Serious Injury Cases

Cooney & Conway is a leading Chicago law firm that represents victims of: 

• Automobile accidents
• Boating accidents
• Trucking accidents
• Construction accidents
• Aviation accidents
• Premises liability
• Slip and fall
• Drowning accidents
• Medical malpractice
• Professional malpractice
• Nursing home abuse
• ...and more

 Our lawyers have decades of experience and a long history of successful representation in many different practice areas.

A serious injury is defined legally as a personal injury that results in particular outcomes such as disfigurement, dismemberment, death, or other injuries (including those listed below). The serious injury legal definition covers some possible permanent issues as well as non-permanent injuries that significantly impact the injured party's daily life.

Under the law, non-permanent injuries must affect the injured person's day-to-day life and functionality for a specific duration of time. The best way to know whether a non-permanent injury might be covered in a claim is to talk with an experienced personal injury attorney

Types of Serious Injury

It is often difficult for individuals to determine whether they can pursue a serious injury claim for their injury. Fundamentally, serious injuries have permanent or long-term impacts on the lives of those injured and/or the lives of their families. Due to the enormous scope of how an individual’s life can be affected by a serious injury, a wide variety of afflictions can be categorized as such, including fatal/near-fatal injury and catastrophic injury. The following list provides a few examples of common serious injuries.

• Amputations
• Blindness and eye injuries
• Broken bones or fractures
• Burns
• Cognitive injuries
• Coma
• Deafness
• Death
• Disfigurement
• Dismemberment
• Head, neck, or spinal injuries
• Knee, hip, and joint injuries
• Loss of a fetus
• Loss or limitation of an organ or bodily member
• Mobility impairment
• Nerve damage
• Paralysis
• Poisoning
• Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• Traumatic brain injuries (TBI)

A catastrophic injury is a serious injury that results in a permanent and devastating change to a victim’s life. While your attorney can seek punitive action without a specific diagnosis for typical serious injury claims, a medical diagnosis is needed to claim an injury as catastrophic. Due to the dire nature of catastrophic injuries and the enduring effects they have upon individuals, your attorney will use this diagnosis to claim further compensation on your behalf in an effort to ensure you receive all necessary financial support.

A catastrophic injury imparts a lifelong or long-term impairment, disfigurement, or disability upon the victim. The victim’s ability to perform daily tasks or operate independently is often severely limited or impossible due to a catastrophic injury. These injuries can lead to a need for rehabilitative therapy, permanent implementation of a medical device, surgery, supplemental medication, need of a caretaker, or dramatic living modifications to support the individual’s needs. There are three main ways catastrophic injuries are categorized:

1. Cognitive: TBI, general injuries to the brain, and cognitive function disability. These can include trouble with speaking/communication, memory recall, memory forming, ability to reason, ability to focus/concentrate, reading social cues, etc. Hearing loss and sight loss can also often happen in conjunction with TBI.
2. Physical: Injuries affecting the body, limbs, and organs. These include dismemberment, amputations, disfigurement, multiple broken bones/orthopedic injury, severe burns, etc.
3. Spinal: Injuries that permanently affect mobility and pain levels in victims. These include partial paralysis, quadriplegia, nerve damage, chronic pain, etc.

No amount of planning will ever be able to protect us entirely from rogue accidents. We never expect to be the victim of a head-on collision when our light was green or to fall down the freshly-mopped concrete stairs at work. Unfortunately, there is an insurmountable number of ways that serious injuries can occur.

To help you to determine if legal recourse is available following a serious injury, we have compiled a list of common causes of injury seen in claims court.

• Transport accidents, including boat, motor vehicle, rideshare, aviation, bicycle, etc.
• Workplace accidents, including faulty equipment, electrocution, toxic spills, lack of training, lack of PPE, etc.

If you've suffered a serious injury due to someone else's negligence, you may be wondering about your options for seeking compensation and justice. It's essential to explore your potential courses of action and make informed decisions about your next steps.

The first crucial step is to gather information and understand your rights. Filing a claim or lawsuit may be one option available to you, but it depends on the circumstances of your case. Here are a few things to consider:

1. Consult with an Experienced Personal Injury Attorney: Seeking guidance from an experienced personal injury attorney can be instrumental in understanding the merits of your case. A knowledgeable attorney can evaluate the details of your injury, assess liability, and discuss the potential legal avenues available to you.

2. Explore Your Options: There may be different paths to pursue compensation, such as filing an insurance claim, negotiating a settlement, or filing a lawsuit. An attorney can help you weigh the pros and cons of each option and provide insights tailored to your specific situation.

3. Free Case Evaluation: To gain a clearer understanding of the best course of action for your personal injury case, we offer a free case evaluation. During this assessment, one of our attorneys will review the details of your situation and discuss the potential legal options available to you. This consultation is intended to be informative, and there is no obligation to proceed with legal representation.

At Cooney & Conway, our attorneys have a long history of representing victims of serious injuries caused by negligence. We understand the challenges you may be facing and are here to provide support and guidance through the legal process.

To begin your journey toward seeking the compensation you deserve, fill out our free case evaluation form. Our team will review your information and get in touch to discuss your options.

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