Chicago Whiplash Lawyer
Does your neck still hurt days or weeks after your car accident? If your head was forcefully thrown back and forth in a crash, and you have pain and stiffness in your neck or upper back, or you’re experiencing headaches or nausea, your discomfort could be caused by whiplash. Soft tissue injuries like these can interfere with your ability to move freely, work, or even complete simple household tasks.
The experienced whiplash lawyers at Ankin Law understand your pain, and we can help you recover. Our attorneys provide superior legal services on a contingency fee basis. You don’t pay until we win.
Let’s get started on your recovery. Contact the whiplash lawyers at Ankin Law today at (312) 600-0000.
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How Can a Whiplash Lawyer at Ankin Law Help Maximize Your Recovery?
Hiring a whiplash lawyer at Ankin Law increases your chances of winning a personal injury lawsuit. Since the insurance company and other parties are more likely to take your claim seriously when you have an experienced law firm on your side, we can help you recover up to three times more.
What makes our whiplash lawyers different from other injury attorneys in Chicago?
Injury Law Made Personal
Ankin Law is one of the largest personal injury firms in Illinois. Despite our large size, we take our clients’ cases personally. When you hire our whiplash lawyers, you’ll receive the individualized attention you might expect of a smaller firm, and the support of over 80 attorneys and staff members.
We Win Big for Our Clients
Our team identifies all parties who may be liable for your injuries, and we’ll help you recover compensation from all sources to increase the financial awards you receive. The injury lawyers at Ankin Law have recovered hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of our clients.
Network of Resources
Our car accident lawyers have access to the resources you need to prove fault in your whiplash lawsuit. We work with top accident investigators, reconstruction specialists, and medical experts to win your case.
No Out-of-Pocket Legal Fees Until We Win Your Case
As an injured victim, you’re probably feeling a financial crunch because of your accident. To ensure you have access to top whiplash lawyers, we won’t charge you legal fees until we win your case. Instead, we’ll subtract our costs from your financial award.
Contact our Chicago whiplash lawyers at (312) 600-0000to find out how much your claim is worth.
What Is a Whiplash Injury?
A whiplash injury is a neck injury caused by a sudden, forceful movement of the head and neck, often resulting from rear-end car collisions. This rapid back-and-forth motion strains the neck muscles and ligaments, leading to pain, stiffness, and a range of symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, and reduced neck mobility. Whiplash typically affects the cervical spine, causing inflammation and sometimes long-term discomfort.
Common symptoms include neck pain, shoulder pain, and tingling in the arms. The severity of whiplash can vary from mild to severe, with chronic cases leading to long-term issues. Diagnosis involves a physical examination and may include imaging tests to rule out other injuries. Treatment involves rest, pain management, physical therapy, and sometimes medications. Prompt medical evaluation and treatment are crucial to managing symptoms and preventing prolonged pain.
Is Whiplash Considered a Serious Injury?
Medical professionals categorize or “grade” whiplash injuries from Grade 0 (minimal to no symptoms) to Grade 4 (severe symptoms). Regardless of the severity of the injury, you may have a valid personal injury claim against the at-fault party.
- Grade 0: A whiplash injury graded 0 involves no physical complaints or symptoms.
- Grade 1: Patients with a Grade 1 whiplash injury may complain of head or neck pain, stiffness, or soreness, but don’t show physical symptoms on, for example, X-Rays.
- Grade 2: Grade 2 whiplash injuries involve musculoskeletal symptoms, like decreased range of movement, along with soreness, stiffness, or tenderness in the head or neck area.
- Grade 3: With a Grade 3 whiplash injury, the patient experiences Grade 2 symptoms, but also shows physical or neurological signs like weakness or muscle spasms.
- Grade 4: The most severe category of whiplash injuries, Grade 4 whiplash, involves a fracture or dislocation along with the above symptoms.
Long-Term Effects of Whiplash
The long-term effects of whiplash can impact a person’s quality of life. While many people recover fully, some experience chronic issues. Persistent symptoms include ongoing neck pain, stiffness, and reduced range of motion. Chronic headaches and migraines are also common, stemming from muscle strain or nerve irritation.
In some cases, individuals may suffer from long-term psychological effects, such as anxiety or depression, due to the ongoing pain and disruption to daily life. Other complications include fatigue and difficulty concentrating, often referred to as “whiplash-associated disorders.”
Long-term whiplash can lead to chronic pain syndromes or conditions such as cervical spondylosis, where degenerative changes in the cervical spine occur. Early and effective treatment, including physical therapy and pain management, can help mitigate these long-term effects. Regular follow-ups with healthcare professionals are crucial to address and manage persistent symptoms effectively.
Common Causes of Whiplash in Illinois
In Illinois, whiplash injuries are primarily related to vehicle collisions and sudden movements. Understanding these causes can help in preventing such injuries and pursuing appropriate legal or medical action.
The most frequent cause of whiplash in Illinois is rear-end car accidents. When a vehicle is struck from behind, the sudden force propels the head and neck forward and then backward, causing the typical whiplash motion. These accidents are common in stop-and-go traffic or at intersections.
High-speed crashes can exacerbate the severity of whiplash injuries. The greater the impact, the more severe the neck strain. In Illinois, high-speed collisions on highways or expressways can lead to more significant whiplash injuries due to the increased force.
