Many times medical negligence and errors result in permanent disabilities that patients need to live with for the rest of their lives. However, car accidents can also lead to permanent disabilities, or life-changing medical conditions. The Illinois personal injury lawsuit of Joseph Krzystof v. Jeremy Valencia, 08 L 14321, is a perfect example of when car accidents result in life-changing medical injuries.
The Illinois intersection accident occurred after the defendant, Jeremy Valencia, ran a stop sign. Valencia was on his way home from high school and broadsided Joseph Krzystof’s car, which had the right of way. Initially, while there was obviously a lot of property damage to both vehicles, it appeared that both parties escaped the crash fairly unscathed. However, six weeks after the accident Krzystof was diagnosed with a detached retina.
A retinal detachment occurs when the eye’s retina, the layer of tissue inside the eye that is responsible for sending messages along the optic nerve to the brain, breaks away from its normal position. Because the retina plays such a key role in how our brain interprets visual messages, a retinal detachment can lead to temporary or permanent blindness and is considered a medical emergency.
In order to repair a retinal detachment, most patients require surgery where the retina is fixed back in place. Advances in retinal detachment surgery techniques have led to an almost 90 percent success rate. However, the long-term results are not always as promising and it may take several months following surgery for a patient’s full vision to return. Some patients will require a second surgery, but even then are not guaranteed a full recovery. Also, patients who have experienced a retinal detachment are at a higher risk for reoccurrence or for other eye problems.
Therefore, even though Krzystof was among the lucky ones and was able to have his vision restored, he still faces the possibility of future vision problems that he would not have been susceptible to prior to his car accident. Presumably the defendant driver’s attorneys took this into consideration when it offered to settle the personal injury lawsuit prior to trial for $250,000. The settlement was approved by a Cook County judge and will go towards Krzystof’s past and future medical bills, car repairs, and pain and suffering as a result of the Illinois car accident.
Kreisman Law Offices has been handling Illinois automobile crash lawsuits for individuals and families for more than 35 years in and around Chicago and Cook County, including Naperville, Long Grove, Oak Forest, Mt. Prospect, Lisle, and Rolling Meadows.
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