Fighting for you in Arlington Heights

An injury caused by someone else’s negligence reshapes everything: the medical bills, the days you can’t work, the things you can’t do for your family. For 80 years, the lawyers at Phillips Law Offices have been representing injured Illinois clients – across Chicago and the northwest suburbs, including Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect, Buffalo Grove, Palatine, Rolling Meadows, Prospect Heights, and the rest of north and northwest Cook County. We investigate, preserve the crash evidence, deal with the insurers, and pursue every dollar the law allows.

Recognized for results in Illinois personal-injury law

Eight decades of trial work have put the firm and its lawyers on the lists that matter. A sample:

No aspect of these advertisements has been approved by the Supreme Court of Illinois. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.

Car crashes in Arlington Heights and the northwest suburbs

Arlington Heights sits on one of the heaviest commuter corridors in the northwest suburbs. I-90 (the Jane Addams Tollway) cuts across the village’s south edge and feeds traffic to and from downtown Chicago and O’Hare. Route 53 runs north-south through the village. Algonquin Road, Northwest Highway, Rand Road, Arlington Heights Road, Golf Road, Palatine Road, and Dundee Road carry the daily mix of commuter, Metra-station, school, and retail traffic. The Arlington Heights Race Track corridor and the village’s downtown business district generate constant vehicle and pedestrian activity.

Cases are heard in the Cook County Circuit Court, 3rd Municipal District in Rolling Meadows – the courthouse most northwest-suburban PI and car-accident claims pass through. Larger cases (typically over $30,000) may be filed downtown at the Daley Center. Crashes on the I-90 Tollway are worked by Illinois State Police District 15. Phillips Law Offices has handled car-accident cases across Cook County and the wider Illinois state and federal courts.

Common causes of Arlington Heights car crashes

• Distracted driving – texting, phone use, infotainment – banned hand-held use under 625 ILCS 5/12-610.2
• Drunk driving – per-se DUI 0.08 BAC under 625 ILCS 5/11-501
• Speeding and aggressive driving on I-90, Route 53, and the village’s commuter arterials
• Following too closely – rear-end and chain-reaction crashes
• Failure to yield, especially left-turn-against-traffic under 625 ILCS 5/11-902
• Running red lights and stop signs
• Hit-and-run – 625 ILCS 5/11-401 and 5/11-403
• Drowsy or fatigued driving, especially commuter rush hours
• Bad weather – snow, ice, low visibility on I-90 and Algonquin Road
• Vehicle defects – brakes, tires, airbag, fuel-system failures

Common injuries from Arlington Heights car crashes

• Whiplash and cervical-spine injury
• Traumatic brain injuries and post-concussion syndrome
• Herniated discs – lumbar and cervical
• Orthopedic fractures – wrist, ankle, ribs, pelvis, femur
• Internal organ injury and internal bleeding
• Burns and lacerations from broken glass or airbag deployment
• Crush injuries and amputation
• Psychological injury – anxiety, PTSD, fear of driving
• Wrongful death

The Illinois law that drives a personal-injury case

• Personal-injury statute of limitations: two years from the crash date under 735 ILCS 5/13-202.
• Wrongful death: two years under 740 ILCS 180/2.
• Property damage: five years – 735 ILCS 5/13-205.
• Modified comparative fault (50% bar): 735 ILCS 5/2-1116.
• Mandatory auto insurance, UM/UIM coverage: 215 ILCS 5/143a.
• Duty to report and remain at scene: 625 ILCS 5/11-401 and 5/11-403.
• DUI per-se 0.08 BAC: 625 ILCS 5/11-501.
• Hand-held mobile prohibition while driving: 625 ILCS 5/12-610.2.
• Duty to yield on left turn: 625 ILCS 5/11-902.
• Tort Immunity Act (public defendants, e.g. CTA/Pace): 745 ILCS 10/8-101 – 1 year + formal notice.

What to do in the first 72 hours after an Arlington Heights car crash

1. Get medical attention first. Even if you feel “okay” at the scene, internal injuries and brain injuries can present hours or days later. Northwest Community Hospital (Arlington Heights) and AMITA Health Alexian Brothers (Elk Grove Village) are the local trauma options. Follow up with your primary doctor.
2. Report the incident in writing. A police report (Arlington Heights PD, Cook County Sheriff for unincorporated areas, or Illinois State Police District 15 for the I-90 Tollway). A formal incident report at any business where a fall or unsafe-condition injury occurred.
3. Photograph everything. Vehicle damage, the spill or hazard that caused a fall, debris, weather conditions, your visible injuries. Save the clothing and footwear you were wearing.
4. Get names and contact info for every witness and every responding officer or store employee.
5. Do not give a recorded statement to the other party’s insurance adjuster. You are not required to. They use those statements to pin comparative fault on you later.
6. Call an Arlington Heights car-accident lawyer right away. Surveillance video, telematics data, and incident reports get overwritten on rolling cycles – the spoliation letter has to go out fast.

