Berwyn Wrongful Death Lawyer

Wrongful Death Lawyer Berwyn, IL

If you’ve lost a family member because of someone else’s negligence, no amount of money will undo that loss. But a wrongful death claim can provide financial stability when your family needs it most and hold the responsible party accountable for what they did.

Disparti Law Group Accident & Injury Lawyers is Chicago’s largest injury law firm. Our attorneys have represented grieving families across Cook County for decades, and the firm has been named One of the Most Influential Law Firms in America. Our Berwyn, IL wrongful death lawyer handles these cases on contingency. You pay nothing unless we recover compensation for your family. Consultations are always free and confidential.

Why Choose Disparti Law Group Accident & Injury Lawyers for Wrongful Death Cases in Berwyn, IL?

Experience representing grieving families

Larry Disparti founded this firm to fight for people harmed by negligence. He’s licensed in Illinois, Florida, Arizona, and Washington D.C. Over his career, Larry earned membership in the National Trial Lawyers Association Top 100, the Million Dollar Advocates Club, and the Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Club. He sits on the Board of Managers for the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association and co-chairs its Civil Practice and Rules Committee. When your family needs a personal injury lawyer in Berwyn, IL to handle a wrongful death claim, Larry Disparti and his team bring the experience and resources these cases demand.

Over $2 billion recovered

Insurance companies fight hard to minimize wrongful death payouts. They know these cases involve significant damages, and they’ll use every tactic available to reduce what they owe. Our firm has recovered over $2 billion in compensation for clients throughout Illinois. That includes a $625,000 settlement for a family who lost a loved one to a drunk driver. Our lawyers also secured a $3 million recovery in a wrongful death case involving insurance agent negligence. Results like these don’t happen by accident. They require aggressive investigation, expert testimony, and a willingness to go to trial when insurers won’t settle fairly.

No fees unless we win

Your family is already dealing with funeral costs, lost income, and emotional devastation. We won’t add to that burden. Wrongful death cases at our firm work on contingency. You pay nothing out of pocket. If we don’t recover compensation, you owe us nothing.

What our clients say

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“Disparti Law Group Accident & Injury Lawyers is amazing!! They are all very professional and informative while helping through a difficult time. I would highly recommend them to all my friends and family…” — Shannon Dolan

Read more reviews on our Google Business Profile.

Types of Wrongful Death Cases We Handle in Berwyn

A wrongful death claim exists when someone dies because another party was negligent, reckless, or acted with intentional misconduct. If someone’s wrongful act caused a death, surviving family members may be entitled to compensation.

• Car accidents: Speeding, distracted driving, drunk driving. These behaviors kill people every day in Cook County. When a negligent driver causes a fatal collision, the victim’s family can pursue a wrongful death claim against that driver and their insurance company. We’ve handled fatal car accidents throughout Berwyn and know how to build cases that put maximum pressure on insurers to pay what families deserve.

• Truck accidents: An 80,000-pound semi hitting a passenger vehicle is often unsurvivable. Trucking companies know this, and they send lawyers to accident scenes within hours to protect their interests. Families need representation that can match those resources. We’ve secured significant recoveries in fatal truck accidents by digging into driver logs, maintenance records, and company safety policies that reveal patterns of negligence.

• Pedestrian accidents: No airbags. No seatbelt. No steel frame. Pedestrians absorb the full force of impact when a vehicle strikes them. Fatal pedestrian accidents happen at crosswalks, parking lots, and intersections where drivers fail to yield or aren’t paying attention. Higher speeds make survival less likely.

• Medical malpractice: Hospitals are supposed to heal people. But surgical errors happen. Doctors misdiagnose conditions that should have been obvious. Nurses administer wrong medications. When these failures kill patients, families have the right to hold healthcare providers accountable. These cases require expert testimony to establish what the standard of care should have been and how the provider failed to meet it.

• Workplace accidents: Construction sites are dangerous. Falls from scaffolding, equipment that malfunctions, exposure to toxic chemicals. When a worker dies on the job, families may have claims beyond workers’ compensation. Third parties like equipment manufacturers, property owners, and subcontractors can all share liability depending on what caused the death.

