A Chicago eye injury lawyer can help you seek compensation for a traumatic eye injury that impacts your ability to work, study, or carry out daily activities. These injuries can have life-altering consequences, often resulting from car accidents, workplace hazards, medical malpractice, or defective products.
At Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers, we represent victims in Chicago and the surrounding areas. We fight to recover damages for medical expenses, lost income, and pain and suffering caused by another party’s negligence.
Vision injuries can be due to a variety of causes, both related to your occupation and to everyday activities. Here are some of the most common ones our Chicago eye injury lawyers see when assisting clients with personal injury claims.
More than 3.7 million people work in the Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights metropolitan region, part of a greater region that is one of the largest in the country [1].
In terms of workplace accidents, blunt force trauma can easily result in a vision injury. While this is a serious hazard in construction, one of the most dangerous fields, even those who work in less dangerous professions may be hit by an object [2].
Our Chicago workers’ comp attorneys can assist injured workers in accessing employer’s workers compensation insurance or disability benefits, getting the funds needed to cover medical expenses.
Exposure to hazardous chemicals is a serious issue for workers across the world. It’s estimated that worldwide, 1 worker dies every 30 seconds due to occupational chemical exposure [3].
The issue is especially prevalent in construction and manufacturing, which employ 12,889 and 63,000 people respectively in Chicago [4], [5]. A workplace injury due to splashes or fumes can result in serious, life-long vision problems.
Numerous dangerous chemicals are also hidden in the average home, such as drain cleaners, air fresheners, bleach, antibacterial cleaners, and carpet shampoo [6]. Even with proper use, these may still result in eye injuries, especially for children.
A Chicago chemical exposure lawyer will explore the causes of your eye injury and find the appropriate avenues to seek compensation, whether that is through a workers’ compensation claim or a product liability suit.
In 2022, 23,278 people were injured in a car accident throughout Chicago, and unfortunately, impaired vision may result from a traumatic accident [7]. Flying debris may strike the face and cause an eye injury, while head trauma may result in blurred vision and pain. Such injuries may be temporary, or they may result in permanent visual impairment.
If you have suffered double vision or permanent blindness because of a car accident, our Chicago car accident lawyers will guide you through your personal injury claim and hold the relevant insurance company accountable for compensation.
Vision problems, whether due to age, disease, or genetics, are quite common in the United States: 20.5 million Americans have cataracts, and 6.1 million of them have had cataract surgery [8]. There are approximately 800,000 refractive surgical procedures, such as laser eye surgery, performed each year to combat astigmatism and myopia or hyperopia [9].
While there are many benefits to cataract or laser eye surgery, dangerous side effects can result if medical professionals fail to perform due diligence. Negligent medical errors can result in total vision loss and lifelong pain, including neuropathic corneal pain [10].
If you have been the victim of neglectful medical treatment, contact our eye malpractice lawyers right away. Our Chicago medical negligence lawyers can provide legal guidance and ensure doctors are held accountable for their poor medical care.
Our Chicago eye injury lawyers are indispensable resources when pursuing financial compensation for medical negligence, workplace injury, or a motor vehicle accident. A vision loss attorney will perform a thorough investigation and assess your eye injury to ascertain how much compensation you may be entitled to receive.
Additionally, our eye injury lawyers are well-versed in the tactics insurance companies use to avoid liability for lost wages and medical costs. The insurance adjuster is trained to never offer more than the minimum to a claimant without legal counsel, and they will use a variety of tactics to claim you were at fault.
An experienced attorney will come to the negotiation armed with knowledge of all legal aspects of liability, as well as a full understanding of what different eye injuries are worth.
When you seek legal guidance with our law firm, we will ensure you don’t settle for less than what your suit is worth, taking it to court if necessary so you receive what you deserve.
It is critical to take immediate action after an eye injury, as any delay may lead to permanent visual impairment.
First, call 911 and speak to the authorities. This provides a record of the accident, which an eye injury lawyer can use to substantiate a personal injury claim. If possible, gather the contact details of those who were present. You should take pictures of the accident scene and of your own injuries if possible.
Next, seek medical care. Ensure you have your vision tested at this time and get copies of any diagnostics performed, which can then be used by a Chicago eye injury attorney to estimate how much your claim may be worth.
