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Trapp & Geller Trapp & Geller is a Chicago personal injury law firm fighting for victims of car, truck, nursing hom Call the firm today to schedule your free consultation!

Few things can be as devastating to individuals and families as injuries from accidents that were caused by someone else’s negligence. With the help of the experienced personal injury lawyer at Trapp & Geller in Chicago, you can fight for the compensation you deserve. The practice exclusively services victims of injury and can help you hold the right people accountable for the injuries you or your loved one has suffered. The firm’s practice areas include car accidents, truck and commercial vehicle wrecks, railroad accident FELA claims, premises liability, animal attacks, and more. An attorney is personally involved in each and every case and works closely with clients to provide the best outcome. Their team works on contingency fees, meaning you do not pay if they do not win compensation. They speak English, Spanish, and Polish.

Morning inspection, afternoon injury. The gap between those two moments is where a scaffold dispute may start.For covere...
10/12/2026

Morning inspection, afternoon injury. The gap between those two moments is where a scaffold dispute may start.

For covered construction scaffolds, federal OSHA requires the employer to have a competent person inspect before each shift and after any occurrence that could affect structural integrity. A tag or log may help show what was documented, but it doesn't by itself prove the inspection was adequate.

In Illinois, workers' comp generally doesn't, by itself, bar a separate claim against a legally liable third party. Your employer may be protected from that claim, and a contractor's title alone doesn't settle whether it's your employer or a third party. When supported by evidence, a third-party claim may seek lost earning capacity and future treatment costs.

Tags, records, and site conditions may change as work proceeds. If you were hurt on a scaffold, call promptly: (312) 368-1444.

Someone still has to sign the permission slip for the school field trip this month, and now it's your signature on that ...
10/07/2026

Someone still has to sign the permission slip for the school field trip this month, and now it's your signature on that line instead of theirs.

There's no workers' comp check coming for a railroad death. FELA is the only path a family has, and the three-year deadline to file starts on the day they died, not the day of the accident.

A claims representative may already have called about a settlement, and a kind word about your loved one on that call isn't the railroad admitting fault. Signing what they hand you typically ends the case for good, often before the family's worked out what's actually owed.

FELA lets a family recover the support they would have kept providing and the funeral costs piling up, but it doesn't include money meant to punish the railroad. Before you sign anything a claims representative sends you these first weeks, call us at (312) 368-1444.

That permission slip isn't going anywhere.

Your shoulder still catches every time you reach overhead after the fall off the railcar, and somewhere along the way so...
10/05/2026

Your shoulder still catches every time you reach overhead after the fall off the railcar, and somewhere along the way someone told you 'don't worry, we'll take care of you, that's what comp's for.'

Railroad work doesn't come with a workers' comp safety net. FELA is the only path for an on-the-job injury, and it runs on fault. You have to show the railroad's negligence, a coworker's, or defective equipment contributed to what happened, not that it alone caused it.

That shoulder is real. The disc that never sat right after a ladder fall is real. Neither matters to a claim if nothing on file connects it to something the railroad did or didn't do. FELA covers lost wages, medical bills, and pain and suffering, once negligence is on the record.

Call us at (312) 368-1444 while that record is still being written.

A denied claim rarely means the injury wasn't real. Most of the time it means nobody built the negligence side of the file.

Hearing that you felt informed and supported through every step of your case, that's what stays with us.You shared that ...
09/30/2026

Hearing that you felt informed and supported through every step of your case, that's what stays with us.

You shared that anytime something was confusing, it got broken down in a way that actually made sense, and that everything was handled smoothly and resolved quickly. That kind of trust means everything, and we're thankful you gave us the chance to be in your corner.

Thank you for sharing your experience, and for the recommendation. It genuinely means a lot coming from someone who lived it.

If you've been injured and need someone to walk you through your options, give us a call: (312) 368-1444.

Every September the same corners fill back up. Backpacks, crossing guards, parents half-jogging to keep pace. Then one d...
09/17/2026

Every September the same corners fill back up. Backpacks, crossing guards, parents half-jogging to keep pace. Then one driver doesn't stop.

If your child gets hit near a school zone this fall, you should consider acting fast on the things that disappear fastest. Get names and phone numbers from anyone who saw it, not just the other driver's insurance card. It's advisable to ask the corner store or the house on the block whether their camera caught the intersection, because that footage isn't kept forever and nobody is holding it for you. The police report will typically be around for years. That camera won't be.

The driver's insurance company typically calls within a day or two, and the first offer is often lower than what the case is actually worth.

If you want a second set of eyes on that offer before you sign anything, call us: (312) 368-1444.

Two drivers at the same Chicago intersection, both positive the light was green. That's how most right-of-way disputes s...
09/15/2026

Two drivers at the same Chicago intersection, both positive the light was green. That's how most right-of-way disputes start, and it's exactly where people talk themselves out of calling a lawyer.

Under Illinois law, being partly at fault doesn't erase your claim. You're only barred from recovering if a jury finds you more than 50 percent responsible for what happened. Below that line, your damages get reduced by your share of the fault, nothing more, nothing less.

The trouble starts when someone runs that math themselves before a lawyer's seen the officer's report or heard what the other driver told the adjuster. A cousin says 'you were probably partly at fault, so why even call anyone,' and a case that could've gone somewhere never gets a first look.

If you're not sure how much of the fault might land on you, call us: (312) 368-1444.

The cars haven't been moved yet. That's the version of the scene nobody can recreate later: where each one came to rest,...
09/14/2026

The cars haven't been moved yet. That's the version of the scene nobody can recreate later: where each one came to rest, the skid marks, the light you were sitting under.

While you're still standing there, it's advisable to photograph all of it: vehicle positions, damage up close, the plates, the traffic signals. You should also consider getting names, phone numbers, and email addresses from the people who saw it, and exchanging contact details and insurance information with the other driver.

It's also advisable to write down the responding officer's name, badge number, department, and report number before the cars get towed. If you were riding in an Uber or Lyft, you should consider screenshotting the app showing the trip ID and the driver's details while you're still in it.

Then text the photos to yourself.

If you're not sure what still counts, a call to (312) 368-1444 can help you sort it out. The scene only exists once.

Summer in Chicago means longer shifts on scaffolds, lifts, and cranes to beat the deadline before the season turns. Corn...
08/31/2026

Summer in Chicago means longer shifts on scaffolds, lifts, and cranes to beat the deadline before the season turns. Corners get cut. And that's when OSHA shows up after something goes wrong.

A citation from that inspection doesn't just sit in a file. Illinois courts let it into evidence in a negligence case, and the regulation becomes the standard the contractor should have met. It's not automatic proof of fault. The law treats it as prima facie evidence of negligence, not negligence per se, but it carries real weight before a jury ever hears the case.

Taking workers' comp doesn't erase that citation, and it doesn't erase your right to sue whoever else caused the accident, like a general contractor, a site owner, or an equipment company. Comp and a third-party claim can run side by side.

Before you sign anything from the contractor's insurer, call us: (312) 368-1444.

You fell off a scaffold, workers' comp sent a check for the ER visit, and everyone around you assumes that's the whole s...
08/31/2026

You fell off a scaffold, workers' comp sent a check for the ER visit, and everyone around you assumes that's the whole story.

It isn't. Workers' comp covers medical bills and a slice of lost wages, but it typically doesn't touch what you'll lose in future earning power, or the pain that has you gripping the stair rail every night before bed. Illinois lets you file a separate claim against whoever else caused the fall, often a general contractor who ignored fall protection rules, a property owner who knew the scaffold was unstable, or the company that built a defective lift. Taking the comp check doesn't erase that right.

The earlier that second claim gets built, the more of your real loss gets counted. If you want a second set of eyes on what comp already paid you, call us: (312) 368-1444.

Comp and a lawsuit can run side by side, whenever you're ready to start.

CPS is back in session, and the corner by the bus stop is packed with backpacks again.If a CTA or PACE bus, or a red lig...
08/18/2026

CPS is back in session, and the corner by the bus stop is packed with backpacks again.

If a CTA or PACE bus, or a red light camera near that crosswalk, caught what happened when someone got hit, that footage doesn't wait around for you to ask nicely. CTA, PACE, and city traffic cameras typically hold footage for around 30 to 60 days, though depending on the system it can run shorter, down toward a week, or longer, out toward 90 days. That window doesn't stay open.

Calling CTA customer service or the claims department is the first step, but a phone call generally isn't enough on its own. Sending a written preservation request is what puts the agency on notice to preserve that evidence — though it doesn't compel them to hand it over.

The earlier that request goes out, the more of the actual crash survives to be looked at. Call us: (312) 368-1444.

Address

707 Skokie Boulebard, Suite 310
Northbrook, IL
60606

Opening Hours

Monday 7am - 6pm
Tuesday 7am - 6pm
Wednesday 7am - 6pm
Thursday 7am - 6pm
Friday 7am - 6pm
Saturday 8am - 3pm
Sunday 8am - 3pm

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