Cases: Injuries to children, who may experience serious health issues of psychological trauma because of what they experienced.
• Catastrophic Injury Cases: Injuries that cause long-term or permanent changes to a person’s mobility and daily life.
• Medical Malpractice and Nursing Home Abuse: Negligence by doctors, surgeons, nurses, and staff at assisted-living facilities.
• Wrongful Death Claims: The tragic loss of a loved one due to another person’s actions or failure to act.

Whatever caused your injuries, we are here to support your recovery and help you pursue fair compensation.

What To Do After an Accident or Injury

No two accidents are identical, but certain steps apply in most situations. By taking the actions below, you help protect both your health and your personal injury claim.

Seek Medical Attention

If you did not receive emergency medical treatment at the time of the accident, you should consider seeing a doctor as soon as possible. Some injuries, including traumatic brain injuries and internal bleeding, may not be immediately apparent and can develop days later. Seeking medical treatment also creates important documentation that may support your personal injury claim.

Report the Incident

Accidents involving significant property damage or injuries should be reported to law enforcement. Depending on the circumstances, you may also need to notify a property owner, business, or other responsible party. Incident reports can serve as valuable evidence by helping establish what happened and when.

Gather Evidence

Ideally, you should have photos of the scene, witness contact details, and copies of any incident reports. This is not always possible when you are injured. If evidence is missing, our personal injury lawyers can help retrace your steps and gather what is needed to support your claim.

Be Careful With Insurers

While insurers should be notified, it is important to be careful about what you say. Insurance companies often push for early settlements that do not reflect the full extent of your damages. Allowing our personal injury attorneys to handle communications and negotiations can help protect your interests.

Seek Prompt Legal Guidance

The sooner you contact a Decatur personal injury law firm, the better. Personal injury claims in Illinois are generally subject to a two-year statute of limitations. Investigations, evidence gathering, and claim preparation must be completed within this timeframe. Missing the deadline can prevent you from pursuing compensation altogether.

Frequent Causes of Personal Injury Claims

In Decatur and throughout Central Illinois, injuries frequently occur during everyday activities tied to transportation, work, property use, and rural life. Below are some of the most common causes of personal injury cases we see.

Negligent Driving and Traffic Violations

Poor driving is central to many car accident injury claims. Common examples of negligent driving and traffic violations that lead to injuries include speeding, distracted driving, failure to yield, and driving under the influence.

Unsafe Property Conditions

Property owners must keep their premises reasonably safe. Slip and fall accidents, along with other incidents, often occur when hazards such as wet floors, uneven walkways, poor lighting, or icy surfaces are not addressed. Premises liability claims in Decatur can arise from accidents in stores, apartment buildings, parking lots, and similar properties.

Farm and Agricultural Hazards

Agricultural activity is a part of daily life in the Decatur area. Injuries may result from faulty farm equipment, agricultural vehicles, unsecured property conditions, or unsafe rural roadways. When these hazards are caused by negligence, they may give rise to a personal injury claim.

Construction and Worksite Accidents

Construction and worksite hazards do not only affect workers. Members of the public can be injured when sites are not properly secured or marked, such as when pedestrians encounter open excavations, falling debris, unsecured equipment, or unsafe walkways near active work areas.

Negligent Supervision or Care

Some personal injury claims involve a failure to properly supervise or care for vulnerable individuals, including children and elderly adults. These injuries may occur when schools, care facilities, property owners, or other caregivers fail to take reasonable steps to ensure safety.

Defective or Unsafe Products

Products that are poorly designed, manufactured incorrectly, or lack adequate warnings can cause serious injuries. When a defective product contributes to an injury, manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, or retailers involved in bringing the product to market may be held accountable.

If negligence was a factor in your accident, the at-fault parties should be held accountable. This may include situations where more than one individual or entity contributed to your injuries. Our personal injury lawyers carefully evaluate each case to identify all potential sources of compensation.

Types of Injuries in Personal Injury Cases

Injuries can range from minor to severe, and symptoms may vary from person to person. At Onward Injury Law, we work with trusted medical professionals to understand the full scope of your injuries and pursue compensation that reflects their impact on your life and family.

