Lawyers for Vision Loss & Eye Damage from Car Accidents: Chicago, Illinois
Every person’s vision is an essential sense that allows them to live an active independent life temporary/permanent loss of vision could have a tremendous emotional impact on a person’s well-being.
The Chicago auto accident attorneys of Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC help victims recover from their physical injuries and return to happy and healthy lives after an accident. Still, the loss of sight can render a person unable to enjoy their lives like they once experienced.
Our reputable personal injury attorneys help victims adjust and cope with unwanted changes. Our legal team always seeks to obtain the maximum amount of financial compensation available on behalf of our clients to meet their needs and overcome their disadvantages.
Car Accident Vision Loss Injury FAQs
Types of eye Injuries Suffered in Accidents
Car, truck, and motorcycle accidents can quickly displace energy forces caused by the crash. The devastation can have a long-lasting impact on every injured victim.
Blows to the head or face could cause physical trauma to the eyes or the brain that might impact the eyesight and cause a short-term or long-term injury. Many physical injuries sustained to the eyes can be repaired so long as the eyeball and supporting muscles did not suffer extensive damage.
Other measures can be taken to account for diminished vision like using prescription eyewear or surgical procedure repairs. Neurological disorders associated with car accidents can have a much more permanent impact on eyesight.
Our Chicago auto injury lawyers have helped clients with the following conditions recover the financial compensation they are entitled to receive because of their damages after their accident.
- The loss of tracking ability – The eyes cannot follow objects or read words on a screen or paper. When the eyes are unable to track, the victim might see what is in their immediate view but cannot focus on an object or read documents.
- The loss of fixation – Tracking requires the eyes to move from one object to another or to follow moving objects in view. Fixation allows the eyes to focus on a single item within the visual field.
Fixation is necessary to direct attention to assess a threat or perform a task linked to eye-hand coordination. Many victims with the loss of fixation experience vision problems, including blurred vision, double vision, convergence, vision dysfunction, visual impairment, soft tissue damage, vitreous hemorrhage, and permanent damage. - Loss of depth perception – Many left-turn accidents are linked to diminished depth perception in older drivers. This skill can tell how far away an object is and accurately determine its approaching speed.
The lost perception could make it impossible for motorists to safely drive the vehicle, threatening their independence. - The ability to change eye focus – We rarely realize or think about focusing the eyes on one area within our field of vision. However, visual impairment can blur the field of vision, much like a camera lens focuses on the object in the foreground picture.
Brain injuries could make regular eye movements challenging to focus on specific objects that might appear blurry or contorted. - The loss of peripheral vision – Our ability to detect objects at the edge of our visual field alerts us to potential dangers and threats. Specific injuries and disorders can diminish this ability and limit our visual acuity.
- The inability to store or recover imagery – Traumatic brain injuries can make it difficult for victims to picture images or remember how objects or people appear. Visual impairment can distort victims’ memories while impacting their ability to see in the present time.
Some victims have extensive nerve damage or other serious condition requiring vision therapy to minimize the risk of permanent blindness or obstruction in the visual system. - Sensitivity to light or glare – Some injuries or disorders can force victims to avoid light sources due to sensitivity and pain.
- Loss of vision – Blindness changes the victim’s life forever. Many individuals with new blindness are forced to rely on others while they adjust to life without sight.
Optometrists and ophthalmologists are medical doctors qualified to examine and treat eyes that have been severely injured or experiencing vision changes. An eye doctor might diagnose a head injury, whiplash, traumatic brain injury (TBI), blurred vision, or other serious eye condition.
Our Chicago auto injury lawyers understand the financial and emotional impact that the loss of vision has on the victims of car, truck, and motorcycle accidents. In many cases, the loss of their vision impairs their ability to maintain employment and costs them their independence.
