Personal injury · Illinois
Personal Injury Attorney for Orland Park, Tinley Park, Oak Lawn and Palos Heights
If you were hurt in a crash or a fall in the southwest suburbs: get treated, keep every record, and talk to a lawyer before you talk to the other driver's insurer. The first conversation is free.
Firm particulars
- Attorney
- Hani H. Khatib, Attorney at Law · CPA · LL.M. (Taxation)
- Office
- 6600 W College Dr, Ste 207, Palos Heights, IL 60463
- Hours
- Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
- Telephone
- (708) 722-2222
- info@khatiblaw.com
- Accreditation
- BBB Accredited since April 2022 · A+
Start here
Is this you?
A personal injury lawyer in Orland Park, Oak Lawn or Tinley Park should tell you three things on the first call: whether the claim is one the firm handles, what the Illinois deadline is for your facts, and exactly how the fee works. This page answers all three. Personal injury is one of six practice areas at Khatib Law LLC.
You were rear-ended on LaGrange Road or 159th Street, your car is in a body shop in Orland Park, and the other driver's insurer is already calling.
You slipped on an unsalted walkway outside a store in Oak Lawn and your knee needs surgery.
A driver without insurance hit you in Tinley Park and you are not sure your own policy covers it.
The adjuster offered a quick payment before you finished treatment, and you want to know whether to take it.
Khatib Law LLC takes injury claims arising from car, truck and motorcycle collisions and from falls on property someone else was responsible for maintaining: a store, an apartment building, a parking lot. Attorney Hani Khatib meets with you at the Palos Heights office at 6600 W College Dr, Ste 207, or by phone.
This page covers crashes and falls. If you call about another kind of injury claim, we will tell you on that call whether we handle it, so you lose no time finding the right lawyer.
Illinois law sets the first steps. A driver involved in a crash that injures someone must remain at the scene, give name, address and registration, and help anyone who is hurt (Illinois Vehicle Code, 625 ILCS 5/11-403). If no officer comes, the crash must be reported to the local police or the Illinois State Police when anyone is injured or property damage exceeds $1,500 ($500 if any vehicle involved was uninsured) (625 ILCS 5/11-407).
After that:
- Get examined the same day, even if you feel fine. Soft-tissue injuries often surface a day or two later, and a gap in treatment is the first thing an adjuster points to.
- Photograph the vehicles, the road, the weather and your injuries before anything is repaired or healed.
- Ask the responding department for the crash report number, or request Illinois State Police crash reports online.
- Keep every bill, pharmacy receipt and pay stub from the day of the crash forward.
- Do not give a recorded statement to the other driver's insurer before you have talked to a lawyer. You must cooperate with your own insurer, not with theirs.
For a fall, report it to the property owner or manager in writing, ask whether there is camera footage, get the names of anyone who saw it, and photograph the hazard before it is cleaned up.
Most Illinois personal injury suits must be filed within two years of the injury (Code of Civil Procedure, 735 ILCS 5/13-202). Three details matter:
- If the last day falls on a Saturday, Sunday or state holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day (Statute on Statutes, 5 ILCS 70/1.11). It never moves earlier.
- A person under 18 or under a legal disability when injured has two years from turning 18 or from the disability ending (735 ILCS 5/13-211).
- Claims against a village, park district, school district or other local public body generally must be filed within one year (Local Governmental and Governmental Employees Tort Immunity Act, 745 ILCS 10/8-101). A crash with a village truck or a fall on a park district sidewalk is on the short clock.
Insurance policies carry their own notice periods, which can be much shorter than the statute. Our article on the Illinois personal injury statute of limitations goes through the exceptions in detail.
Illinois uses modified comparative fault. If you were 50 percent or less responsible, you can still recover, but the award is reduced by your share of fault. At more than 50 percent, you recover nothing (735 ILCS 5/2-1116). Insurers know this, which is why the first adjuster call so often probes for an admission. Let the evidence, not a phone call, decide the percentage.
An Illinois injury claim is built from documented losses. Economic damages are the ones with receipts: emergency and follow-up care, physical therapy, prescriptions, future treatment a doctor has recommended, lost wages, and the cost of repairing or replacing your vehicle. Non-economic damages cover pain and suffering, disfigurement and loss of a normal life. Each item is proved separately, which is why the records you gather in the first weeks matter.
Illinois Rule of Professional Conduct 1.5(c) requires a contingent fee agreement to be in writing and signed by you. It must state the percentage, which expenses (filing fees, records, outside professionals) come out of a recovery, and whether they are deducted before or after the fee is calculated. You will get that document before any work starts, and a written settlement statement at the end showing how the money was divided.
The difference
Why an attorney who is also a CPA
Money received for a personal physical injury is generally excluded from federal income tax under Internal Revenue Code section 104(a)(2), but punitive damages and interest on a settlement are taxable, and a loosely drafted settlement agreement can blur the line. Hani Khatib drafts the allocation with the tax result in view.
Medical liens, health-insurer subrogation claims and Medicare's interest come out of the settlement. Those reductions are negotiated line by line, with each charge checked against the bills and the policy.
If a serious injury means you need a power of attorney or a change to your estate plan, the same office handles it. See estate planning.
Our article on whether personal injury settlements are taxable in Illinois covers the federal rule and its exceptions.
Process
How a case moves
Free initial consultation
Usually within a few days of your call · about an hour · in person or by phone
We go through what happened, your treatment so far and the insurance on both sides, then tell you whether we can take the case and what the fee agreement says.
