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An injury to the spinal cord can be serious and even life-threatening. Each year, the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center reports about 12,500 injury cases dealing with the spine. Often, they result from traumatic and unpredictable forces from sports-related collisions or car crashes, while many other cases are due to medical mistakes.
The pain and stress of a spine injury can be debilitating and make it difficult to live your life. With the help of a compassionate catastrophic injury attorney, though, you may be able to receive compensation for your pain. If you are suffering from an injury to the spine due to the reckless or negligent behavior of someone else, contact a Cicero spinal cord injury lawyer as soon as possible to begin your fight for financial restitution.
The Johns Hopkins Health Library defines an acute spinal cord injury as one that causes a partial tear, bruise, or complete tear of the spinal cord. Spinal cord injuries require immediate medical attention and commonly lead to a significant loss of bodily function below the region of the injury. They can be caused by numerous factors, including the following:
Any individual who is suffering from a spinal cord injury due to the negligence of another person must follow 735 ILCS §5/13-202 and file their lawsuit in the civil court system within two years or settle out of court, or have their Cicero spinal cord injury attorney do so on their behalf. The exception to this rule is if the individual discovered the injury later than the date that they were injured. In this case, they must prove to the court that they did not and could not have reasonably discovered the injury earlier.
It is also crucial to understand that if someone is filing an injury claim against a county or city, it must be filed within one year. For injury claims against the state, the time limit to sue is two years, but the claim must still be filed formally within one year.
Similar to many other U.S. states, Illinois follows “at fault” rules for personal injury cases, including car accidents, medical injuries, and falls. The state is also a “modified comparative negligence” jurisdiction, which means that an injured individual cannot be more at fault than the defendant if they are to receive compensation.
In addition, 735 ILCS §5/2-1116 allows for decreased damage awards based on the proportions of fault a plaintiff bears for their own accident. For example, an individual determined to be 25 percent at fault for a spinal cord injury they suffered would only be entitled to 75 percent of their total damages. Defendants often try to push blame onto plaintiffs to minimize the damages they are liable for, so representation from a skilled spinal cord injury lawyer in Cicero could be key to maximizing recovery.
Although other states have caps on compensation, Illinois places no limits on compensation for spinal cord injuries and other personal injury cases. This cap was determined to violate the Illinois State Constitution back in 2010.
With the help of a Cicero spinal cord injury lawyer, you or your loved one could have a compassionate and experienced professional fighting on your behalf for the compensation that you deserve. Connect with experienced legal counsel as soon as possible to get started on your case.