Accidents can range from minor to severe and even fatal in the worst-case scenarios when someone dies from their injuries. Similar to the many types of accidents, the types of injuries people suffer can vary tremendously.
In the best-case accident scenarios, a minor crash or fall may cause no injuries, and those involved can move forward with their lives with little inconvenience. But too often, innocent victims of an incident are forced to bear the burden of injuries and related expenses that are caused by someone else's negligent behavior.
Every year, thousands of residents and visitors in Chicago are injured in accidents. The most common types of accidents include:
- car accidents
- bus accidents
- slip and falls
- pedestrian accidents
- bicycle wrecks
- trucking collisions
- and other types of injury-producing incidents.
Of course, nothing can reverse these accidents once they have occurred. However, if someone's actions caused you serious injuries, you can request compensation from the at-fault party to help you receive the medical care and financial relief you need and deserve.
What are the Common Types of Injuries Chicago Accident Victims May Suffer?
Accidents occur every day in and around Chicago. No two accidents are the same, and people involved in the same incident can still suffer very different kinds of injuries. However, a few types of injuries are particularly common. Here are four examples of common injuries that can form the basis of personal injury claims.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Traumatic brain injuries, or TBI, occur when someone's head is struck or penetrated by a great force. Motor vehicle accidents, slips and falls, and workplace injuries are common causes of TBI cases that can progress into personal injury claims. TBIs are often classified as mild, moderate, or severe. But regardless of how a brain injury is classified, it can seriously affect a person’s life.
Brain injuries can also be extremely expensive to treat and difficult to recover from, which is why it is often necessary to pursue a personal injury compensation claim. Initial treatment, hospital stays, surgery, rehabilitation, and missed time from work can all add up to a significant financial burden. If you suffered a TBI due to someone else's negligence, speak to an attorney to explore your options for financial recovery.
Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries involve damage to any part of the spinal cord, ligaments, muscles, or nerves located in and around the spinal cord. Spinal cord injuries are technically their own category of injury. However, they are very similar to neck and back injuries.
These types of injuries can occur because of a sudden blow to the spine, which can twist, rip, or damage the nerves or ligaments in the spine or break one of the vertebrae, which can cause serious pain and sensory or mobility problems. A spinal cord injury often causes permanent loss of strength, sensation, and mobility in different parts of the body. This loss of function may require rehabilitation, surgery, assistive devices, and medications to aid in recovery.
These expensive treatments and medical interventions can create significant financial stress, pain, and suffering for accident victims. The types of accidents that commonly lead to spinal injuries include motor vehicle accidents, slips, trips, falls, and other traumatic accidents.
Broken Bones and Fractures
Simple broken bones and fractures may be easily treated and heal quickly with the help of surgery, realignment, and a cast. However, if the bone is severely damaged or multiple bones are broken simultaneously, things can get much more complicated and painful. Multiple broken bones or crushed bones may require a long rehabilitation process and multiple surgeries and can lead to a significant amount of time away from work and daily activities.
Internal Injuries
Internal injuries can be scary since you cannot see them, and most people know very little about them. The most common types of internal injuries are internal bleeding and organ damage. If you are hurt in a significant traumatic event, like a serious car accident, it is vitally important to see a doctor right away so that you can be examined for internal injuries. It's common for adrenaline and shock to mask internal injuries, so a medical evaluation is always a good idea. Internal injuries can require anything from bedrest to emergency surgery to treat. As such, the financial impact of internal injuries varies tremendously from case to case.
What are the Most Common Types of Accidents that Cause Injuries in Chicago?
One of the most common reasons injuries occur in Chicago is the frequency of car accidents across the city. In one recent year, almost 300,00 motor vehicle collisions took place in Illinois, with more than 159,000 occurring in Cook County. As the most densely populated county in the state, Cook County tops the number of collisions every year and its visitors and residents suffer the consequences. Let's take a closer look at the types of accidents that lead to serious injuries.
Motor Vehicle Accidents
The definition of motor vehicle accidents (MVAs) includes collisions involving cars, trucks, bicycles, pedestrians, and recreational vehicles, like boats and ATVs. Motor vehicle accidents most often occur because of a driver’s negligence. In car accident scenarios, some of the most common negligent actions that lead to injuries are:
- Texting while driving
- Driving too fast
- Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
- Aggressive driving
- Tailgating
Because of the broad definition of a motor vehicle accident, the types of injuries that are caused by MVAs vary dramatically. Also, the types of injuries that occur on a boat or ATV are often dramatically different from those that occur in a crash when a pedestrian is struck by a car.
