Crushing Injury Lawyer in Chicago, Illinois

Last Updated on November 2, 2026 by Patrick A. Salvi II

A crushing injury occurs when a body part is wedged between two objects. It can result in serious and debilitating internal and external injuries, including bleeding, bruising, broken bones, muscle and ligament tears, nerve damage, and, in the most severe cases, death. A person with a crushing injury may suffer extreme pain and suffering in addition to high medical bills and loss of income while recovering.

Unfortunately, crushing injuries frequently result from accidents that are caused by the careless conduct of others, such as motor vehicle crashes, forklift accidents, dropped objects at a work site, and contact with machinery that has not been maintained or fitted with safety guards. Because these accidents frequently happen on the job, consulting a dedicated work injury lawyer is critical to protecting your rights.

If you or a loved one has suffered a crushing injury due to another person’s negligence or recklessness, you may be entitled to compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, or pain and suffering. The Illinois crushing injury lawyers of Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. have the experience and expertise to handle your case and help you pursue the maximum monetary recovery you deserve. We have obtained more than $3.5 billion on behalf of our accident and injury clients, including 400 multi-million-dollar verdicts or settlements.

Contact our Illinois crushing injury attorneys today for a free, no-obligation consultation by calling 312-372-1227 or by using our online form.

Causes of Crushing Injuries

Many different types of preventable accidents can cause crushing injuries. Some of the most common causes of crushing injuries are:

Motor vehicle accidents: A driver or passenger in a car accident or truck accident may be pinned inside and suffer crushed bones or organs. A motorcycle or ATV rider who is struck by another vehicle may be crushed between the vehicles. Forklifts at construction sites and workhouses may run over and crush legs and feet due to a drivers carelessness. Additionally, laborers involved in highway construction accidents face an extreme risk of being pinned or crushed between heavy road machinery and speeding traffic.
Dropped or falling objects: All too often, construction laborers are exposed to crushing injuries when materials such as bricks, planks, tools and equipment fall from heights. Additionally, warehouse, dock and moving company workers may suffer crushed body parts from skids, boxes or furniture being dropped or pressed against them.
Machinery: Fingers, hands, wrists, and arms are frequently caught in the moving parts of machines at work or home. Many of these accidents could have been avoided if the machine had been properly fitted with safety guards or had an emergency stop device.

Depending on the severity of the crushing injury, the victim may be left with temporary or permanent damage or disfigurement. Extensive medical treatment may be required, including surgery, rehabilitation and medication. A victim may be unable to work for weeks or months. In many cases, victims may be unable to work again at their full physical capacity or to enjoy their daily life activities. The crushing injury can be devastating to the victims and their families.

How a Personal Injury Attorney Can Help After a Crushing Injury

One of the most important things you can do after suffering a crushing injury in Chicago is to hire an experienced personal injury lawyer. You deserve to be able to focus on treating your injuries, spending time with family and friends, and getting better rather than the complexities of a lawsuit.

At the same time, you have legal rights, and you could lose them if you don’t act fast. That’s where your crush injury lawyer steps in. While you focus on healing, your attorney can:

Investigate the Accident – Your lawyer starts by independently investigating what happened and recovering critical evidence to support your claim. They interview any eyewitnesses, seek out video footage if it’s available, and consult your medical providers to understand your serious crush injuries.

Determine Liable Parties – Next, your attorney reviews the evidence they recovered during their investigation to determine what happened and who’s to blame. For example, liable parties could include property owners, employers, or manufacturers of heavy equipment. They also identify potential sources of financial recovery, such as available insurance policies and your eligibility for workers’ compensation benefits.

Initiate Your Claims – Your attorney can help you file your workers’ compensation claim with your employer as well as send demand letters to third parties who might be liable for your injuries.

Represent You During Workers’ Compensation Hearings – If your employer’s insurer denies your claim, your attorney can appeal the decision to the Illinois Workers’ Compensation Commission and represent you in arbitration hearings and other additional hearings as necessary.
Pursue Any Third-Party Claims – If someone other than your employer is at fault for your crush injuries, your lawyer can negotiate with that party and their insurance company for a settlement. If they refuse to offer fair compensation, your lawyer can take your lawsuit to trial.

At Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C., we take personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis, which means you will only pay us if we recover compensation on your behalf.

Who Is Responsible for Crush Injuries?

Generally speaking, anyone whose actions contributed to your crush injuries could be financially responsible for the consequences. Liable parties could include:

General contractors who failed to maintain a safe working environment
The owner or operator of a tractor-trailer if you were injured in a truck accident
Subcontractors who made a mistake while working in the same area, such as dropping a heavy piece of equipment
Equipment manufacturers who produced defective products, like a piece of machinery that lacked sufficient safety guards

Additionally, you may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits through your employer.

Can I Sue My Employer for a Crush Injury?

No, you generally cannot sue your employer for a crush injury. Under the Illinois Workers Compensation Act (820 ILCS 305), workers’ compensation serves as a covered employee’s exclusive remedy for workplace injuries under most circumstances. However, you may be entitled to sue your employer if they intentionally injured you or failed to buy workers’ compensation insurance as required by law. There are certain other exceptions to the “exclusive remedy” rule that our attorneys can explain to you in more detail during your free consultation.

