Back and Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer in Chicago

Beyond the Pain: The Life-Altering Impact of Spinal Cord Injuries

Suffering a severe back or spinal cord injury is a life-altering event. The physical pain is often debilitating, but the secondary impacts can be equally devastating. A catastrophic injury to your spine can result in long-term chronic pain, extended absences from work, and a sudden inability to enjoy the life you once knew. Because the spinal cord is central to your body’s nervous system, damage here can trigger widespread health complications that require years of expensive medical care and intensive rehabilitation.

Securing the financial compensation you need to heal and rebuild your life requires more than just filing a basic insurance claim. It demands a highly skilled Chicago spinal cord injury lawyer who understands the medical and legal complexities of catastrophic injuries. At Paul Padda Law, our dedicated team has decades of experience fighting for accident victims across Illinois. We know how to thoroughly document your injuries and accurately value your past, present, and future damages to ensure you are fully protected.

The Chicago personal injury attorneys at Paul Padda Law conduct meticulous investigations into every case, allowing us to build a formidable strategy for maximum recovery. To discuss your legal options with an experienced back injury lawyer, call us today at (312) 702-7000. We offer free, confidential consultations and work on a contingency fee basis. You pay absolutely nothing upfront, and we only get paid when we secure compensation for you.

Why Choose Paul Padda Law for Your Spinal Cord Injury Claim?

Spinal cord injuries require an attorney with exceptional litigation skills and deep compassion for what you are experiencing. Here is a brief look at why Chicago residents trust Paul Padda Law to handle their most critical personal injury claims:

• Proven Trial Experience: We prepare every case as if it is going to trial. We are never afraid to take powerful insurance companies to court if they refuse to offer a fair and just settlement.
• Maximum Compensation Focus: We work closely with top medical professionals, life care planners, and economists to calculate the true, lifelong cost of your injury.

Client-Centered Care: A severe injury is overwhelming enough. We manage all the complex legal hurdles, aggressive adjusters, and tedious paperwork so you can focus entirely on your physical and emotional recovery.

The Leader of Your Recovery Team

"Being a lawyer allows me to be a voice for the voiceless."

- Paul Padda, J.D.

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What to Do Immediately After a Back Injury

A severe back or spinal cord injury can leave you in shock and intense pain. Taking the right steps immediately following an accident is vital for your physical recovery and any future legal claims. If you have injured your back in a crash, a fall, or a workplace incident, follow these crucial steps:

• Seek Medical Attention Immediately: Your health is the absolute top priority. Even if you think your back pain is minor, visit an emergency room or a medical specialist right away. Adrenaline can mask severe damage. Furthermore, securing a prompt medical record linking your injury to the accident is essential for your personal injury claim.
• Report the Incident: If you were in a car accident, call the police to file an official traffic report. If the injury occurred at work or on someone else’s property, notify your employer or the property manager immediately and request a formal, written incident report.
• Document the Scene and Your Injuries: If you are physically able, take clear photos and videos of the accident scene, the vehicles involved, or the specific hazard that caused your fall. Be sure to collect names and contact information from any eyewitnesses who saw what happened.
• Decline Early Insurance Offers: Insurance adjusters will often reach out quickly to offer a lowball settlement or get you to make a recorded statement. They are looking for ways to minimize your payout. Politely decline to speak with them or sign any documents until you have secured legal representation.

Contact a Trusted Personal Injury Attorney: Navigating the aftermath of a catastrophic back injury is incredibly complex. Contact the experienced legal team at Paul Padda Law as soon as possible. We will step in to protect your rights, preserve critical evidence, and handle all communications with the insurance companies on your behalf.

Back Injuries Can Cause Serious Harm

Your spinal column can be badly damaged if you sustain a significant collision or fall. This body part is made up of your spinal cord, which is surrounded by segmented vertebrae bones that are separated by soft discs. The spinal cord is an important part of your nervous system that transmits sensory information between your brain and limbs. Damage to your spinal column can be very difficult to heal, and it can affect different limbs and organs throughout your body. Given the complexity of this part of your body, it can be hard to know exactly what damage you have suffered.

A spinal cord injury often requires years of treatment and rehabilitation. Obtaining damages from a negligent party requires having a back injury lawyer who understands the many ramifications of spinal cord damage. Issues of back pain after a car accident or paralysis after a workplace fall are unique in every case. Paul Padda Law has helped victims in many spinal cord injury cases.

The United States records approximately 12,500 new spinal injury cases each year. Many originate from slips and falls, car accidents, and personal injury accidents. According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, common causes of this type of injury are:

• Vehicle crashes (38%)
• Falls (32%)
• Acts of violence (14%)
• Sports and recreation activities (9%)
• Medical or surgical complications (4%)
• Other causes (3%)

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Types of Back and Spine Injuries We Handle

Spinal cord injuries can occur in an instant, devastating the victims and their families. This injury occurs when a traumatic event causes severe spine damage that results in the loss of movement, range of motion, or physical sensation. The spinal cord is a column of nerve tissue that is protected by the bones of your spine. It delivers messages between your brain and the rest of your body. Therefore, an injury to the spinal column may damage or destroy your brain’s ability to communicate with your body. The closer the injury occurs to your head, the more likely it will affect a larger area of your body.

Common spinal injuries include contusion, compression, and spinal fractures. Such injuries could produce side effects including severe depression, emotional trauma, and respiratory problems. Some spinal cord injuries can render a victim paralyzed, whether from the waist down (paraplegic) or from the neck down (quadriplegic).

