If you or a loved one suffered a spinal cord injury due to medical malpractice, a catastrophic accident, or corporate negligence in Chicago, you need attorneys who can read medical records like the clinicians who wrote them.
CHH Law's unique team includes a licensed physician and certified respiratory therapist-both attorneys-giving us unparalleled insight into the complex medical evidence that determines your spinal cord injury case's value and outcome.
no waiting weeks for outside medical experts to interpret imaging or hospital protocols
and consult medical experts, creating seamless communication between your care team and your legal team
involving businesses, corporations, and commercial vehicles - the high-stakes cases where medical knowledge changes outcomes
strengthening expert witness coordination and providing credible testimony when needed at trial
We handle the most complex spinal injury cases where medical expertise makes the difference between an adequate settlement and the full lifetime compensation you deserve. Over 12,500 new spinal injury cases occur annually in the U.S., and each one demands an attorney who understands both the law and the medicine behind these devastating injuries to the central nervous system.
Medical malpractice remains one of the most complex causes of spinal cord injury, requiring attorneys who can pinpoint exactly where a medical professional deviated from the standard of care. Under Illinois law (735 ILCS 5/13-212), medical malpractice cases carry a two-year statute of limitations from discovery of the injury, with a four-year statute of repose. Our physician-attorney reviews every case for:
Surgical errors causing spinal cord damage during procedures - from wrong-level spinal surgery to improper instrumentation
Delayed diagnosis of spinal compression or infections - cases where timely intervention by medical professionals could have prevented permanent paralysis
Anesthesia mistakes leading to spinal cord injury, including epidural and spinal block errors
Post-operative care failures resulting in spinal damage that leaves patients permanently paralyzed
Accidents caused by someone else's negligence are responsible for thousands of spinal cord injuries every year. In 2020, traffic accidents caused 2,319 incapacitating injuries in Chicago alone. Slip and fall accidents are Chicago's leading cause of injury, and construction accidents often involve falls and heavy equipment injuries. Our firm pursues every personal injury claim with the medical precision these cases demand:
Truck accidents and motor vehicle accidents causing complete or incomplete spinal cord injury - including commercial vehicle collisions where corporate liability applies
Construction site accidents involving fall accidents, heavy equipment accidents, and scaffolding collapses
Corporate negligence cases involving unsafe premises, defective products, or failure to maintain safe conditions
Motorcycle accidents - motorcycle collisions frequently lead to spinal cord injuries due to the rider's lack of structural protection
Pedestrian accidents and car accidents - including cases where a traumatic event on Chicago streets results in life-altering spinal damage
Fall incidents - slip and fall incidents are a leading cause of spinal injuries in Chicago, particularly in commercial properties and workplaces
A qualified lawyer will factor in comprehensive damages in spinal cord injury cases, but calculating those damages correctly requires deep medical knowledge. Attorneys in Chicago may collect various forms of evidence for spinal cord injury cases, but our medical credentials let us go further:
Pre-injury medical condition evaluation to establish baseline health and distinguish new spinal damage from pre-existing conditions
Treatment protocol review to identify where substandard care by medical professionals contributed to your back injury or worsened a spine injury
Future medical needs assessment - calculating future medical care needs is crucial in spinal cord injury cases, especially when average yearly treatment costs for spinal injuries range from $347,484 to $1,100,000
Expert witness coordination with treating and consulting physicians, facilitated by our team's clinical fluency
Our medical training streamlines the legal process, allowing us to build stronger cases faster while you focus on rehabilitation. Hiring a lawyer can help you navigate complex legal processes, and our unique medical-legal approach means fewer delays and stronger evidence from day one.
Our physician-attorney personally reviews all medical records and imaging studies - every CT scan, every MRI, every operative report. We identify potential malpractice, negligence, or liability issues and conduct an initial case assessment that includes a full medical timeline and causation analysis. A lawyer will establish liability by identifying responsible parties in spinal cord injury cases, and our medical credentials let us do this with clinical precision. We provide a free consultation to every potential client - you may not have to pay unless your lawyer wins your case.
We work directly with your treating physicians using our medical credentials, building the kind of rapport and mutual professional respect that produces stronger expert testimony. Our team analyzes accident reconstruction, corporate policies, safety violations, and maintenance records while coordinating with top spinal cord specialists. Determining liability in cases involving businesses, corporations, or commercial vehicles often requires extensive investigation - and successful negotiation may require extensive legal knowledge of local laws, which our 40+ years of practice provides.
Insurance companies often offer low initial settlements to accident victims - especially in spinal cord injury cases where future costs run into millions. Our medical expertise strengthens settlement negotiations because adjusters and defense attorneys know we can back every demand with physician-level analysis. A lawyer can negotiate aggressively for maximum compensation. We prepare every case as though it's going to a jury, because that preparation is what drives fair compensation at the negotiating table.
Our medical background has helped us secure some of Chicago's largest spinal cord injury settlements and verdicts. Illinois does not cap damages in personal injury cases - the state's caps on non-economic damages were ruled unconstitutional - which means victims who suffered injury to the spinal cord can pursue compensation that truly reflects their lifetime needs.