Furthermore, while the law prevents you from suing your lawyer, it does not provide similar protections to third parties outside your employment relationship. For example, while you can’t sue your employer, you could sue a subcontractor your employer hired, if they were to blame for what happened.

Common Types of Crush Injuries

Crush injuries often affect the extremities, including the arms, hands, and fingers, as well as the legs, feet, and toes. These injuries can fracture bones and sometimes necessitate amputation. More serious accidents, however, can affect the chest, abdomen, and head, with more severe consequences. According to Penn Medicine, damage related to crush injuries can include:

Bruising – Damaged blood vessels can leak beneath the skin, causing discoloration, swelling, and tenderness. Deep bruising may also indicate injury to muscles or internal organs.
Bleeding – Crushing force can tear blood vessels and cause external or internal bleeding. Severe blood loss may lead to shock, which can become fatal without prompt medical treatment.
Broken bones – Intense pressure can fracture bones, especially smaller ones in the extremities. Severe cases can involve segmental or compound fractures, which cause greater damage and are more difficult to treat.
Open wounds – Crushing trauma can split or tear the skin, producing lacerations that may affect tissues beneath the skin, including muscles, tendons, or blood vessels.
Infections – Bacteria can enter through these open wounds, causing infections that spread into surrounding tissue and bones or travel through the bloodstream to other areas.
Nerve injuries – Extreme pressure can damage the nerves, the cord-like bundles of fibers that relay messages to and from the brain, resulting in pain, weakness, numbness, or loss of movement and sensation.
Compartment syndrome – Bleeding and swelling may cause pressure to build up within a confined muscle compartment, often in an arm or leg. Restricted circulation may seriously damage muscles and surrounding tissue and cause additional damage once blood flow is restored.

If you suffered crush injuries like those described above, contact the personal injury law firm of Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. for immediate legal assistance.

What Is Crush Syndrome and Does It Affect the Value of My Personal Injury Claim?

Crush syndrome is a life-threatening condition caused by prolonged compression of the muscles. It may result from someone becoming trapped beneath debris, pinned by machinery, or otherwise immobilized for long periods of time. This compression slowly deprives muscle tissues of blood and oxygen, causing their cells to break down in a process called rhabdomyolysis.

As they break down, the muscle tissues then release potassium, myoglobin, and other substances into the bloodstream, particularly after the pressure is removed and circulation returns. These substances can trigger dangerous heart rhythms, shock, metabolic disturbances, and acute kidney injury. Myoglobin can also obstruct and directly damage the kidneys’ filtering structures.

A patient’s prognosis depends on how long the muscle was compressed, how extensively it was damaged, and how quickly the patient received treatment. Prompt administration of intravenous fluids and careful monitoring can prevent or limit kidney failure and heart complications. However, severe cases may require dialysis, surgery, or amputation, and may become fatal.

Depending on the circumstances, being diagnosed with crush syndrome may increase the value of your personal injury claim. This means that you may be entitled to more money for medical costs as well as compensation for the reduction in your quality of life.

Financial Compensation for Crush Injury Victims

If you’re a covered employee, you could be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits through your employer. These benefits can pay for all necessary medical care, offset a portion of your lost wages, and compensate you for permanent disability.

If someone other than your employer is to blame for what happened, you could be entitled to additional compensation, including:

The full value of your lost income, as well as any diminished earning potential
The pain and suffering your crush injuries cause you
The emotional distress you experienced because of the accident
Any reduction in your quality of life if your injuries prevent you from taking part in your favorite activities
Any personal property that was damaged in the incident

What to Do After a Crush Injury in Chicago

You can protect yourself by taking the following steps after suffering a crush injury on the job:

Seek medical attention immediately and tell your treating doctor what happened.
Report the incident to your supervisor, ideally in writing. If you cannot do so yourself, have a coworker do so for you. Do so as soon as possible, but no later than 45 days after the incident.
Gather any evidence you can about the accident. Write down your account of the accident, as well as the names of anyone who saw what happened.

Finally, contact the Illinois crush injury lawyers with Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. We can meet with you during a free consultation and help you seek compensation you could be entitled to under Illinois law.

Contact Our Chicago Crushing Injury Lawyer Today

Have you or someone you love suffered a crush injury in the Chicago area? If so, turn to Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. for help.

We’re Experienced – We have been taking on powerful insurance companies for more than 40 years, gaining the knowledge and experience needed to challenge their tactics and protect our clients’ interests. We know their tactics, and we know how to beat them.
We’re Compassionate – We understand how difficult this time can be and that seeking help may feel overwhelming. Rest assured that our team is committed to treating you with the utmost respect, compassion, and understanding you deserve, beginning with a free, no-pressure consultation.
We’re Resourceful – We have more than 20 attorneys and 35 support staffers in our office, giving us the legal resources to take on even the toughest fights.
We’re Trial-Ready – We prepare every case as though it might go to trial. This shows insurance companies we are serious during settlement negotiations, and fully prepared to take the case to court if necessary.
We’re Record-Breaking – We’ve recovered more than $3.5 billion on behalf of our clients, including over 400 verdicts and settlements of $1 million or more. While our past results don’t guarantee a similar outcome in your case, they speak to our consistent commitment to excellence.

Contact Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. today to speak with a Chicago crush injury attorney, and let’s discuss how we can pursue the full and fair recovery you deserve.