— Law Office of Stephen L. Hoffman LLC

Fractured Vertebra Compensated

Fractured vertebra compensated. My clients, septuagenarians, were rear-ended on the expressway. The air bags deployed. Both were injured, although the wife was the most severely hurt, sustaining a fractured vertebra in her neck. This took a long time to heal. Upon her completion of treatment, we were able to increase the settlement value through dogged determination and threatened litigation. Ulti… Read More

Client Sustained a SLAP Tear

Our client sustained a SLAP tear of her shoulder in a motor vehicle crash where the at-fault party disregarded a red light and turned in front of her vehicle. She required surgery to repair this. Prior to filing a lawsuit and only after a brief negotiation, we settled this in favor of our client for $195,000.00. Read More

Family Compensated for Injuries in Crash

A family Winter vacation was coming to a close as my clients traveled in their minivan back from Galena over New Year’s. Snow was falling lightly and wind picked up. Just then, their lives changed forever when an old woman lost control of her car around a curve and plowed into the minivan at high speed. The van was thrown from the roadway and there was massive damage to both vehicles, which… Read More

Two Sisters Injured in Vehicle Accident

Two sisters, our clients, were in a vehicle that was side-swiped. Both were injured, although one sister was seriously hurt, due to her having a prior shoulder dislocation problem. In fact, she had already undergone more than a dozen surgeries on the shoulder and required yet another following this crash. In this case, we sued both the driver of their vehicle as well as the driver of the vehicle w… Read More

Medical Professional Struck From Behind

Our client, a self-employed medical professional in his 40s, was struck from behind on the expressway. He reported tingling and numbness in his arms to all of his doctors. Ultimately, this condition resolved with extensive treatment. He had significant problems driving, sitting, and standing without pain for many months. We received $48,000 to settle his case. Read More

Worker's Compensation for Hospital Custodian

In a workers’ compensation/industrial disease case, our client was a custodian at a local hospital. His hands and fingers reacted to the chemicals used in his job. Due in part to poor initial diagnoses, he lost a portion of several fingers due to a bone infection that set in. Part of this may have been related to his diabetic condition. It was a difficult case to prove. The case resolved shortly… Read More

Woman in 60's Involved in Major Accident

Our client was rammed from behind so hard that to see the photos of the vehicle it would amaze you to find that anyone in the vehicle survived. A woman in her 60s, who was active, fit, and determined, recovered from her fractured cervical vertebra, but it took months of wearing an uncomfortable hard neck brace plus many more months of extensive physical therapy to do so. In the first portion of th… Read More

Train Commuter Hit By Vehicle

A train commuter in his mid-40s was crossing a busy downtown street with other commuters after disembarking from the train that brought him from the suburbs to his workplace in downtown Chicago. As he was in the middle of the street with a dozen other pedestrians, a vehicle accelerated and fishtailed, striking him, catapulting him, and causing catastrophic injuries. Our client sustained a compound… Read More

Man in 60's Slips at Work

Our client, a physically fit man in his early 60s, slipped at work, while supervising others. He tore his rotator cuff, requiring surgery. Despite a long rehab, he was able to return to work. We settled his workers’ compensation claim for in excess of $50,000 prior to trial. Read More

Man in 60's Injured at Arts Festival

Our client, a man in his late 60s, attended an outdoor arts festival, when the counterweight on the tent struck him in the back of the head and neck. He needed several injections into his spine to alleviate the tingling and numbness in his arm caused by spinal compression of the nerves and injury to his cervical discs. We settled his case for well into the five figures without filing a lawsuit. Read More

2 Year Old Injured at Daycare

Our client’s parents were upset when their 2-year-old son was injured at daycare. A teacher flung him to the ground by his arm, temporarily dislocating it. It resolved without any therapy. We settled the case for $12,000, providing a head-start to his college fund. Read More

Client Slips on Ice After Reporting to Landlord

Our client, an alternative publication editor and writer, had complained many times previously to her landlord that her walkway flooded and froze over. It did not drain properly. Unfortunately, she was left with no choice but to traverse that path one night, and was felled by ice hidden under fresh snow. Her fractured wrist healed without surgery, and she was overjoyed that we settled her case for… Read More

Truck-Auto Collision Settlement

Our client, a young woman in her 20s at the time of the crash, was rear ended by a semi-truck tractor-trailer traveling too fast to be able to stop in a construction zone. The trucker, who had been with the company for many years, was ultimately fired due to this incident. The damage from the impact injured her left (dominant) shoulder, which required surgery to repair a SLAP tear. She also sustai… Read More

Female in Mid-40s

Client, a female in her mid-40s, was a passenger in a car driven by her fiancé (now husband) waiting to make a left turn when a large SUV ran a red light and plowed into them at over 40 miles per hour. The Dodge Neon they were riding in was totaled when it spun across the intersection. The damage was so severe it caused the center console of the car to be pushed into the left hip and leg of the c… Read More

Recovery for Burned Girl

A young girl playing hide and seek in her friend’s garage had that experience turn tragic when the deep fryer with still-hot oil in it tipped over splashing hot oil all over the girl and one of her friends. She was rushed to the hospital, where two surgeries cleaned out her second degree burns. While there is some visible and permanent scarring on her feet and legs, she is a normal, active g… Read More

Motorcycle-Riding Nurse

Client, a motorcycle-riding nurse, was injured when two cars in front of her collided, spewing debris on the road and causing her to crash. Evidence indicated one driver had been distracted by the “chick on the bike”. The 42-year old client sustained horrible road rash to her legs, arms, chest, as well as ligament damage to her pinkie finger. While time healed most of the damage, it was terrib… Read More

Female in 70s

Client, a female in her 70s, was a passenger in a vehicle involved in a collision with another vehicle. In the collision, she sustained a serious fracture of her forearm that required two surgeries. We were able to obtain a favorable settlement by combining the maximum policy limits of the other vehicle’s insurance carrier ($50K) with additional monies from the policy covering the driver of… Read More

Young Electrician

Client, a young man in his 20’s, was involved in an automobile accident while riding in a friend’s car. He lost sight in one eye as a result, and there was nothing medically that could be done to restore his vision. His friend’s automobile insurance was only for the minimum of $20,000.00. However, Attorney Hoffman was able to access the underinsurance provision of the client’s insurance po… Read More

Male in 30s

Client, a male in his 30s, fell nearly 20 feet to the ground when the railing he was leaning against gave way. Fortunately, his injuries were not life-threatening, and he escaped with “only” a fractured heel that was repaired with surgery and a screw that is to remain in place permanently. While there was evidence that the porch and railing were in poor condition, there were also witne… Read More

Male in Mid-60s

Client, a male in his mid 60s, was working as a plant manager/sales person, for a barrel and drum manufacturing and reconditioning company. While on a semi trailer, he stepped off and fell approximately 10 feet to the ground, fracturing his wrist. While recovering from the right wrist fracture, an MRI was performed, which disclosed a “massive tear” of the rotator cuff. Surgical correction was… Read More

Female in Mid-50s

Client, a female in her mid-50s, sustained injuries to two separate areas of her body in three different accidents while working for a retailer. First, she injured her shoulder reaching back for something while working on a ladder. Then, she twisted her knee and reinjured the knee again a few months later. To make matters even more difficult, while the client “knew” there was something wrong w… Read More

Young Man in 20s