Addison
Wrongful Death Lawyer

Wrongful Death Lawyer Addison, IL

If your family has lost someone because of another person’s negligence, recklessness, or wrongful conduct, you are dealing with a weight that no legal process can fully address. The grief is real, and so are the financial consequences of a sudden, preventable death. And the question of whether anyone will actually be held accountable deserves a real answer.

Illinois law gives surviving family members the right to pursue a wrongful death claim when a preventable death results from another party’s failure to exercise reasonable care. Filing a claim cannot undo the loss. But it can hold the responsible party accountable, provide compensation for what your family has lost, and create a record that this negligence had consequences.

Our Addison, IL wrongful death lawyer represents families throughout DuPage County and the greater Chicago area in wrongful death cases. Founder John Larson has a proven record in personal injury and wrongful death litigation across Illinois. These are serious matters, and we approach them as such. If you’ve lost a family member and believe negligence played a role, contact Larson Law Injury Lawyers for a free consultation.

Why Choose Larson Law Injury Lawyers for Wrongful Death Claims in Addison, IL?

Illinois Credentials and Wrongful Death Experience

John Larson is the founder of Larson Law Injury Lawyers, with offices in La Grange and Chicago, Illinois. He is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association, the DuPage County Bar Association (the county where Addison is located) the American Bar Association, and the Chicago Bar Association. He earned his J.D. at The John Marshall Law School in Chicago, is licensed in Illinois, and has represented clients in California and Indiana via pro hac vice. He is recognized among America’s Top 100 Personal Injury Attorneys, an invitation-only designation reaching fewer than half a percent of active U.S. attorneys, covering high-value personal injury, catastrophic injury, wrongful death, and medical malpractice.

Wrongful death cases are technically demanding in ways that go beyond a standard personal injury claim. They require coordinating separate claims under the Illinois Wrongful Death Act and, where the circumstances support it, the Illinois Survival Act. They frequently involve multiple liable parties, contested liability, and defense teams that move quickly to protect their interests while families are still processing what happened. Before founding Larson Law, John spent over 35 years as an entrepreneur. That background gives him a strategy-first, results-oriented perspective that matters when facing well-resourced defendants.

Our personal injury lawyer in Addison, IL handles wrongful death claims in Addison and throughout DuPage County and the Chicago region. When these cases go to trial, we are prepared to take them there.

No Fees Unless We Win

All wrongful death cases at Larson Law Injury Lawyers are handled on contingency. Families navigating the aftermath of a sudden, preventable death should not be weighing legal fees on top of everything else. Nothing is owed unless we recover compensation on your behalf.

Our Results and Your Recovery

Our clients have recovered millions of dollars in personal injury and wrongful death cases. Defense teams protecting negligent parties know that low offers do not close these cases at our firm. We pursue what each case is worth.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ I had an excellent experience with Larson Law Group. Their team is highly professional, knowledgeable, and truly cares about their clients. They handled my family law matter with great attention to detail, clear communication, and genuine compassion during a very stressful time.

The attorneys at Larson Law Group are extremely responsive and always took the time to explain every step of the process, making sure I felt confident and informed. Their expertise and dedication clearly set them apart from other firms in the Chicagoland area.

If you’re looking for the best family attorney in Chicago, I highly recommend Larson Law Group. They are trustworthy, efficient, and results-driven.

• Nehal Patel

Read more reviews on our Google Business Profile.

Types of Wrongful Death Cases We Handle in Addison

Wrongful death arises from many different circumstances. What these cases share is a preventable loss caused by another party’s failure to act with reasonable care. We handle all of the following for Addison, IL families:

• Car accidents. Car crashes, commercial truck collisions, and motorcycle accidents on Addison’s roadways are among the most common causes of wrongful death in Illinois. Building the factual record quickly, before physical evidence disappears and liability disputes solidify, is critical. All potentially liable parties must be identified from the start, including drivers, carriers, and vehicle manufacturers.