In truck accidents, injuries are often much more severe than those stemming from accidents involving only passenger vehicles. Because of the larger mass of trucks compared with cars, the types of injuries that usually result from semi-truck accidents often create more severe medical conditions, much larger medical bills, longer periods of missed wages, and a tremendous amount of pain and suffering.
Injuries from pedestrian, motorcycle, and bicycle accidents can also be severe since walkers and riders don’t have as much protection as people in large vehicles. Accidents involving pedestrians, motorcyclists, and bicyclists often result in devastating injuries with serious repercussions like amputation, paralysis, coma, and even death.
Slip and Fall Accidents
Another common cause of numerous injuries in Chicago is slip and fall accidents. Slip and falls occur when a victim stumbles, trips, slips, or otherwise loses balance due to a hazard caused by someone's negligence. Whether involving a pool of liquid, ice, or a broken stair, slip and fall accidents commonly cause:
- Back, head, and neck injuries
- Shoulder damage, including rotator cuff tears
- Injuries to the wrists and hands
- Dislocations in the extremities
Slip and fall accidents can occur anywhere: in grocery stores, corporate chain restaurants and businesses, small locally owned shops, your apartment complex, or even at a friend’s house. If you fall because of someone else’s negligence, you may be able to file a lawsuit to recover compensation for your injuries. Since the types of injuries that are caused by slip and fall accidents vary so much, the amount of compensation available in a slip-and-fall case also varies tremendously.
Nursing Home and Daycare Abuse
Nursing home and daycare abuse are very similar as they both involve people who may not have the ability to protect themselves on their own. Seniors and children rely on other people to take care of them and are considered vulnerable populations. So, when those who are supposed to care for them instead neglect them, it can be very difficult for the victim and their families. Abuse in these cases falls into a few different categories: sexual, physical, mental, and financial (especially in the case of seniors).
Injuries caused in nursing homes will vary based on whether the resident was abused physically or sexually. With physical abuse, nursing home residents may suffer broken bones, brain injuries, back injuries, or lacerations and bruising.
If the nursing home abuse was sexual in nature, the types of injuries that a resident may suffer could include vaginal or anal tearing, cuts or lacerations, fractured bones, and many other types of physical injuries. The situations often lead to non-physical injuries such as mental and emotional trauma as well.
In situations of daycare abuse, the injuries that a child may suffer can be very similar to the injuries elderly people experience in nursing home abuse. One difference between daycare abuse and nursing home abuse is that children often don't understand that they have been abused and they may not tell anyone what has happened to them out of fear or further threat of harm. Although elderly residents or adults with diminished capacity may also not report their abuse, it is more common in situations where young children are being abused.
Injuries That Lead to Wrongful Death
Many types of accidents that cause personal injury can also result in the death of the victim. In these instances, the right to seek financial recovery may pass to a victim’s surviving family members, including a surviving spouse or children. Compensation for wrongful death claims can include medical bills prior to death, funeral costs, loss of primary provider income, and pain and suffering. Though no amount of compensation can ever make up for the loss of a loved one, it can help ease the family's financial burden caused by their death.
Regardless of the Type of Injury You are Facing, We Can Help You Seek Legal Relief From Those Responsible
If you have been hurt in an accident in Chicago, the legal team at Abels & Annes, P.C. wants to help you understand your legal options. During a free consultation, we will sort through the details of your accident to determine if you have a valid claim for relief. We are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year to take your call and provide the answers you need whenever you need them.
For your free case consultation, contact us toll-free at (855) LAW-CHICAGO (529-2442) or locally at (312) 924-7575. If you prefer to meet with us in person but are unable to travel to our offices, we also offer free in-home and in-hospital consultations. If you have been injured due to someone else's actions, call us now and let us help protect your rights as you seek the financial recovery you deserve.
If you are an injury victim in Chicago, call us toll-free at (855) LAW-CHICAGO or Contact Us online for a free consultation today.
Our skilled personal injury lawyers handle the types of injuries listed below. If you don't see your injury listed below, there's a good chance we can still help. Contact us to learn more.