Whiplash can also result from sports activities that involve sudden, jerking motions. Contact sports like football or hockey, which are popular in Illinois, can lead to whiplash if players experience abrupt impacts or tackles.
In some cases, whiplash may result from physical altercations or assaults, where sudden, forceful movements cause neck injuries.
Falls, especially those where the head or shoulders hit the ground first, can also cause whiplash by jolting the neck.
Addressing whiplash promptly with medical evaluation and treatment is essential to managing symptoms and preventing long-term complications.
Is It Worth Suing for Whiplash?
Suing for whiplash can be worth it depending on the severity of your injuries, the impact on your life, and the extent of damages. Whiplash, commonly caused by rear-end collisions, results in neck pain and stiffness due to sudden head movements. Although whiplash might seem like a minor injury, its effects can be long-lasting and debilitating.
Severity and Impact
If your whiplash injury is severe or has caused chronic pain, decreased mobility, or disruption to your daily activities, pursuing legal action may be justified. Long-term symptoms or complications can affect your quality of life and ability to work.
Medical Costs and Damages
Consider the medical expenses incurred for diagnosis and treatment, as well as lost wages due to time off work. If the financial burden is substantial, suing helps recover these costs and compensate for pain and suffering.
Insurance Settlements
Often, insurance companies offer settlements for whiplash injuries, but these offers might be insufficient. Legal action ensures you receive fair compensation based on your actual losses and damages.
How Much Are Whiplash Injuries Worth?
Whiplash injuries can be costly, sometimes requiring surgery and rehabilitation. You may experience physical and psychological effects of the injury long after the accident. It’s important that your settlement be enough to cover these and other losses.
Factors that influence the financial compensation you receive for your injuries include:
- The likelihood that you will fully recover from your whiplash injuries
- The extent of the damage from the whiplash
- The overall impact of the accident and injury on your life
- The percentage of fault that the victim carries for the accident or injury
- The financial awards that similarly situated victims have received
While no injury lawyer can guarantee how much you’ll recover, our team can evaluate your case to provide you with an estimate of what your settlement award should look like. To determine how much your whiplash injuries are worth, our lawyers will add your economic and non-economic losses.
Economic Damages
Economic damages encompass the financial losses you’ve incurred because of the accident and your injuries. These monetary losses are generally easy to calculate. Economic damages serve to compensate you for the following types of past and future expenses:
- Lost wages
- Loss of earning potential
- Medical expenses
- Prescription costs
- Medical equipment
- Transportation costs
We will comb through your receipts, bills, wage statements, and other records, to calculate your economic losses.
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages are designed to cover your losses that are not attached to a monetary value. Since these losses are subjective, estimating their value is more complicated.
Non-economic damages often include:
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of quality of life
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Mental anguish
- Permanent disfigurement
- Loss of consortium
Typically, whiplash lawyers in Chicago will use your economic damages as a multiplier when estimating your non-economic damages.
What Do I Need to Prove to Win my Whiplash Negligence Case?
The success of your negligence claim depends on whether various elements were at play when the accident occurred. The sooner you get a lawyer involved, the better your chances of proving negligence and winning your case. Your attorney will demonstrate that:
The Defendant Owed You a Duty of Care
The defendant must have owed you a duty of care for negligence to be a factor in your claim. Most people owe others a duty of care to act reasonably under the circumstances. For instance, drivers must abide by traffic laws and posted speed limits.
The Defendant Failed to Meet His or Her Duty of Care
Next, you’ll need to show that the at-fault party breached the duty of care. You may prove this by showing that the at-fault driver failed to stop at a red light, for example.
The Defendant’s Breach Caused Your Neck Injury
In personal injury claims, it isn’t enough to show that the defendant acted negligently and that you got hurt. You must prove that the defendant’s misconduct caused your injury.
You Suffered an Injury
You must have suffered some sort of harm because of the accident. Your medical bills or time off work spent recovering will help you prove you suffered harm.
Frequently Asked Questions About Whiplash Claims
The insurance company sent me an offer for my whiplash case. Should I accept it?
If this is the first offer, odds are that it doesn’t accurately reflect your financial damages. A personal injury lawyer can help you negotiate a settlement that accounts for your physical, financial, and psychological damages.
Is there a deadline to file a whiplash claim?
In most situations in Illinois, you will have two years from the date of the accident or injury to file a lawsuit for whiplash injuries. If you wait too long to take legal action, you could lose your right to sue.
I can’t afford to hire an attorney. How much do personal injury lawyers in Chicago cost?
Most personal injury lawyers charge a contingency fee to handle whiplash cases. Usually, you won’t pay any upfront legal fees or costs.
What Our Clients Say About Us
Scott Goldstein at Ankin Law is one hard dedicated Attorney! I must applaud him on his service and must say I am very pleased with his work! Scott is very patient and dedicated to your case assigned with him and he goes over board for EXCELLENCE! Scott has been my Attorney since 2013 but on a different case which I won with satisfaction because of him! I currently have him on my new case which words can’t explain how much I appreciate him! Ankin Law is a firm I would recommend anyone to! Scott Goldstein gets the job done and don’t play no games when it comes down to representing his clients! I only can speak upon what I have witnessed! You’re the best Scott Goldstein Keep up the good work #1 Attorney in my book!
