How Are Spinal Cord Injuries Handled in Illinois Motorcycle Accident Claims?

 Posted on August 25, 2026 in Motorcycle Accidents

Spinal cord injuries from motorcycle accidents are handled through personal injury claims in Illinois. These claims cover your immediate medical costs. They also cover the lifelong impact this injury has on your daily life, work, and independence.

Kanoski Bresney brings over 100 years of combined legal experience to these cases. This experience is important, since spinal cord injury claims can get complicated. If you need to file a claim in 2026, our Champaign, IL spinal cord injury lawyers can help you pursue the full compensation you deserve.

Why Do Motorcycle Accidents Cause Such Severe Spinal Injuries?

Motorcyclists do not have the same protection around them as people riding in cars. This means the rider's body can take much more of the force from a crash. Serious spinal cord injuries can result from the impact itself or from being thrown from the motorcycle. The severity of a spinal injury can depend on factors such as speed, the angle of impact, and whether the rider was thrown from the motorcycle.

How Do You File a Personal Injury Claim for a Spinal Cord Injury?

Filing a claim starts with showing that someone else's carelessness caused your accident. This could be a careless driver, a dangerous road condition, or another vehicle that broke traffic laws. Once you establish fault, your claim needs a full list of your losses. This includes what you've already spent and what you'll need in the future.

Evidence for a Spinal Cord Injury Claim

Building a strong claim takes specific evidence. This evidence shows what happened and who's at fault. Helpful evidence includes:

• The police accident report, including any citations given to the other driver
• Statements from witnesses who saw the crash happen
• Photos and video of the scene, including vehicle positions and damage
• Medical records linking your spinal cord injury directly to the accident
• Expert testimony explaining how the crash caused your specific injury

Gathering this evidence fast matters. Some of it, like witness accounts and traffic camera footage, gets harder to find the longer you wait.

Working With Medical Experts to Build Your Claim

Medical experts play a big role in a strong spinal cord injury claim. They help figure out the true cost of your care over your lifetime. They do this by predicting your future medical needs based on your specific injury.

This step is critical to any catastrophic injury case with long-term medical needs. It makes sure any settlement actually covers what you'll need later, not just what you've already spent. These experts can also explain how your injury affects your ability to work. This directly shapes how much compensation you may get for lost future income.

What Illinois Laws Apply to Spinal Cord Injury Claims Caused by Motorcycle Accidents?

Illinois uses a modified comparative negligence system. This means you can still get compensation even if you're partly at fault. Your share of fault just can't be more than 50 percent. Your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault. For example, say you're found 20 percent responsible for the crash. Your damages would generally be reduced by 20 percent. This can matter in motorcycle cases. Insurance companies sometimes argue that the rider shares responsibility for the accident.

Illinois also sets a strict deadline for filing these claims. You generally have two years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury claim, according to 735 ILCS 5/13-202. Missing this deadline can mean losing your right to compensation for good. This is true even with a clear, serious injury. These cases often need a lot of proof about long-term care needs. Because of this, it helps to start working with an attorney well before this deadline arrives.

How Do You Claim Long-Term Losses After a Spinal Cord Injury?

A fair claim for a spinal cord injury has to look past your current medical bills. It needs to include everything you'll need in the future too. Right after the injury, compensation needs to cover a lot of emergency care. This includes surgery, hospital stays, and intense rehab. These early costs add up fast. They can reach hundreds of thousands of dollars, even before you factor in ongoing care.

From there, your claim needs to cover what comes next. This includes:

• Ongoing physical therapy and possible future surgeries
• Lifelong monitoring for complications related to your injury
• Home changes, like wheelchair ramps, wider doorways, and accessible bathrooms
• Equipment costs, such as wheelchairs, transfer devices, or other tools you'll need for the rest of your life
• Lost future income if your injury affects your ability to work

Medical experts are key to putting real numbers behind these long-term needs. Without this kind of proof, a settlement can easily fall short of what you'll actually need years down the road.

Schedule a Free Consultation With Our Springfield, IL Motorcycle Accident Attorneys

Attorney Todd Bresney previously worked at the Federal Trade Commission and as a State's Attorney for Cook County. He knows from experience how serious injury cases are investigated and argued in court. At Kanoski Bresney, we understand how devastating a spinal cord injury can be for you and your family. We're committed to helping you get the resources you need to move forward.

Contact Kanoski Bresney at 888-826-8682 to talk to our Champaign spinal cord injury lawyers today.