Any accident can cause a severe injury, but no injuries are graver than a spinal cord injury. Spinal cord injuries are catastrophic injuries and may lead to permanent disability, work loss, and life-long care and rehabilitation. If you have suffered an injury by someone and are paralyzed, you face possibly millions in medical expenses and losses. Understanding your case’s worth and how to get the most for your damages is vital. These are severe injuries; maximum financial compensation is essential to the best possible outcome.
If you have questions about a spinal cord injury case, a personal injury lawyer in your area can assist you now. A personal injury attorney has the skill and experience to obtain financial justice for you in complicated spinal cord injury cases. Never try to settle a spinal cord injury case without a skilled lawyer. No layperson can maximize compensation in such a complex case. Attorney skill and experience are vital to the best case outcome.
Why Is A Spinal Cord Injury So Serious?
The spine is incredibly complex. It has 26 vertebrae that support the body and protect the spinal cord from injury. In addition to vertebrae, the spine consists of nerves, discs, muscles, and ligaments. It is both incredibly strong and flexible.
Medical professionals divide the spine into the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar spine. A spinal cord injury in any of these regions can cause devastating nerve damage and paralysis. The spine has billions of nerves and is the information highway that allows the brain to command your organs and muscles.
There isn’t a lot of space between the vertebrae, nerves, and soft tissues, which makes the spine vulnerable to injury in accidents, such as auto crashes. The force of a car accident or fall can cause vertebrae to shatter or a disc to herniate or rupture, and soft tissues may also swell. Because there is little room in the spine, any injury can easily damage the spinal cord, resulting in paralysis.
A spinal cord injury is usually said to be complete or incomplete. With a complete injury, there will be complete paralysis and loss of all sensation below where the injury was. An incomplete injury means the nerves will be partially affected, but you still may have some feeling and function. With time and care, you might even mostly or entirely recover.
On average, the initial hospital stay for a spinal cord injury is 12 days, with 32 days of rehabilitation. Just this amount of care can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and much more will be needed in the future. Most injured parties will only receive the care they need by filing a spinal injury lawsuit with a spinal cord injury lawyer.
How Do Spinal Cord Injuries Happen?
Unfortunately, many spinal cord injuries are preventable. Many accidents causing spinal cord injuries and paralysis occur because of human error. If another party’s negligence caused your spinal cord injury, you can be entitled to compensation. Accidents that lead to spinal cord injuries are:
- Car, truck, motorcycle, and pedestrian accidents
- Accidents involving sports and recreating, such as swimming and diving
- Assaults, stabbings, and gunshot wounds
- Slip and fall accidents
- Bicycle accidents
What Is A Spinal Cord Injury Worth?
There is no exact value for a spinal cord injury. Everything depends on the type and severity of the injury, the physical condition and age of the person, and other factors. Many spinal cord injury settlements are for six or even seven figures, but yours can be more or less.
Generally, spinal cord injuries are worth hundreds of thousands or millions in a lawsuit because of the severe nature of the injury and the medical treatments needed. When the spinal cord is severely damaged, the injury victim may be partially or totally paralyzed. Many spinal cord injury victims require extensive medical care that few Americans can afford, and most health insurance policies will not pay for it beyond a specific limit. That is why it is so critical for a spinal cord injury attorney to fight for the most compensation.
Lifetime Care May Cost Millions
The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation reports that the typical medical expenses for life for a 25-year-old quadriplegia patient are at least $4 million. Initial care costs may be over $1 million in the first years and hundreds of thousands every year after. Also, severe spinal cord injuries have many other possible expenses:
- Repeated hospitalizations
- Mobility and medical equipment
- Inpatient and outpatient care
- Home adaptions, such as widening doors and wheelchair ramps
- Prescription drugs
- Lost earnings and lost ability to earn a living
- Loss of consortium and companionship
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
The expenses of a spinal cord injury will break the finances of most American families. That is why you need to immediately retain a personal injury attorney if you suffered an injury by someone’s negligence. Your attorney will review the accident and your injury to determine if they can prove that another party caused your spinal cord injury.
How To Prove Negligence In A Spinal Cord Injury Lawsuit
It is vital to your future to prove that the at-fault party caused the accident and your spinal cord injury. Your personal injury lawyer will review the accident and collect evidence to prove liability. Doing so requires following these steps:
- The defendant owed you a duty of care: For example, a car driver owed you a duty to obey traffic laws and not injure you while driving.
- The defendant violated their duty of care: For example, the driver drank and drove, ran a stop sign, and hit the vehicle head-on.
- The breach caused your injuries: The head-on crash broke your neck and left you paralyzed from the neck down.
- You suffered damages from the breach: You have extensive medical bills, permanent disability, and pain and suffering.
