Nerve damage can be one of the most difficult car accident injuries to diagnose, treat, and explain to an insurance company. A crash in Schaumburg can injure nerves in the neck, back, shoulders, arms, hands, hips, legs, or feet, sometimes causing symptoms that continue long after the initial collision. People injured on busy Schaumburg roads such as Golf Road, Higgins Road, Roselle Road, Barrington Road, Schaumburg Road, or nearby Route 53 may initially think they only have soreness before numbness, tingling, burning pain, weakness, or reduced sensation develops.
These symptoms can interfere with work, sleep, driving, walking, lifting, and ordinary daily activities. When I evaluate a nerve damage injury claim, I focus on the medical evidence establishing the injury, how the accident caused or aggravated the condition, the required treatment, and the long-term effects the injury may have on my client’s life.
Nerves transmit signals between the brain, spinal cord, and the rest of the body. A violent collision can stretch, compress, pinch, or directly damage those nerves. In many car accident cases, nerve symptoms are associated with injuries to the cervical or lumbar spine.
For example, a herniated disc in the neck may compress a nerve root and cause pain, weakness, numbness, or tingling that travels into the shoulder, arm, or hand. A lumbar disc injury may affect nerves traveling into the buttocks, legs, or feet. This can produce radiating pain, numbness, muscle weakness, or symptoms commonly described as sciatica.
Nerve damage can also occur when the body strikes the steering wheel, dashboard, door, center console, or another interior surface. Shoulder and arm trauma may damage peripheral nerves, while fractures and significant swelling can place pressure on nearby nerves.
Nerve injuries do not always produce the same symptoms. Some people experience sharp or burning pain, while others develop numbness or reduced sensation. Symptoms may remain concentrated in one area or radiate along the path of the affected nerve.
I frequently see nerve injury claims involving tingling, pins-and-needles sensations, burning pain, shooting pain, muscle weakness, loss of grip strength, reduced reflexes, numbness, or difficulty controlling part of an arm or leg. Some people experience symptoms only when they move in certain ways, while others deal with constant discomfort.
Symptoms can also appear after the initial shock of the accident has passed. That is one reason it is important to report new neurological symptoms to a medical professional rather than assuming they will disappear on their own.
Nerve damage may require more extensive medical evaluation than an ordinary sprain or strain. A physician may begin with a physical and neurological examination to evaluate sensation, strength, reflexes, range of motion, and the location of symptoms.
MRI imaging can identify herniated discs, bulging discs, spinal stenosis, or other structural conditions that may be placing pressure on a nerve. Depending on the circumstances, doctors may also order electromyography or nerve conduction studies. These tests can help evaluate how well nerves and muscles are functioning.
Medical records are extremely important in a personal injury claim because they document when symptoms began, how they changed, what testing was performed, and what treatment was recommended. I review these records carefully when establishing the connection between the crash and the neurological injury.
Treatment varies significantly depending on the location and severity of the injury. Some nerve conditions improve with conservative treatment, while others require injections or surgery.
A treatment plan may involve medication, physical therapy, activity modification, epidural steroid injections, nerve blocks, or other forms of pain management. Patients with substantial nerve compression may eventually require procedures intended to relieve pressure on the affected nerve.
More serious cases can involve permanent weakness, chronic neuropathic pain, loss of sensation, or reduced physical function. When that happens, future medical care and long-term limitations become important parts of the injury claim.
I do not evaluate a claim solely by looking at the amount of treatment already completed. I also consider whether doctors expect additional treatment, whether symptoms are likely to become permanent, and whether the injury may interfere with the client’s ability to work or perform ordinary activities in the future.
Insurance companies frequently challenge causation in nerve injury cases. An insurer may argue that numbness, radiculopathy, disc degeneration, or other neurological symptoms existed before the accident or resulted from aging rather than trauma.
That argument does not automatically defeat a claim. A car accident can cause a new injury or aggravate an existing condition. The relevant question is whether the collision caused or contributed to the symptoms and losses for which compensation is being sought.
Medical records from before and after the accident may help establish a significant change in symptoms. Diagnostic imaging, physician opinions, treatment history, and testimony concerning the client’s physical abilities before and after the collision may also be important.
When the insurance company focuses on a preexisting condition, I look closely at whether the person was experiencing the same symptoms, receiving the same treatment, or experiencing the same functional limitations before the crash.
A nerve injury can create financial losses extending far beyond the emergency room visit. Depending on the facts of the case, a claim may seek compensation for medical expenses, future medical care, physical therapy, injections, surgery, medication, lost wages, diminished earning capacity, pain and suffering, disability, and other legally recoverable losses.