Sample Illinois Auto Accident Settlements and Lawsuits Involving Vision Loss & Blindness
$1,500,000 Settlement; Cook County, Illinois; 2008:
This motor vehicle accident occurred in Palos Park, Illinois along 123rd street. An intoxicated driver drifted over the median and crashed into a UPS driver head-on. The victim suffered multiple serious injuries including vision loss, broken bones, and dental damage. He needed a number of surgeries and other medical care. That cost him approximately $125,000 in medical expenses. The man also spent a substantial amount of time away from work for rehabilitation and recovery. He claimed nearly $100,00 in lost wages. The man sued the driver and company responsible for the crash. He argued they were negligent and responsible for his injuries, expenses, and disability including vision damage. The two defendants did not want to argue the matter in court. Their insurance companies settled the matter for $1.5 million.
$4,100,000 Settlement; Arlington Heights, Illinois; 2008:
This car accident was as avoidable as it was consequential. A motorist was riding on Dryden Avenue in the suburbs of Chicago. He was looking at his phone and not paying attention to the road. As a result of this, he ran a red light and smashed into the plaintiff’s car, a seventy-year-old woman. The woman suffered vision loss and damage, broken bones, punctured heart, brain damage, and other serious personal injuries. She spent over a month in the hospital and still required several months of rehabilitation. The total cost of the medical care was almost three quarters of a million dollars. To recover for the pain and expense of the incident, the woman brought a claim against the other driver’s employer. Those two settled for a reported $4.1 million.
$350,000 Settlement; Naperville, Illinois; 2004:
Here, a chain-reaction car accident involving five cars occurred in Naperville, Illinois on Interstate 88. The culprit was a truck driver. He drove a tractor-trailer. The plaintiff’s car was one of the five caught up in the ensuing debacle. His motor vehicle actually rolled over a few times. He experienced vision loss, a brain injury, shoulder damage, a knee injury, and other serious personal injuries. In the end, he was left with tens of thousands of dollars in medical expenses, pain, disability, and vision loss among other harms and losses. The incident also meant he could not work for a significant period of time and that cost him about $20,000. He sued the driver of the tractor-trailer that caused the five-car-pileup. The plaintiff and the defendant’s insurance company settled for $350,000.
$1,100,000 Settlement; Cook County, Illinois; 2001:
A fifteen-year-old girl was injured in a Flossmoor, Illinois car accident when the driver of the car she was in lost control and crashed the motor vehicle. The girl sustained blunt trauma to the head as well as damage to her right eye. That would later result in long-term vision loss. She sued the driver of the passenger vehicle she was in. The driver’s insurance company, State Farm, stepped in to takeover settlement discussions. After those negotiations had concluded, the woman received $1.1 million in financial compensation for her tangible and intangible injuries.
$200,000 Settlement; Chicago, Illinois; 1996:
Here, woman in her early nineties was injured in a car accident on the south side of Chicago. She had been riding in the car with a relative when a CTA bus slammed into their motor vehicle. There was some controversy over who caused the accident. What was not in controversy, however, was the extent of the elderly woman’s injuries. She broke some of her ribs, damaged her eyes, and hurt her shoulders. The medical expenses alone were over $50,000. Obviously, she incurred other personal injuries and costs. She brought a claim against the CTA. After its strenuous objections had been raised, it eventually agreed to enter into negotiations to settle. The woman obtained $200,000 in a private settlement.
Hiring a car Accident Blurred Vision Injury Lawyer
Rosenfeld Injury Lawyers LLC has helped thousands of car, truck, and motorcycle accident victims recover compensation to pay their medical bills, the value of lost wages, and provide money for the emotional and physical pain and suffering they have endured. Our knowledge and experience will ensure that you have the best chance of successfully resolving your case.
Contact us today to arrange a free consultation with one of our award-winning Chicago auto accident attorneys so that we can review your legal options and let you know everything to expect during the legal process. We work on contingency, so you will never worry about how or whether you can pay for our services.
If we cannot recover the monetary compensation you are entitled to receive, our services will be free of charge. Our law firm follows social distancing guidelines to prevent the spread of COVID-19 (coronavirus).
Refer to our pages below for the following types of eye injuries commonly associated with vision complications from auto accidents: