A Frontline Exposure
The client was 45 and worked at a food-production facility in Bartlett, Illinois, in close contact with others throughout his shift. In 2020, at the height of the pandemic, he contracted COVID-19 on the job. His was not a mild case.
When the Illness Almost Takes Everything
COVID-19 caused pneumonia and hypoxia (low oxygen) and progressed to severe respiratory failure. He was hospitalized and placed on a mechanical ventilator to breathe. He survived — but with a permanent reminder: bilateral scars on his cheeks, caused by the straps of the ventilator that kept him alive. That is where the fight began. The insurer contested everything: whether he was really infected at work, whether the employer was responsible. That doubt is their weapon.
Turning Strategy Into Justice
When the client came to our office, our legal team immediately took control of the case. We filed his claim and assembled the full record — the hospitalization, the ventilator, the scarring — and connected the illness to his work as an essential employee in a food plant. Jack Epstein, with 30 years of experience in the Illinois legal market, oversaw the strategy. We refused to let an illness that nearly killed him, and that left lifelong scars, be minimized. Throughout, the client paid nothing until we won the case.
The Result
The client secured a $75,000 settlement, of which he received $59,170 net. The agreement recognized a permanent loss and helped resolve outstanding medical bills. Every doubt the insurer raised, we answered with evidence.
Why This Case Matters
Occupational illness is real, and COVID-19 contracted by an essential worker can be compensable — even when the insurer leans on the difficulty of proving where the exposure happened. Serious, lasting harm from a workplace illness deserves to be fought for. If a serious illness from your job has left you with lasting damage, our Illinois legal team can help you recover what you rightfully deserve.