$8.2 million settlement for surgical malpractice causing incomplete quadriplegia
$5.7 million verdict for delayed diagnosis leading to permanent paralysis
$4.3 million settlement for commercial vehicle accident with T12 complete spinal cord injury
$3.9 million settlement for construction accident with cervical spinal cord compression
$2.8 million settlement for anesthesia error causing cauda equina syndrome
For context on the scale of these cases: $148 million was awarded to Tierney Darden for her spinal injury after a pedestrian shelter collapse left her permanently paralyzed - one of the largest verdicts in Illinois history. Spinal cord injuries can result in quadriplegia or paraplegia, and compensation must account for a lifetime of medical expenses, lost income, chronic pain, emotional distress, loss of physical sensation, bladder control problems, sexual dysfunction, and the massive financial burden these injuries impose.
Compensation can include medical expenses, lost income, and pain. Doctors cannot cure complete spinal cord injuries, though intense therapy can help recover some use in incomplete injuries. Surgery can relieve spinal cord compression symptoms in certain cases, but spinal cord injuries require extensive treatment and support that spans decades. That is why calculating future medical care needs is crucial - and why our medical team is uniquely positioned to project those costs accurately.
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I don't know what we would have done without Dan during this difficult time. I highly recommend having Dan J. Pylman and his team to represent you & yours if you want to win your case.
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I can honestly say I felt the compassion from each member of the CHH team. You CAN NOT go wrong choosing CHH.
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Bill Cirignani is a true professional. He blended compassion with clinical expertise, and we always felt we were in good hands. Which we were – the case settled in our favor. Thank you Bill!
CHH Law represents spinal cord injury clients and catastrophic injury victims throughout the Chicago metropolitan area and beyond:
Downtown Chicago and the Loop
North Side: Lincoln Park, Lakeview, Wicker Park, Bucktown
South Side: Hyde Park, Bronzeville, Bridgeport, Chinatown
West Side: West Loop, Near West Side, Little Village
Northwest: Logan Square, Albany Park, Jefferson Park
Southwest: Pilsen, Little Village, Brighton Park
Cook County suburbs and collar counties throughout Illinois
We travel to meet clients who cannot come to our Chicago office due to their injuries. Whether the injury occurred at a construction site on the West Side, in a chicago accident on Lake Shore Drive, or due to medical malpractice at a hospital anywhere in Illinois, our chicago spinal cord injury lawyers are prepared to fight for you.
The value of a personal injury claim involving spinal cord damage depends on injury severity, your age, future care needs, lost wages, and the degree of negligence involved. Complete spinal cord injuries - where there is total loss of motor function and physical sensation below the injury - often result in settlements ranging from $2 million to $15 million or more. Average yearly treatment costs for spinal injuries range from $347,484 to $1,064,716, and these costs compound over a lifetime. Our medical training helps us accurately calculate these figures and work with economists to present precise damage calculations that reflect the true financial impact. Spinal cord injuries can also lead to loss of bowel and bladder control, chronic pain, and secondary complications that increase lifetime medical bills substantially. A qualified attorney will factor in comprehensive damages including medical expenses, lost income, emotional distress, and loss of normal life.
You have two years to file a personal injury lawsuit in Illinois from the date the injury occurred. For medical malpractice cases, Illinois law provides a two-year limit from the date you discovered (or should have discovered) the injury, with a hard four-year maximum from the date of the negligent act. Early consultation is critical - medical records can be altered or destroyed, witnesses' memories fade, and evidence from the scene where the injury occurred may disappear. If you suffered a spinal cord injury, contact a personal injury attorney immediately to protect your right to seek compensation.
Our licensed physician and certified respiratory therapist - both attorneys - can read medical records like the doctors who wrote them. We focus exclusively on catastrophic injury and medical malpractice cases, the most difficult personal injury cases in Chicago. Our medical credentials allow us to work more effectively with treating physicians and medical experts, and we can identify medical negligence and causation issues that other firms miss entirely. Attorneys may work with medical experts to understand long-term injury impacts, but our team is the medical expertise - which means faster case development, stronger evidence, and more credible presentations to juries and insurance companies.
Yes. We represent spinal cord injury clients throughout Illinois and accept referrals nationwide for complex medical cases. Our reputation for medical expertise in personal injury accidents and catastrophic injury cases attracts clients from across the Midwest. We travel to meet clients who cannot come to our Chicago office, and we handle all case types - from chicago spinal injury lawyers handling local truck accidents to complex medical malpractice cases involving out-of-state hospitals. Many Chicago firms operate on a contingency fee basis for personal injury claims, and so do we - you pay nothing unless we recover compensation for you.
Don't let insurance companies undervalue your spinal cord injury case with a low initial settlement. Legal representation can help secure financial compensation for long-term care needs, and our physician-attorneys understand the full medical and financial burden of your injury. Every day you wait is a day closer to the statute of limitations - and a day that critical evidence could be lost.
Call now to pursue compensation with Chicago's most medically-qualified spinal cord injury law firm.
Cirignani, Heller & Harman, LLP · (312) 346-7474 · info@chhlaw.com · 10 S. LaSalle Street, Suite 3600, Chicago, IL 60603