Illinois also follows a modified comparative negligence rule under 735 ILCS 5/2-1116. A plaintiff who is more than 50 percent responsible for the injury is barred from recovery. When the injured person is 50 percent or less at fault, compensation can still be recovered, but it is reduced by the percentage of fault assigned to that person.
This becomes important when an insurance company tries to argue that my client contributed to the collision. Liability and medical damages both require careful documentation, particularly when the nerve damage has resulted in substantial or permanent limitations.
Illinois generally requires actions for personal injury to be filed within two years after the cause of action accrues under 735 ILCS 5/13-202. Certain cases may involve different rules or shorter deadlines, so I do not recommend waiting until the limitation period is close to expiring.
Early investigation also helps preserve evidence. Photographs, witness information, vehicle data, surveillance footage, medical records, and other evidence may become harder to obtain with time. When nerve symptoms develop gradually, detailed medical documentation can become especially important in showing how the condition progressed after the crash.
Yes. Some nerve injuries heal over time, while others result in lasting neurological symptoms. Permanent nerve damage can produce chronic pain, weakness, numbness, reduced sensation, muscle loss, impaired movement, or difficulty using an arm, hand, leg, or foot. Whether an injury is permanent usually depends on the type of nerve involved, the severity of the trauma, the amount of compression or damage, and how the patient responds to treatment. When doctors believe neurological limitations will continue into the future, I consider future treatment needs, employment limitations, and the effect the injury may have on daily life when evaluating the claim.
Nerve damage can feel very different from ordinary muscle soreness. Many people describe burning, electric, shooting, or stabbing pain. Others experience numbness, tingling, pins-and-needles sensations, weakness, or an unusual loss of sensation. Symptoms may travel down an arm or leg rather than remaining in one location. For example, a cervical nerve injury may cause symptoms extending from the neck into the shoulder, arm, or fingers. A lumbar nerve injury may cause pain or numbness traveling into the buttocks, leg, or foot.
Doctors may use several methods to identify nerve injuries. Physical and neurological examinations can evaluate strength, sensation, reflexes, and the distribution of symptoms. MRI imaging may reveal a herniated disc or another structural problem compressing a nerve. Electromyography and nerve conduction studies may also provide information about nerve and muscle function. In a personal injury claim, I look at the complete medical record rather than relying on a single test. Symptoms, diagnostic findings, physician opinions, treatment history, and changes in physical ability can all help document the injury.
A preexisting condition does not necessarily prevent you from bringing a claim. Many people have degenerative disc disease, arthritis, prior injuries, or previous episodes of back or neck pain before a collision. The important question is whether the car accident caused a new injury or aggravated an existing condition. I compare medical records, symptoms, treatment, and physical function before and after the accident. If someone was functioning normally before the crash but developed significant radiculopathy, numbness, weakness, or nerve pain afterward, that change may be important evidence.
Potentially, yes. Some neurological symptoms become more noticeable hours or days after a collision as inflammation develops or an injured disc begins affecting a nerve. A delay does not automatically mean the symptoms are unrelated to the accident. However, insurance companies often focus heavily on gaps between the collision and the first report of symptoms. For that reason, I encourage injured people to accurately report new or worsening symptoms to their medical providers. The timing and progression of those symptoms can become important when establishing causation.
There is no single value for a nerve damage claim. The amount depends on the seriousness of the neurological injury, treatment required, whether surgery is necessary, the length of recovery, lost income, permanent limitations, future medical expenses, and how the injury affects the person’s daily life. A temporary pinched nerve requiring several weeks of treatment is very different from permanent nerve damage resulting in chronic pain and reduced use of an extremity. I evaluate each case based on its specific medical and financial evidence rather than relying on a standard settlement figure.
Insurance companies commonly point to words such as “degenerative” or “age-related” in radiology reports. Those findings do not necessarily answer whether an accident caused symptoms. A person can have degenerative changes without significant pain or neurological problems before a collision. Trauma may aggravate an underlying condition or cause previously asymptomatic degeneration to become painful. I examine the person’s medical history, symptom onset, imaging, treatment, and physician opinions to determine whether the evidence supports a relationship between the collision and the nerve symptoms.
Nerve damage after a car accident can affect far more than your immediate medical treatment. Persistent numbness, burning pain, weakness, radiculopathy, or loss of function can interfere with your ability to work, drive, exercise, sleep, and perform ordinary daily activities. When these symptoms result from another driver’s negligence, I can investigate the accident, review the medical evidence, address insurance company challenges, and pursue compensation for the losses caused by the collision.
If you suffered nerve damage, numbness, tingling, weakness, radiculopathy, or another neurological injury after a motor vehicle accident, call our Schaumburg car collision attorney at SJ INJURY LAW at (847) 434-3555 to receive your free consultation.
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