How Phillips Law Offices investigates an Arlington Heights car-accident case

1. Day 1 – Spoliation and preservation letters to defendants, insurers, employers, and any business that owns surveillance video of the incident.
2. Scene documentation and reconstruction – accident reconstruction engineers for vehicle crashes, premises-liability experts for fall scenes, medical experts for malpractice.
3. Medical workup – we coordinate with treating physicians and, where injuries warrant it, life-care planners and vocational economists to project future medical and wage losses.
4. Insurance and corporate discovery – identifying every layer of coverage (primary, excess, umbrella, UM/UIM) so the full coverage is on the table.
5. Resolution – most cases resolve through pre-suit negotiation or mediation. When the carrier and its insurer will not pay fair value, we file suit and try the case in courts across Illinois.

Meet the attorneys who will work on your case

What our Illinois clients have said

Client testimonials reflect individual experiences and are not a guarantee of any particular result. Every case is unique and is evaluated on its own facts.

Frequently asked questions

How long do I have to file a car accident lawsuit in Arlington Heights, Illinois?

Illinois gives most adult personal-injury plaintiffs two years from the date of the crash under 735 ILCS 5/13-202. Wrongful-death claims follow a two-year window under 740 ILCS 180/2. If a public entity is involved (a CTA bus, a Pace bus, or a municipal vehicle), the Tort Immunity Act (745 ILCS 10/8-101) shortens the window to one year and requires a formal notice.

What if the at-fault driver was uninsured or fled the scene?

File a UM (uninsured motorist) claim under your own or a household member’s auto policy. 215 ILCS 5/143a makes UM/UIM coverage mandatory in Illinois. Hit-and-run drivers also face criminal liability under 625 ILCS 5/11-401 and 5/11-403.

What if I was partly at fault?

Illinois follows modified comparative fault under 735 ILCS 5/2-1116. You can still recover if you are 50% or less at fault, with damages reduced by your share. Cross the 50% line and recovery is barred. Insurers exploit this rule by trying to shift blame onto the injured party – a careful investigation usually shifts the percentages back.

How much is my Arlington Heights car accident case worth?

It depends on the severity of injuries, lost income (current and future), medical bills (past and projected), pain and suffering, loss of normal life, and the available insurance coverage. Catastrophic-injury and wrongful-death car-crash cases routinely resolve in the high six and seven figures. Past results are not a guarantee; every case is evaluated on its own facts.

Should I give a recorded statement to the other driver’s insurance company?

No. Politely decline. Recorded statements are routinely used to find inconsistencies that pin comparative fault on you later. Refer the adjuster to us and we handle communication.

Do I have to pay anything upfront?

No. We handle Arlington Heights car-accident cases on a contingency fee. There are no hourly bills and no out-of-pocket cost to retain us. We advance the case costs – experts, depositions, accident reconstruction, medical record retrieval – and are reimbursed from the recovery. If there is no recovery, you owe us nothing.

Hablamos español

Si usted o un ser querido resultó herido en un accidente automovilístico en Arlington Heights o en cualquier parte de Illinois, llámenos al (312) 346-4262. La consulta es gratis y no cobramos honorarios a menos que ganemos su caso.

Contact our Arlington Heights car accident lawyer

If you or a loved one has been hit in a car crash in Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect, Buffalo Grove, Palatine, Rolling Meadows, or anywhere across north or northwest Cook County, call Phillips Law Offices for a free, no-obligation case review. The sooner we get the spoliation letter out and the investigation started, the stronger your case will be.

Free, confidential case review

Phillips Law Offices, 161 N Clark St #4925, Chicago, IL 60601. Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm. Calls answered 24/7.

Call (312) 346-4262 Request a Case Review

Page reviewed by the attorneys at Phillips Law Offices. The information on this page is for general education only and is not legal advice. Reading this page does not create an attorney-client relationship. Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. No aspect of these advertisements has been approved by the Supreme Court of Illinois.