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Belleville Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer
A spinal cord injury can rewrite every plan you had for your life. One moment you are driving down I-64 near Belleville, or crossing a construction site off Route 159, and the next moment you are in an emergency room at a St. Louis-area trauma center, facing a diagnosis that changes everything. These injuries are among the most serious a person can suffer, and they demand serious legal attention. Briskman Briskman & Greenberg has helped injured people across the greater Chicago and southern Illinois region hold negligent parties accountable for catastrophic harm, and we are ready to help you too.
Table of Contents
- How Spinal Cord Injuries Happen in Belleville
- Types of Spinal Cord Injuries and What They Mean for Your Future
- Illinois Law and Your Right to Compensation
- What Damages Can You Recover After a Belleville Spinal Cord Injury?
- The Filing Deadline You Cannot Afford to Miss
- FAQs About Belleville Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer
How Spinal Cord Injuries Happen in Belleville
Belleville sits at the crossroads of several heavily traveled roads, including I-64, Route 15, and Route 159. That traffic volume creates real risk. Motor vehicle crashes rank first as a cause of traumatic spinal cord injuries, accounting for 38% of cases, followed by falls at 32%, acts of violence at 15%, and sports at 8%. For Belleville residents, that means a rear-end crash on the freeway, a truck accident near the Scott Air Force Base corridor, or a fall at a warehouse or construction site can all result in life-altering spinal damage.
Spinal cord injuries also arise from motorcycle crashes on Memorial Drive, pedestrian accidents near the Belleville Town Centre, slip and fall incidents at local businesses, and workplace accidents at distribution facilities in the metro-east area. Distracted driving is a growing factor as well. Any of these situations can put devastating force on the spine in a fraction of a second. Vehicle crashes are currently the leading cause of spinal cord injury, followed by falls, acts of violence, and sports or recreation activities.
What makes these cases complicated is that the cause of the injury often determines who is legally responsible. A car crash may involve a negligent driver, an employer if a commercial vehicle is involved, or even a government entity if a dangerous road condition contributed to the collision. A construction accident may involve a general contractor, a subcontractor, or a property owner. Identifying every responsible party matters, because the compensation you can recover depends on it. If you suffered a spinal cord injury caused by someone else’s negligence, a Chicago abogado de lesiones personales at Briskman Briskman & Greenberg can investigate the full picture and identify every party who may share responsibility.
Types of Spinal Cord Injuries and What They Mean for Your Future
Not all spinal cord injuries look the same. Doctors classify them as either complete or incomplete. A complete injury means the spinal cord is fully severed or damaged at the injury site, resulting in total loss of movement and sensation below that point. An incomplete injury means some signals still pass through the cord, leaving partial function. Both categories can result in permanent disability, but the degree of impairment varies widely depending on where along the spine the damage occurs.
The most frequent injury levels are C4 and C5, followed by C6, T12, and L1. Overall, about 55% of traumatic spinal cord injuries are cervical injuries resulting in tetraplegia, and 45% result in paraplegia. Cervical injuries are the most severe because they affect the arms, hands, trunk, legs, and breathing. Thoracic and lumbar injuries typically affect the legs and lower body. Even an incomplete injury at the cervical level can leave a person dependent on a wheelchair or round-the-clock care.
The long-term costs are staggering. Indirect costs such as losses in wages, fringe benefits, and productivity averaged $95,309 per year in 2024 dollars. That figure does not even account for direct medical expenses, which can run into the millions over a lifetime. Since the 1970s, life expectancies have increased for people with traumatic spinal cord injuries during their first year of injury. However, life expectancies after the first year have not changed since the early 1980s and remain substantially below those of the general population. These realities make it essential to pursue every dollar of compensation available under Illinois law.
Illinois Law and Your Right to Compensation
Illinois law gives spinal cord injury victims a clear path to financial recovery when another party’s negligence caused the harm. To succeed in a claim, you must show that the at-fault party owed you a duty of care, breached that duty, and caused your injury as a result. That sounds straightforward, but insurance companies fight hard to minimize what they pay. They may argue you share fault, that your injuries are not as severe as claimed, or that pre-existing conditions account for your condition.
Illinois uses a modified comparative fault system under 735 ILCS 5/2-1116. Under that law, your damages are reduced in proportion to your share of fault. If you are found to be more than 50% responsible for the accident, you are barred from recovering anything at all. Insurance adjusters use this rule aggressively, which is why having strong legal representation from the start matters.
When multiple defendants share responsibility, Illinois law under 735 ILCS 5/2-1117 governs how liability is allocated. All defendants found liable are jointly and severally liable for past and future medical and medically related expenses. A defendant whose share of fault is 25% or greater is jointly and severally liable for all other damages as well. This matters in cases involving commercial trucking companies, construction contractors, or property owners, where multiple parties may have contributed to the conditions that caused your injury.
Illinois does not cap economic or non-economic damages in most personal injury cases. That means a jury can award whatever amount fairly reflects your losses, including pain and suffering, loss of normal life, and emotional distress, without an artificial ceiling cutting off your recovery.
What Damages Can You Recover After a Belleville Spinal Cord Injury?
The damages available in a spinal cord injury case go well beyond hospital bills. Illinois law allows you to recover both economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages cover the measurable financial losses tied to your injury. Non-economic damages cover the human costs that cannot be tallied on a spreadsheet.
On the economic side, you can recover past and future medical expenses, including emergency care, surgery, inpatient rehabilitation, physical therapy, occupational therapy, assistive devices, and in-home nursing care. The most recent estimate of the annual incidence of traumatic spinal cord injury is approximately 54 cases per one million people in the United States, which equals about 18,421 new cases each year. Each of those cases carries enormous financial weight. You can also recover lost wages from time missed at work during treatment, as well as reduced future earning capacity if your injury prevents you from returning to your prior occupation or any work at all.
Home and vehicle modifications are also recoverable. Wheelchair ramps, widened doorways, roll-in showers, hospital-grade beds, and adapted vehicles are common necessities after a serious spinal cord injury. These costs add up quickly. Illinois also recognizes loss of normal life as a category of damages, covering the ways your injury prevents you from enjoying daily activities, hobbies, relationships, and personal independence the way you did before the accident.
In cases involving willful and wanton conduct, such as a drunk driver who caused a catastrophic crash, punitive damages may also be available. Illinois law allows punitive damages when the at-fault party’s conduct was fraudulent, intentional, or willful and wanton in nature. If you are unsure what your case may be worth, contact Briskman Briskman & Greenberg at (312) 222-0010 for a free consultation. There is no fee unless we recover compensation for you.
The Filing Deadline You Cannot Afford to Miss
Time is not on your side after a spinal cord injury. Under 735 ILCS 5/13-202, Illinois imposes a two-year statute of limitations on personal injury claims. That means you generally have two years from the date of your injury to file a lawsuit. Miss that deadline, and you lose your right to pursue compensation entirely, regardless of how strong your case might be.
Two years sounds like a long time, but it passes faster than most people expect when you are focused on medical care, rehabilitation, and adapting to a new way of life. Evidence also disappears. Surveillance footage gets overwritten. Witnesses move or forget details. Accident reconstruction experts need time to examine the scene. The sooner you act, the stronger your case will be.
There are limited exceptions to the two-year rule. Claims against government entities, such as the City of Belleville or the Illinois Department of Transportation, may carry shorter notice deadlines. Cases involving injured minors follow different rules. A workplace injury that also involves a third-party claim requires careful coordination between your workers’ compensation rights under the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act (820 ILCS 305) and your personal injury claim against any non-employer who contributed to the accident.
Briskman Briskman & Greenberg handles spinal cord injury cases throughout the greater Chicago and southern Illinois area. Our firm is located at 205 W Randolph St., Suite 925, Chicago, IL 60606. Call us at (312) 222-0010 as soon as possible after your injury so we can protect your rights and begin building your case right away.
FAQs About Belleville Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer
How long do I have to file a spinal cord injury lawsuit in Illinois?
Under 735 ILCS 5/13-202, you generally have two years from the date of your injury to file a personal injury lawsuit in Illinois. Certain exceptions apply, including shorter deadlines for claims against government entities. Missing this deadline typically means losing your right to pursue compensation, so contacting an attorney as soon as possible after your injury is critical.
Can I still recover compensation if I was partially at fault for the accident?
Yes, in many cases. Illinois follows a modified comparative fault rule under 735 ILCS 5/2-1116. If you are found to be 50% or less at fault, you can still recover damages, though your award will be reduced by your percentage of fault. If you are found more than 50% at fault, Illinois law bars you from recovering any compensation.
What types of damages can I recover in a spinal cord injury case?
Illinois law allows you to recover economic damages such as past and future medical expenses, lost wages, reduced earning capacity, and the cost of home and vehicle modifications. You can also recover non-economic damages including pain and suffering, emotional distress, and loss of normal life. Illinois does not cap these damages in most personal injury cases. In cases involving willful or intentional conduct, punitive damages may also be available.
What if my spinal cord injury happened at work in Belleville?
A workplace spinal cord injury may give rise to a claim under the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Act (820 ILCS 305), which provides benefits for medical expenses and lost wages regardless of fault. If a third party other than your employer contributed to the accident, such as a negligent contractor or equipment manufacturer, you may also have a separate personal injury claim against that party. These two claims can run at the same time, and coordinating them properly is important to maximizing your recovery.
How does Briskman Briskman & Greenberg charge for spinal cord injury cases?
Briskman Briskman & Greenberg handles spinal cord injury cases on a contingency fee basis. That means you pay no legal fees unless we recover compensation for you. There are no upfront costs to get started. To discuss your case at no charge, call our firm at (312) 222-0010. Our office is located at 205 W Randolph St., Suite 925, Chicago, IL 60606.
More Resources About Catastrophic & Fatal Injuries
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