• Medical malpractice. A misdiagnosis, surgical error, medication failure, or systemic breakdown in a patient’s care can end a life. When a healthcare provider’s negligence caused the death, surviving family members may pursue both a wrongful death claim and a survival action. These cases require a physician affidavit of merit filed alongside the complaint, a requirement that makes early legal involvement essential.
• Nursing home neglect and abuse. Signs of nursing home neglect such as untreated bedsores, severe dehydration, unexplained injuries, and sudden health deterioration, sometimes precede a resident’s death. When a care facility’s failures contributed to that death, the facility, its management, and responsible staff members may all share civil liability. These claims often involve Illinois’s Nursing Home Care Act alongside the Wrongful Death Act.
• Workplace and construction accidents. Fatal workplace accidents may support a wrongful death claim alongside workers’ compensation proceedings, and the two run through entirely different legal channels. When third parties such as equipment manufacturers, general contractors, or property owners contributed to the conditions that caused the death, civil liability must be pursued separately and in coordination with any workers’ comp recovery.
• Premises liability. Property owners who fail to address dangerous conditions, like structural failures, inadequate security in foreseeable high-risk areas, or unguarded hazards may be liable for deaths that result. When a business is sued for an injury or death on its property, the wrongful death claim and the underlying premises liability theory must be built and coordinated together from the beginning.
• Intentional violence and criminal conduct. Illinois law extends the filing window to five years for wrongful death claims arising from violent intentional conduct, longer than the standard two-year period. When a family member was killed through assault, domestic violence, or deliberate harm, a wrongful death and survival action may run concurrently. Punitive damages through the survival action are available in these circumstances when the facts support them.

Illinois Legal Requirements for Wrongful Death Claims

Illinois sets specific rules for who may file a wrongful death claim, when the deadline runs, and what coordination between claims is required.

Who May File and When. Under the Illinois Wrongful Death Act, the personal representative of the deceased person’s estate is the party who brings the lawsuit. The damages recovered go for the exclusive benefit of the surviving spouse and next of kin. Under 740 ILCS 180/2, the standard filing deadline is two years from the date of death. For claims arising from violent intentional conduct, that window extends to five years. In wrongful death cases stemming from car accidents and truck crashes, the clock runs from the date of death, not the date of the underlying crash, a distinction that matters significantly when a victim survived the initial incident for any period of time.

The Survival Action. The Illinois Survival Act allows the estate to separately recover damages the decedent would have been entitled to had they survived, including medical costs incurred before death and, in appropriate cases, punitive damages when the defendant’s conduct was willful, wanton, or fraudulent. The survival action and the wrongful death action are legally distinct claims that must be pursued in coordination. Missing one while filing the other is a costly mistake that cannot always be corrected.

Comparative Fault. Illinois modified comparative negligence under 735 ILCS 5/2-1116 applies to wrongful death claims. If the decedent was partly at fault for the incident, recovery is reduced proportionally. If the decedent was 51% or more responsible, the claim is barred. Defense teams will search for any basis to assign fault to the deceased, including reviewing social media activity by surviving family members in the aftermath of the death.

What Damages Are Recoverable in Addison, IL Wrongful Death Cases?

Damages in an Illinois wrongful death case are governed by both the Wrongful Death Act and, where it applies, the Survival Act. The categories are specific.

Economic Damages. The financial losses the family has sustained. Lost wages and employment benefits the decedent would have earned over their working life, calculated based on their age, occupation, and earning history. Funeral and burial expenses. Medical costs incurred between the incident and the time of death. Loss of services the decedent provided to the household. These losses are concrete, documentable, and form the foundation of most wrongful death claims.

Non-Economic Damages. Illinois wrongful death law allows recovery for grief, sorrow, and mental suffering by the surviving spouse and next of kin. The loss of society, companionship, moral guidance, and affection is compensable. The emotional toll of losing a spouse, parent, or child to negligence is not abstract. It is lasting, recognized under Illinois law, and deserving of real compensation. Children who lose a parent may also recover for loss of instruction and education the decedent would have provided.

Punitive Damages via Survival Action. The Illinois Wrongful Death Act itself generally does not permit punitive damages. However, when a survival action runs alongside the wrongful death claim, punitive damages may be available if the defendant’s conduct was willful, wanton, or fraudulent. Reliable testimony establishing that level of misconduct and connecting it directly to the death is essential. When the facts support a punitive claim, we pursue it.

Contact Larson Law Injury Lawyers

If your family has lost someone to negligence in Addison, IL, the team at Larson law Injury Lawyers is ready to help. Case evaluations are free, and all wrongful death cases are handled on contingency — no fees unless we recover compensation for your family. When you contact us, you will have a direct conversation about what happened, what your legal options are, and what pursuing a wrongful death claim actually involves. Our Addison wrongful death lawyer responds promptly. Under Illinois law the two-year filing deadline runs from the date of death, and starting that process early protects your options from the beginning.