If you are seeking help due to negligent eye surgery, contact other medical professionals and gather your records of the original surgery to present to your personal injury attorney.
Finally, call our eye injury lawyers at (888) 424-5757 for a free initial consultation to assess your claim and begin the claim process.
Our eye injury lawyers can assist you with all aspects of the legal process, starting right after the accident. Here is a brief overview of what you may expect when working with an eye injury lawyer from Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers.
Our Chicago lawyers, who focus on personal injury claims, will ascertain what type of claim you may have based on where the accident took place and who was involved. For workplace accidents, we will investigate whether you are eligible for workers’ compensation, a no-fault insurance available for those who have been hurt at work.
If the accident was the fault of someone other than your employer, or if it took place outside of your employment, we can consider a personal injury suit as well. These suits are between you and a third party, such as a negligent driver or a doctor who provided substandard medical care.
A Chicago eye injury lawyer will perform a meticulous investigation to identify how the accident happened and who was at fault. We will collect evidence, such as police reports, medical records, and eyewitness statements, to substantiate your claim.
Our law firm starts with the applicable insurance adjuster first. We will negotiate with them, backing up our estimates of how much your eye injury is worth based on sound evidence and previous precedent on cases similar to yours.
Insurance companies do not want to provide fair compensation, and so they will try everything possible to reduce their liability, whether claiming your vision loss was due to a previous injury or that you were primarily to blame. We are familiar with their tactics and will counter them with the evidence we have gathered on your behalf.
For most eye injury claims, we are able to settle with the appropriate insurance agency, but sometimes it is necessary to go to trial. If that happens, we will represent you in court, filing the appropriate paperwork and attending hearings.
We will work hard to reduce the impact of the legal process on you while still keeping you updated on all the pertinent elements of your case.
Liability refers to who is identified as legally responsible for the injury. An entity is considered liable if their negligence contributed to the negative outcome, whether in full or in part.
There are four elements that must be present to prove negligence for eye injuries. These are:
Damages are separated into three categories: economic damages, non-economic damages, and punitive damages.
Economic damages include compensation for financial losses, such as:
Non-economic damages are for the social and emotional impacts of your injury, such as:
Punitive damages are rare for a vision loss claim, but they may be awarded by a court if it is clear the defendant’s actions went beyond gross negligence, such as if they intentionally caused you harm.
Illinois uses a modified comparative negligence system, which means everyone involved in the incident will be assigned a percentage of blame. You can file for damages if you are less than 50% responsible, but your award will be reduced by the percentage by which you are held responsible.
The statute of limitations for a vision loss claim is 2 years, which means you need to file a lawsuit within 2 years of the accident. As we will spend much of our time in negotiation with the insurance agency, it is crucial to reach out to our Chicago personal injury law firm immediately so that we can assist.
Eye injuries can result in significant emotional distress and physical pain. If you have suffered vision loss due to another individual’s negligence, reach out to a Chicago eye injury attorney. We work on a contingency fee basis, meaning you do not owe us anything unless we are able to achieve a settlement on your behalf. We have earned millions for our clients, ensuring they have the funds they need to recover in dignity, and we look forward to assisting you with your claim.
Contact us today at (888) 424-5757 or through our online contact form.
Our downtown office, near the Richard J. Daley Center, Dirkson United States Courthouse, and the Chicago Workers’ Compensation Commission, offers convenient access from Aurora, Joliet, and Waukegan via I-90, I-94, and I-290.
225 W Wacker Dr #1660
Chicago, IL 60606
Phone: (847) 835-8895
Toll Free: (888) 424-5757
References: [1] US Bureau of Labor Statistics, [2] Construction Dive, [3] International Labor Organization, [4] Illinois WorkNet, [5] City of Chicago, [6] FindLaw, [7] Illinois Department of Transportation, [8] American Academy of Ophthalmology, [9] American Academy of Ophthalmology, [10] National Library of Medicine
All content undergoes thorough legal review by experienced attorneys, including Jonathan Rosenfeld. With 25 years of experience in personal injury law and over 100 years of combined legal expertise within our team, we ensure that every article is legally accurate, compliant, and reflects current legal standards.