O’Fallon, IL, Personal Injury Lawyer

A serious injury in O’Fallon can upend your life, and you can pursue compensation for the harm, working directly with the attorney handling your case. Hipskind & McAninch has longstanding ties to St. Clair County, where attorney John Hipskind began his legal career in the county courthouse. Our O’Fallon, IL, personal injury lawyers bring that local experience to every claim.

Personal injury law exists to hold a careless driver, company, medical provider, or property owner accountable when their actions leave you hurt, and that is the work we do every day.

We represent Scott Air Force Base families, commuters, and local businesses across O’Fallon, and our attorneys know the roads, the St. Clair County courts, and the community firsthand. Every client gets personal attention and dedicated representation.

Whether it was a crash on Interstate 64, a fall at a store, or something far worse, we handle the legal fight so you can put your attention where it belongs. Call 618-641-9189 and walk us through what happened. You pay nothing to learn whether you have a case, and there is no fee unless we win.

The O’Fallon, IL, Personal Injury Lawyer Behind Your Case

When you hire us, you get lawyers whose backgrounds were built for cases like yours. A few things set our team apart:

• John Hipskind, St. Clair County roots: He started at the St. Clair County Public Defender’s office, so he has worked the local courthouse since day one of his career.
• Brady McAninch, standout credentials: He earned his law degree magna cum laude at Southern Illinois University, served on the law journal, and clerked for a federal judge before representing injured people.
• Stephen Buser, four decades of trials: Admitted to practice before the U.S. Supreme Court, he has handled more than 50 jury trials across Illinois and Missouri over a career spanning more than four decades.
• Recognition that sticks: Our attorneys hold Super Lawyers and National Trial Lawyers Top 40 Under 40 honors, with over $50 million recovered for clients.

That depth comes without the big-firm distance. We hand out our cell numbers and answer them ourselves, and we hold our starting fee at 33%, below the 38% to 40% many firms charge, with the exact rate depending on the case.

It comes down to a promise we live by: big firm resources, small firm care, every case, every time.

You have questions, and we have answers. Call 618-641-9189 for a free, no-pressure review of your case.

Claims Our O’Fallon, IL, Personal Injury Lawyer Takes On

We help O’Fallon residents across the full span of injury claims, from car and truck crashes to premises injuries, and wrongful death. We take on many practice areas, not just one or two. The matters our team handles include:

• Car and drunk-driving accidents
• Truck and semi wrecks
• Motorcycle crashes
• Rideshare collisions (Uber and Lyft)
• Slip, trip, and fall injuries
• Pedestrian and bicycle injuries
• Defective product liability
• Dog bites and animal attacks
• Wrongful death claims

Whichever of these fits your situation, we can walk you through your options in plain terms, not confusing legal jargon. Unsure whether your case qualifies? Call 618-641-9189 and run it by our O’Fallon team, free.

Which O’Fallon Roads See the Most Accidents?

O’Fallon’s busiest corridors, Interstate 64, U.S. Route 50, and Green Mount Road, see the most wrecks, especially where commuter and Scott Air Force Base traffic bunches up. Tailgating in that stop-and-go flow causes rear-end crashes again and again. Add in fast movers heading to MidAmerica St. Louis Airport and drivers cutting between Shiloh and Fairview Heights, and the risk climbs at every light. Illinois law puts a name to that danger.

Under 625 ILCS 5/11-710, a driver may not follow another vehicle more closely than is reasonable and prudent, so tailgating that ends in a crash is strong proof of fault. The state’s own driving guide suggests leaving at least three seconds of space, and coming up short is exactly what we look for in a rear-end claim.

Rear-ended on Interstate 64 or Green Mount Road? Let us look at who is at fault, free of charge.

What if More Than One Party Caused Your Injury?

Often, more than one person or company shares the blame for a serious injury, and Illinois has a specific rule for splitting the bill. Under 735 ILCS 5/2-1117, any defendant found 25% or more at fault can be made to pay all of your damages, and every liable party is on the hook for your full medical costs, no matter their share.

The primary reason we chase down each responsible party is simple: it protects you when one of them cannot pay. If a driver with a thin policy caused the wreck but a trucking company or bar shares the fault, that second defendant can cover what the first cannot.