• Premises liability: Property owners have a legal duty to keep their premises safe. Broken stairs, inadequate lighting, missing handrails, lack of security in high-crime areas. When dangerous conditions cause fatal injuries, the owner may be liable. Fatal falls happen more often than people realize, especially among elderly victims.

• Defective products: Faulty auto parts that cause crashes. Contaminated food that poisons consumers. Medications with undisclosed side effects. Machinery that malfunctions. Dangerous products kill people every year, and manufacturers can be held accountable through product liability claims.

Illinois Legal Requirements for Wrongful Death Claims

Illinois law controls who can file a wrongful death claim, what damages are available, and how long families have to act. These rules matter because failing to follow them can destroy an otherwise valid case.

Who can file

Only the personal representative of the deceased person’s estate can file a wrongful death lawsuit in Illinois. This requirement comes from 740 ILCS 180. Usually the personal representative is the executor named in the will. If there’s no will, the probate court appoints an administrator. The lawsuit is filed on behalf of surviving family members: spouses, children, parents. When no immediate family exists, more distant blood relatives may qualify.

Statute of limitations

Two years. That’s how long Illinois gives families to file a wrongful death lawsuit under 735 ILCS 5/13-212. Miss that deadline and courts will almost certainly dismiss your case, no matter how strong the evidence. The wrongful death statute of limitations can shift in certain circumstances. Deaths resulting from crimes may extend the timeline. Claims against government entities go the other direction. The Illinois Tort Immunity Act imposes shorter notice periods that families must meet or risk losing their claims entirely.

Proving negligence

Proving negligence involves four elements: duty, breach, causation, damages. Your family must prove that the defendant owed a duty of care to the deceased, broke that duty, and caused the death through that breach. What counts as proof depends on the case. Car accidents rely on police reports, witness statements, and accident reconstruction. Medical malpractice requires expert opinions on standard of care. We investigate each case thoroughly because the strength of your evidence determines the strength of your claim.

What Damages Are Recoverable in Berwyn Wrongful Death Cases?

Illinois law allows families to recover compensation for both financial and emotional losses. The goal is twofold: provide for surviving family members and account for everything the deceased would have contributed over their lifetime.

Economic damages

These are the losses you can calculate. Lost income comes first. If the deceased was working, the family can recover the present value of the wages, raises, promotions, and benefits they would have earned over their remaining career. Medical bills from before the death are recoverable. So are funeral and burial costs. Dealing with insurance companies during this process is difficult because adjusters look for any reason to reduce these calculations. They’ll argue the deceased wouldn’t have worked as long as projected. They’ll dispute future earning potential. Having experienced representation matters.

Loss of consortium and companionship

Money can’t replace a spouse, a parent, or a child. But Illinois law recognizes that these losses deserve compensation. Spouses recover for loss of consortium: the companionship, affection, and support that came with the marriage. Children recover for loss of parental guidance. Parents who lose children recover for loss of companionship. These damages acknowledge that death takes more than a wage earner from a family.

Grief and sorrow

Illinois allows families to recover for the mental anguish caused by losing a loved one and the psychological toll of sudden loss. These damages are separate from what the deceased experienced and focus entirely on the suffering of those left behind.

Survival actions

A survival action is different from a wrongful death claim, though they’re often filed together. It recovers what the deceased could have claimed if they’d survived: pain and suffering between the injury and death, medical expenses during that period, lost wages. The recovery becomes part of the estate.

Contact Disparti Law Group Accident & Injury Lawyers

Losing a family member to someone else’s negligence is devastating. Families often don’t know what to do after losing a loved one, and the legal process can feel overwhelming on top of grief.

Disparti Law Group Accident & Injury Lawyers represents families throughout Cook County in wrongful death cases on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you. Consultations are free and confidential. We’ll review what happened, explain your family’s legal options, and give you an honest assessment of what your case may be worth. Contact us today to schedule your free consultation.