Different examples of back and spine injuries that we have seen include:

• Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury: Your spinal cord can be crushed, dislocated, or severed in a serious accident. This can result in serious pain and many different ailments such as loss of sensation, paralysis, and even problems with various organs.
• Back and Neck Sprains or Strains: Back injuries can result in tears or damaging stretches to ligaments or muscles. These painful injuries can make even the most basic movements too painful to bear.
• Herniated, Bulging, or Slipped Discs: Discs that surround your spinal cord and rest between each vertebra can be ruptured, pinched, or slip out of place. These cases can reduce your muscle ability and cause great pain, and a damaged disc will degenerate and become much worse if not treated.
• Whiplash: Being involved in a serious collision or a fall can cause your head to snap back and forth, and this can overextend the muscles in your neck. Whiplash damage can take days to become evident, and the pain and stiffness often get worse over time.

Almost Every Type of Accident Poses a Threat to Your Neck and Back

An experienced spinal cord injury attorney understands that almost any accident can cause harm to your neck and back. Every limb in your body is connected to your central nervous system by way of your spinal column. Therefore, damage to your back can cause additional ailments over time. For example, lower back pain after a car accident can cause a change to your walking pattern, and this can cause hip or knee problems down the road. To secure the compensation that you need often means finding an injury lawyer with considerable experience with spinal cord injury cases and how accidents can seriously damage your neck, back, and spine.

The legal team at Paul Padda Law has an extensive background assisting clients when accidents have resulted in serious back injuries. We understand how back pain and limited mobility can result from different types of accidents, even those that do not initially appear to involve harm to a victim’s back.  There are many ways you can suffer a back injury, including:

• Motor vehicle accidents including car, truck, and motorcycle collisions
• Slip and fall accidents on hazardous properties
• Workplace accidents including falls from heights and machinery incidents
• Construction site accidents
• Sports and recreational activities
• Acts of violence
• Medical malpractice during surgical procedures
• Defective products causing injury

At Paul Padda Law, we are more than your lawyers. We are the allies you want to help you set things right.

The Financial Impact of Spinal Cord Injuries

A spinal cord injury is a life-changing event and can be particularly traumatic if it occurs as an accident caused by another party. Recovery could take an extended period of time, and it is often very costly. While some individuals can recover from spinal cord injuries with therapy and treatment, many may never recover and may need lifelong health care, which could prove extremely costly.

According to the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, average expenses for spinal cord injuries in the first year range from $347,484 to $11,064.716 depending on the severity of the injury:

• High Tetraplegia (C1 to C4): $1,064,716first year, $184,891each subsequent year
• Low Tetraplegia (C5 to C8): $769,351 first year, $113,423 each subsequent year
• Paraplegia: $518,904 first year, $68,739 each subsequent year
• Incomplete motor function at any level: $347,484 first year, $42,206 each subsequent year

In spinal cord injury lawsuits, damages typically include compensation that goes above and beyond reimbursement for medical expenses and pain and suffering. These types of injuries can have permanent and life altering effects. Because of this, a damages award can also include compensation for things like:

• All past, present, and future medical expenses
• Ongoing therapy and rehabilitation costs
• Home modifications for accessibility
• Vehicle modifications for adaptive equipment
• Assistive devices and wheelchairs
• Lost wages and future earning capacity
• Vocational rehabilitation and job retraining
• In home care and nursing assistance
• Pain, suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life
• Emotional distress and mental anguish

Injury victims should not have to bear the financial burden of accidents that occurred by no fault of their own. We are committed to taking aggressive and immediate measures to hold the liable parties accountable for their actions and help you obtain the monetary settlement to which you are entitled.

Proving Negligence in Spinal Cord Injury Cases

Most spinal cord injury lawsuits are based on negligence. For example, an injury caused by negligence can occur when a car hits you while bicycling or if you fall down a broken staircase. In these types of cases, you will need to prove that the party you are suing is legally responsible. Sometimes, there will be more than one responsible party. You may need to look at drivers, property owners, employers, and multiple insurance companies.

Our injury attorneys at Paul Padda Law have vast experience identifying responsible parties and dealing with insurance companies. If we cannot reach a fair settlement for you, we have a top-notch team of litigation lawyers that will take your case to court. We have the skill and resources to secure the compensation you deserve.

Do Not Hesitate to Call Your Back Injury Lawyer

Back and spine injuries are complex, and a skilled back injury lawyer will have to consult with your medical professionals as well as expert witnesses if you are to recover the compensation you deserve. Our back injury lawyers know you are going through a lot and will take the time necessary to fully understand the damage done to you and the impact on your life.

However, the statute of limitations for personal injury in Illinois requires that your claim for damages be filed within two years, or else you might lose your ability to pursue compensation. There are exceptions to this rule, and one includes pausing this two-year window for injuries that are not clear at the time of your accident. Many back injuries take weeks or months to become evident, but your spine injury lawyer will understand how the statute of limitations will affect your case.

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Frequently Asked Questions: Back and Spinal Cord Injuries in Chicago

A Lawyer from Paul Padda Law Can Help You

Back injuries can last years or even be permanent, and the healing process will often require surgery and physical therapy, leading to long periods out of work and expensive medical costs. If your back or neck has been damaged in an accident, many aspects of your life will be affected. A skilled Chicago spinal cord injury lawyer from Paul Padda Law can help make sure that you get all the care and compensation that you need during this difficult time. Do not hesitate to call our office for help. Back injuries do not heal like many other injuries, and they usually will get worse over time if not properly treated. Paul Padda Law has helped countless clients who have been badly injured throughout Illinois and is consistently recognized for our compassion and ability to get results. To speak with an experienced and highly motivated injury lawyer, call (312) 702-7000 today or submit the details of your injury online to schedule a free, no risk consultation.