Some of the most common injuries we see in Illinois personal injury cases include:

• Traumatic Brain Injuries: Concussions and other serious head injuries that can affect memory and daily functioning
• Spinal Cord and Back Injuries: Injuries such as herniated discs or nerve damage that may limit mobility or cause ongoing pain
• Broken Bones and Fractures: Injuries to the arms, legs, ribs, or hips that often require surgery and extended recovery periods
• Soft Tissue Injuries: Sprains, strains, and ligament damage that may interfere with work, movement, and everyday activities
• Burn Injuries: Thermal, chemical, or electrical burns that can result in scarring or long-term sensitivity
• Internal Injuries: Internal bleeding or organ damage that may not be immediately apparent but requires urgent medical care
• Psychological Injuries: Emotional and mental health effects such as anxiety, trauma, or sleep disruption following an accident

Potentially Liable Parties in Illinois Personal Injury Cases

To pursue personal injury compensation, it is first necessary to determine who was responsible for the accident. Potentially responsible parties in personal injury cases may include:

Negligent Drivers

Drivers owe a duty of care not only to other road users, but also to pedestrians, cyclists, and anyone in the vicinity of their vehicle. Conduct such as speeding, distracted driving, failure to yield, or driving under the influence may all give rise to a personal injury claim.

Property Owners and Managers

Owners and managers of residential, commercial, and public properties have a duty to maintain reasonably safe conditions for visitors. When hazards are not addressed and injuries occur, the responsible property owner or managing entity may be held liable.

Businesses Open to the Public

Businesses may be responsible when customers, guests, or other members of the public are injured due to unsafe conditions, negligent maintenance, or preventable hazards.

Contractors and Third Parties

In some cases, liability may fall on contractors, subcontractors, or other third parties whose actions create dangerous conditions. This often arises in construction zones, roadwork areas, shared properties, or public spaces affected by ongoing work.

Manufacturers and Product Suppliers

When injuries are caused by defective or unsafe products, liability may rest with manufacturers, distributors, wholesalers, or retailers.

Hospitals and Medical Providers

Hospitals, doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals may be held responsible when injuries are caused by negligent medical care. This can include errors in diagnosis, treatment, surgery, medication, or post-treatment monitoring.

Care Providers and Care Facilities

Injuries involving children or elderly individuals may result from negligence by schools, childcare providers, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, or other care providers responsible for supervision and safety.

Shared Liability

Illinois personal injury laws allow for more than one party to be held responsible for an accident. When multiple individuals or entities contribute to an injury, each may be accountable based on their role in causing the harm.

Illinois Laws That Can Affect Your Personal Injury Claim

While you do not need in-depth knowledge of Illinois personal injury law, being aware of certain legal requirements can help you understand how your case may be affected. Key considerations include:

• Statute of Limitations: Most personal injury claims in Illinois must be filed within two years of the date of the injury. If a claim is not filed within this timeframe, you may lose the right to seek compensation.
• Special Rules for Claims Involving Government Entities: Claims against state or government bodies may be subject to shorter deadlines and additional notice requirements, making early action especially important.
• Comparative Fault: Illinois follows a modified comparative negligence rule. If you are found to be more than 50 percent responsible for an accident, you may not recover compensation. If your share of fault is 50 percent or less, any compensation may be reduced based on your level of responsibility.

What Personal Injury Compensation Is Designed to Address

Personal injury compensation is intended to address the financial and personal impact of an injury. Depending on the nature and severity of the injuries involved, compensation may include:

• Medical Expenses: Costs related to hospital care, surgery, medication, rehabilitation, and ongoing treatment
• Future Medical Care: Anticipated expenses for long-term treatment, therapy, or support services
• Lost Income: Wages lost while recovering from an injury
• Reduced Earning Capacity: Loss of future income if an injury affects your ability to work or advance
• Pain and Suffering: Compensation for physical pain, discomfort, and the broader impact on daily life
• Loss of Enjoyment in Life: The ways an injury may limit activities, independence, or enjoyment of everyday living

Contact Our Personal Injury Attorneys in Decatur, IL

Led by Managing Attorney Josh Rohrscheib, Onward Injury Law has deep roots in the Decatur community and a strong track record in personal injury claims. The firm places its clients’ needs at the center of every case and offers free initial consultations to help individuals understand their options.

You do not have to face the aftermath of an injury alone. Onward Injury Law is here to help you pursue compensation while you focus on recovery. To request a free and confidential consultation with our Decatur personal injury lawyers, contact our law firm today.