For example, a crash caused mostly by a delivery van but partly by a badly maintained lot: naming both the company and the party in charge of the lot can open coverage a single claim would miss. Sorting out who is responsible early is often the difference between a partial recovery and a full one.

Not sure who can be held accountable? Call or text us with the details, and we will sort out who owes you.

What Is a Personal Injury Claim Worth in O’Fallon, Illinois?

Illinois lets you recover both the money an injury costs you and the toll it takes on your life. You generally have two years from the date of your injuries to file a personal injury insurance claim or civil lawsuit. However, the window shrinks to one year when a government body is involved, so an early call matters.

Economic damages are the financial costs of your injury. You can prove them with bills, pay stubs, invoices, estimates, and receipts. Depending on the circumstances surrounding your case, you may recover:

• All healthcare-related expenses
• Future medical needs tied to the injury
• Lost wages and reduced earning power
• Property damage and vehicle repairs
• Out-of-pocket costs like mileage and home help
• Loss of consortium and companionship for spouses

We collect the records that turn these into a firm, defensible number. Non-economic damages cover the intangible harm that lacks a paper trail of evidence. We build the proof for these losses:

• Pain and suffering: the physical toll of the injury, from the first day through recovery.
• Emotional distress: the stress, fear, and sleepless nights a serious wreck leaves behind.
• Loss of normal life: the activities and routines you can no longer do the way you did.
• Disfigurement: the scars or permanent changes that stay with you.

These losses are real, and we make sure the insurer treats them that way. Curious what your claim is truly worth? Let us build the number with you, at no cost to start.

What if a Drunk Driver Caused the Crash?

When a drunk driver hurts you, the driver may not be the only one who answers for it. Under the Illinois Dram Shop Act, 235 ILCS 5/6-21, a bar or restaurant that serves alcohol to an already intoxicated person can share liability for the harm that person later causes.

Dram shop claims follow different rules than most personal injury cases and have a much shorter deadline. In Illinois, these claims generally must be filed within one year, and state law limits the amount recoverable from the establishment. Written notice must also be provided within that same period, making prompt action important.

In many cases, pursuing claims against both the establishment and the intoxicated driver is the best approach. A bar’s insurance can add a real source of recovery when a driver’s coverage falls short.

Hurt by a drunk driver? Time is short on these claims, so reach out to our team today.

When an O’Fallon Injury Becomes a Wrongful Death Case

Losing someone to another’s carelessness is a wound no case can close, and we handle these claims with the gentleness they call for. Illinois actually allows two separate claims after a fatal injury, and pursuing both usually brings the fullest recovery for a family.

One is a wrongful death claim for the family’s own losses, like lost support and the companionship of the person who died. The other is a survival claim under the Survival Act, 755 ILCS 5/27-6, which lets the estate recover for what your loved one endured between the injury and their passing, such as medical bills and pain.

Funeral and burial costs can be part of the recovery, too, so that expense does not land on the people left behind. We take on the investigation, the filings, and the insurers so your family has room to grieve.

Lost someone and unsure where to turn? We will handle the legal side with compassion and care whenever you are ready.

Recent Results for the Injured

Numbers only tell part of the story, but they show the effort we put behind a claim. Results our O’Fallon, IL, personal injury lawyer team has secured include:

• More than $1 million for a client badly hurt in an assault that a business could have prevented with proper security.
• $560,000 for a driver who needed surgery after a low-speed collision, most people would call minor.
• $297,000 for a client whose earlier injury was made worse by a rear-end crash.

These wins run from a security failure to a low-speed crash, which shows the range of injuries we take seriously. Past results never promise what your own case will bring, and every claim rises or falls on its own facts.

Wondering where your case might land? Ask us for an honest read, with no pressure or obligation.

FAQs: O’Fallon, IL, Personal Injury Lawyer

A few more questions tend to come up once someone is ready to take the next step.

Start With a Conversation, Not a Contract

The first call is just that, a conversation. We will listen to what happened, answer your questions in plain English, and tell you honestly whether we think you have a case, with zero obligation to sign anything. Call or text Hipskind & McAninch at 618-641-9189 when you are ready, and our O’Fallon, IL, personal injury lawyer team will take it from there.