How much you might receive in a case depends on many factors outlined later in this article. Your attorney will rely on many types of evidence to prove negligence in your spinal cord injury case. Potential evidence may include:
- Accident photos and videos: A co-worker, eyewitness, or family member can take photos and videos of the accident scene. If it was a vehicle crash, getting visual evidence before the cars are moved can be critical.
- Surveillance video: Was the accident recorded by a business or government camera? This evidence can be collected with a subpoena to prove liability.
- Road markings: If it was an auto accident, tire marks can be used to prove who caused the accident.
- Vehicle damages: How vehicles were damaged can prove liability.
- Expert testimony: Accident reconstruction experts may be used to prove how the crash happened.
- Police report: The police report may be vital in proving who caused the accident.
- Eyewitness testimony: People who say the accident are often critical to proving how it happened.
Who Can Be Held Liable For A Spinal Cord Injury?
Any person or entity that violates their duty of care and injures you can be held responsible. You can hold many individuals, companies, or government agencies liable for your injuries. Some of the parties that are often found liable for spinal cord injuries are:
- Car and truck drivers
- Truck driver employers
- Vehicle manufacturers, if a product defect caused an injury
- Construction site companies
- Business owners
One of the primary roles of your personal injury attorney is to pinpoint who is responsible for your injuries and hold them accountable. It’s crucial to name the correct person or entity in the lawsuit documents. Your lawyer will handle all aspects of the spinal injury claim so you can focus on your recovery.
What Affects The Value Of A Spinal Cord Injury Lawsuit?
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to what a spinal cord injury is worth. Many factors influence this. One of the most important ones is the severity of the injury, which affects whether you will need surgery.
Spinal surgery is costly and complex. Surgery is especially common when there has been damage in the cervical part of the spine. A spinal surgery stabilizes the spine and allows it to heal. There are several types of spinal surgery that will significantly increase the value of your personal injury lawsuit:
- Decompression laminectomy: This spinal surgery removes fluid or tissue pressing on the spinal cord. It usually is used when there is spinal stenosis or herniated discs.
- Disc replacement: This surgery may be needed when a disc suffers an injury. The surgery requires an artificial disc to be implanted between two vertebrae. This procedure may be used to increase your degree of function and sensation.
- Anterior cervical discectomy: Surgeons use this procedure to remove herniated disc material from the spinal canal. Some spinal cord injury victims may enjoy significant pain relief from this surgery. This surgery is relatively simple, involving a small incision on the front of the neck to take out tissue that is causing pain.
- Thoracic fusion surgery: This procedure fuses two or more vertebrae. Depending on the case, it can be done through an incision in the chest or back.
Other things will affect the value of your case. For example, how much insurance coverage is available? If a car driver caused the accident, you may only be able to obtain $25,000 or $50,000 in coverage because the driver’s policy doesn’t cover more. Unless the person has major assets, you can seize them with a court judgment, and getting more can be challenging.
Suppose a truck driver injured you in a truck crash. If the driver worked for a trucking company, it may have a larger commercial insurance policy. There can be hundreds of thousands or millions in coverage available. Your spinal cord injury lawyer will search for every insurance policy to ensure you receive compensation.
How To Find The Best Personal Injury Attorney
Few injuries are more severe than a spinal cord injury. This catastrophic, expensive injury will require ample compensation for the ideal recovery. You should only select the most experienced and successful spinal injury attorney to represent you. Look for an attorney with years of spinal cord injury settlements and favorable verdicts. Also, retain a law firm with plenty of financial resources to pay for a long, expensive case, if needed. Spinal cord injury claims involve a lot of money, and insurance companies will often put up a costly fight in settlement negotiations and court.
Under no circumstances should you attempt to settle a spinal cord injury claim or lawsuit without an attorney. Spinal cord injury claims involve significant compensation, complex arguments about liability, and detailed medical proof and diagnoses. No one who is inexperienced in personal injury law can successfully obtain the compensation they deserve in a spinal injury claim. Only experienced personal injury attorneys with years of training and experience can squeeze as much money as possible from the liable parties.
A personal injury attorney is equally adept at settlement negotiations and litigation. So, you will know that you will get the most money for your losses either way. Also, a personal injury lawyer will not charge you upfront legal fees. You don’t have to worry about paying an expensive attorney while recovering. A contingency arrangement pays your lawyer after the case is resolved. It means they are paid a percentage of your settlement or jury award. They have an incentive to obtain the most money for your medical bills, lost earnings, and pain and suffering.
Speak To A Personal Injury Attorney Today
Were you injured in an accident recently with a spinal cord injury? It is one of the most severe and disabling of all injuries, and you should receive ample compensation for your losses. A personal injury attorney will have experience in spinal cord injury cases and understand the complexities involved. A spinal cord injury attorney can review your case immediately to determine if someone’s negligence caused your injuries. Speak to a personal injury attorney today for free in your community. You will not be charged legal fees upfront, and there are no fees if the attorney doesn’t obtain compensation for you.
