If you have been diagnosed with a spinal cord injury, you already know how much this injury hurts your quality of life. No amount of money can compensate for the enormous impact an injury like this has on your life, and you may wonder if it is worth the time and effort to seek compensation for your injuries.
If your spinal cord injury was caused by neglect, the intentional act of someone else, or a defective product, a seasoned catastrophic injury attorney could help you seek monetary damages. Although no dollar amount can undo the damage to your body, a Palatine spinal cord injury lawyer at The Kryder Law Group could help you recover funds that relieve you of some financial burden and allow you to focus on your recovery.
What Is a Spinal Cord Injury?
A spinal cord injury is damage caused to the bundle of nerves running through your spinal column. Damage to these nerves can permanently or temporarily change your body functions, affect your strength, and limit your ability to move. It is possible to recover from some spinal cord injuries, but others cause permanent paralysis or lifelong symptoms. Paralysis can happen immediately after an injury or over time as bleeding and swelling affect the spinal cord.
Other symptoms that result from spinal cord damage can include:
- Numbness, tingling, or loss of sensation
- Pain in your head, neck, back, or other parts of your body
- Muscle weakness or inability to move certain body parts
- Loss of bladder and bowel control
- Problems walking
- Difficulty breathing
- Changes in sexual function
These symptoms can impact the type of work you are able to do and prevent you from participating in activities you used to enjoy. A skilled Palatine attorney familiar with spinal cord injuries could help you present a case that awards you financial damages for your injury and the limitations it has imposed on your life.
Why the Cause of Your Spinal Cord Damage Matters
The most frequent cause of spinal cord injuries is car accidents, which cause about half of new spinal cord injuries every year. Falls are another common reason, as well as acts of violence like gunshot wounds. If you are the victim of a spinal cord injury, you will need to prove that the injury was someone else’s fault to receive compensation.
A common defense to any injury lawsuit is comparative or contributory negligence, which means claiming that the victim contributed to their own injury. In Illinois, if the at-fault party shows you were 50 percent or more responsible for the injury, you cannot recover compensation. However, if you are assigned some responsibility for the injury—but less than 50 percent—it will reduce the amount of compensation you can recover.
For example, if you suffered an injury in a car crash because the other driver was not paying attention, but you were also speeding, the court might decide you were 10 percent responsible for the accident and injury. In this example, if your damages award was going to be $100,000, you would receive 10 percent less, or $90,000. The more blame the victim shares, the less they receive.
Being accused of causing your own injury can feel hurtful and confusing to the victim. A dedicated spinal cord injury lawyer in Palatine could help you defend against such baseless arguments. It is critical never to accept or admit any blame for an accident and to quickly hire a qualified legal representative who can speak for you in matters like these.
Get Help from a Compassionate Palatine Spinal Cord Injury Attorney
We understand that victims of a spinal cord injury cannot truly be made whole by any amount of money and are sometimes concerned about the stress of a personal injury lawsuit. However, compensation for your injuries can let you focus on your recovery, not stress over finances.
Our capable attorneys could take the stress off your shoulders by navigating the legal issues of your case for you. Call and schedule a free consultation with a Palatine spinal cord injury lawyer at The Kryder Law Group today.
(312) 223-1700