Fighting for you in Skokie

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 north suburbs, including Skokie, Evanston, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Wilmette, and the rest of north and northwest Cook County. We investigate, preserve the 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.

Personal-injury cases in Skokie and the north suburbs

Skokie sits at the corner of Chicago’s north shore and the northwest suburbs. I-94 (the Edens Spur) cuts the village’s east side. Skokie Boulevard (US-41) runs north-south through the heart of the village. Old Orchard Road and the Westfield Old Orchard shopping center generate constant retail and commercial-property traffic. Dempster Street, Howard Street, McCormick Boulevard, Touhy Avenue, Oakton Street, and Main Street carry the daily mix of CTA Yellow Line “Skokie Swift” commuters, school traffic for Niles North and Niles West, and patient traffic to NorthShore Skokie Hospital and Evanston Hospital.

Skokie cases are heard in the Cook County Circuit Court, 2nd Municipal District in Skokie – the courthouse most local PI claims pass through. Larger cases (over $30,000) are sometimes filed downtown at the Daley Center. Crashes on the Edens Spur are worked by Illinois State Police District 3. Phillips Law Offices has handled personal-injury cases across Cook County and the wider Illinois state and federal courts.

Common personal-injury cases we handle in Skokie

• Motor-vehicle crashes – car, truck, motorcycle, bicycle, rideshare, pedestrian
• Slip, trip, and fall on poorly maintained property under the Premises Liability Act (740 ILCS 130/2)
• Injuries on commercial property – stores, restaurants, parking lots, Old Orchard mall, and the Skokie business district
• Dog bites under the Illinois Animal Control Act, 510 ILCS 5/16 (strict liability against the owner)
• Construction-site injuries against non-employer third parties (separate from a workers’ comp claim)
• Defective products – manufacturing, design, and failure-to-warn claims
• Medical malpractice – failure to diagnose, surgical error, birth injury
• Nursing home neglect and abuse
• Wrongful death of a spouse, parent, or adult child

Injuries we see in Skokie personal-injury cases

• Traumatic brain injuries and post-concussion syndrome
• Cervical and lumbar spine injuries, herniated discs, spinal cord damage
• Orthopedic fractures – femur, pelvis, wrist, ankle, ribs
• Crush injuries and amputation
• Burns, lacerations, scarring, and disfigurement
• Internal organ injury and internal bleeding
• Soft-tissue injuries – whiplash, ligament tears
• Psychological injury including PTSD and depression after trauma
• Wrongful death

The Illinois law that drives a personal-injury case

• Personal-injury statute of limitations: two years from the date of the injury under 735 ILCS 5/13-202.
• Wrongful death: two years under 740 ILCS 180/2.
• Medical malpractice: 2-year discovery rule + 4-year statute of repose – 735 ILCS 5/13-212.
• Property damage: five years – 735 ILCS 5/13-205.
• Modified comparative fault (50% bar): 735 ILCS 5/2-1116.
• Premises Liability Act: 740 ILCS 130/2.
• Illinois Animal Control Act (dog bites): 510 ILCS 5/16.
• Tort Immunity Act (public defendants): 745 ILCS 10/8-101 – 1 year + formal notice.
• Mandatory auto insurance, UM/UIM: 215 ILCS 5/143a.
• Wrongful Death Act: 740 ILCS 180/1.

What to do in the first 72 hours after a Skokie injury

1. Get medical attention first. Even if you feel “okay” at the scene, internal injuries and brain injuries can present hours or days later. NorthShore Skokie Hospital and NorthShore Evanston Hospital are the local trauma options. Follow up with your primary doctor.
2. Report the incident in writing. A police report for vehicle crashes (Skokie PD, Cook County Sheriff, or Illinois State Police District 3 for the Edens Spur). 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 a Skokie personal-injury 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 a Skokie personal-injury 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 personal injury lawsuit in Skokie, Illinois?

Illinois gives most adult personal-injury plaintiffs two years from the date of the injury under 735 ILCS 5/13-202. Wrongful-death claims follow a two-year window under 740 ILCS 180/2. Medical-malpractice claims follow 735 ILCS 5/13-212 (2-yr SOL, 4-yr repose). If a public entity is involved, the Tort Immunity Act (745 ILCS 10/8-101) shortens the window to one year and requires a formal notice.

What kinds of cases does Phillips Law Offices handle in Skokie?

Auto, truck, motorcycle, bicycle, and pedestrian crashes; premises liability and slip-and-fall; product liability; medical malpractice and birth injury; nursing home neglect; dog bites under the Illinois Animal Control Act; construction-site injuries against non-employer third parties; and wrongful death.

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 Skokie personal injury 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 cases routinely resolve in the high six and seven figures. Past results are not a guarantee; every case is evaluated on its own facts.

Will my Skokie case be heard at the Skokie courthouse?

Most Cook County PI claims filed in Skokie are heard at the 2nd Municipal District courthouse on Old Orchard Road. Larger cases (typically those seeking over $30,000) are filed at the Daley Center downtown. We file in the venue most favorable to your case based on where the injury happened, where defendants are located, and the strategic differences between courthouses.

Do I have to pay anything upfront?

No. We handle Skokie personal-injury 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 en Skokie 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 Skokie personal injury lawyer

If you or a loved one has been hurt in Skokie, Evanston, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Wilmette, or anywhere across Cook County’s north suburbs, 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.