Investigation while you treat
The first weeks and months · while your treatment continues
We order the crash report, preserve video, photograph the scene and collect records as treatment progresses.
Demand and negotiation
Once your doctors can say what your injuries will cost · usually weeks to a few months
We send a documented demand to the insurer and negotiate.
Suit if needed
Before the filing deadline for your claim · often a year or more in court
If the offer does not reflect the evidence, we file in the Circuit Court of Cook County: smaller claims at the Fifth Municipal District courthouse in Bridgeview, larger ones in the Law Division at the Daley Center. Most filed cases still settle before trial.
Where we work
Areas we serve
The office is in Palos Heights, and most of our injury clients come from Orland Park, Tinley Park, Oak Lawn, Palos Park, Palos Hills, Oak Forest, Frankfort, Mokena, Homer Glen, Lemont, Evergreen Park, Bridgeview, Hickory Hills, Chicago Ridge, Worth, Alsip, Crestwood and Chicago's Southwest Side. We handle claims arising anywhere in Cook County, and Will County crashes for clients who live nearby. Directions to the office are on the contact page.
Questions
Questions we are asked
I was hurt in a crash or a fall. What now?
Get examined the same day, even if you feel fine, and follow the treatment plan. After a crash, remain at the scene, exchange information, and make sure police are called when anyone is hurt. Photograph the vehicles or the hazard, the scene and your injuries. Get the crash report number from the responding department, or report a fall to the property owner in writing. Keep every bill and pay stub. Then call us at (708) 722-2222 before you speak with the other side's insurer; the first conversation is free.
How long do I have to file a personal injury claim in Illinois?
Two years from the date of injury for most claims (735 ILCS 5/13-202). If the last day lands on a Saturday, Sunday or state holiday, you have until the next business day (5 ILCS 70/1.11). A person injured before age 18 has two years after turning 18 (735 ILCS 5/13-211). Claims against a village, school district or other local public body must usually be filed within one year (745 ILCS 10/8-101). Insurance policies add their own notice periods, so call well before any of these dates.
What is my personal injury case worth?
No honest answer exists on the first call. Value depends on who was at fault and by how much, what the medical records show, whether a doctor expects future treatment, your lost income, and the insurance available on both sides, including your own underinsured-motorist coverage. We will give you a realistic range once the medical picture is clear, and explain the reasons behind it.
What if I was partly at fault for the accident?
You can still recover as long as your share of fault is 50 percent or less; the award is reduced by that share. At more than 50 percent you recover nothing (735 ILCS 5/2-1116). Fault is decided on the evidence, which is one reason not to give a recorded statement to the other driver's insurer before talking to a lawyer.
Do I pay anything up front?
There is no up-front attorney's fee. No attorney's fee unless we recover compensation for you. Case costs are handled as set out in your written fee agreement. You will see every term of that agreement before any work begins, and you keep a signed copy.
Should I talk to the insurance adjuster?
Report the crash to your own insurer promptly; your policy requires it. You do not have to give the other driver's insurer a recorded statement, sign a medical authorization or accept an early offer, and we recommend you do none of those before a lawyer has reviewed your claim. Early offers are usually made before the cost of your treatment is known.
How long does a personal injury case take?
A claim cannot be valued until your doctors can say what your injuries will cost going forward, so a case with a short recovery may settle within months, while one with surgery or ongoing care takes longer. If suit is filed in the Circuit Court of Cook County, add a year or more for discovery and court dates, though most filed cases still settle before trial.
Related
Related services
Estate planning
What does an estate planning attorney do?
A will, a trust, two powers of attorney and the beneficiary forms that go with them, drafted by one attorney who also reads the tax side of every decision.
Wills, trusts, probate, powers of attorneyAttorney and CPA
What is the difference between a tax attorney and a CPA?
Hani H. Khatib is licensed as an attorney and as a Certified Public Accountant and holds an LL.M. in Taxation. This page explains what a CPA attorney changes for you, and where the advantage ends.
Khatib LawTax & IRS
I owe the IRS or received a notice. What are my options?
An IRS or Illinois Department of Revenue problem has a procedure, a deadline and a set of options. The firm reads the notice, the return and the law together, then tells you what the realistic outcomes are.
Debt, audits, unfiled returns, planning
Your attorney
Hani H. Khatib
Attorney at Law · CPA · LL.M. (Taxation)
Founder and managing attorney of Khatib Law LLC, established in Palos Heights in 2017. An attorney licensed in Illinois and a Certified Public Accountant, he concentrates his practice in estate planning, real estate, tax controversy and small-business matters. About Hani Khatib
Request a consultation
Tell us what you are facing.
A sentence or two is enough to start. We will tell you what the first meeting involves, and whether there is a charge for it, before you commit to anything.
(708) 722-2222
Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. · 6600 W College Dr, Ste 207, Palos Heights
What happens next
Your message goes to the firm’s office, not a call centre.
If you mention a deadline, it is read first.
We run a conflicts check and, if we can help, call or email you to set a time.
We confirm the kind of matter and what the first meeting involves, including whether there is a charge for it.
If we go forward, you receive a written engagement letter.
Scope and fee basis in writing before any work begins. Please do not email documents until we have confirmed an engagement in writing.
What to bring to the first meeting
- The crash report number, or the name of the police department that responded
- Your auto insurance card and the policy's declarations page
- Photographs of the vehicles or the hazard, the scene and your injuries
- Medical bills, discharge papers and pay stubs from the date of the injury forward
- Every letter, email or voicemail from an insurer, including your own