Spinal cord injuries can leave you with paralysis and other debilitating health complications that impact the trajectory of your life. You may not be able to work and are likely to have increased healthcare needs going forward. A Waukegan spinal cord injury lawyer could help you pursue legal claims for compensation against those liable for the incident that caused your injury. The compensation obtained in a case through trial or settlement can provide valuable financial support for you and your family in the aftermath of your catastrophic injury.
The cause of a spinal cord injury will determine who may have liability for resulting damages. The liable party may be an individual, such as in the case of a car accident or assault. Other causes of spinal cord injuries may establish the liability of a business, government organization, or other entity. For example, a case involving a slip and fall incident that occurred on a commercial property or from using a defective product may imply a specific business was at fault.
After a spinal cord injury, the injured party should gather as much information as possible to help our Waukegan lawyers identify responsible parties that may be liable for damages. Examples of relevant information may include:
A lawyer could start with this information and gather additional, relevant details while examining your case to establish a legal claim for personal injury.
Seeking medical care after a suspected spinal cord injury is critical to mitigating long-term harm and establishing the injury’s cause. Our lawyers have relationships with healthcare providers who may be able to wait until after your case concludes to receive payment for treatment.
Compensation is likely available for several types of damages in a successful lawsuit. Our Waukegan spinal cord injury attorneys could pursue claims for a client’s medical care costs, pain and suffering, and lost earnings due to time away from work or permanent disability.
However, whether the injury is permanent and whether the injured party had any fault in the accident are two major factors impacting the amount of compensation available in a spinal cord injury claim. Illinois has a comparative fault rule that limits a negligent plaintiff’s compensation by their percentage of fault. The recovery of damages may not be possible in cases where the plaintiff was more than 50 percent responsible for causing the accident.
Under the Illinois statute of limitations, plaintiffs have two years from the date of their injury to file a civil lawsuit. Consider meeting with a Waukegan spinal cord injury lawyer as soon as possible after an incident to determine when the filing deadline for your case may be. Failing to file in time can force the court to dismiss an otherwise valid claim. Our firm is proud to offer bilingual capabilities to better serve the Waukegan community. Schedule a free case review with us today.
