Spinal Cord Injury Attorney (All You Need To Know)

Looking for a Spinal Cord Injury Attorney?

Should you hire one?

How can spinal injury attorneys help you?

Keep reading as we have gathered exactly the information that you need!

Let’s see what spinal cord injury attorneys do and why it’s important!

Are you ready?

Let’s get started!

What Does A Spinal Cord Injury Attorney Do

A spinal cord injury attorney is a legal professional academically trained in the field of law and practicing law in the area of spinal cord injures or related personal injury matters.

Spinal cord injures (or SCI) are damages to the nerve tissue whose function is to send and receive signals between the brain and the rest of your body. 

If the spinal cord communication channel is interrupted, the person in question may suffer temporary or permanent loss of movement, altered sensation, strength, and body functions.

According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Association, there’s an estimated 450,000 people in the United States living with a spinal cord injury.

When a person’s injury was caused by the fault of another, that’s when you may need to work with an attorney who understands the complexity of spinal cord injuries.

Spinal cord injury lawyers are specialized in seeking damages and compensation for victims of spinal cord injury caused by the negligence or wrongdoing of another party.

They can also represent defendants sued by another alleging that the defendant must be held liable to pay damages for spine-related injuries.

Depending on the nature of your case, the applicable laws, and the amount of damages suffered, spinal cord injury law firms and lawyers have the experience in structuring a claim in such a way as to maximize a settlement payout or jury verdict for the benefit of the plaintiff.

In essence, if you are dealing with a lawsuit, claim, or legal action involving injuries suffered to the spinal cord, you may want to consider calling a spinal injuries lawyer for assistance.

Why Hire A Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer

Although hiring a spinal cord injuries attorney is not mandatory if you or a loved one have gotten into an accident causing spinal cord injures, it may be worth, at a minimum, consulting one.

The fact is that spinal cord injures are very serious and can result in a permanent loss of feeling and motor function below the point of injury.

As such, the victim of a spinal cord injury may lose the ability to work and may live disabled for the rest of his or her life.

If the accident was caused by negligence or the fault of another, the injured party may be entitled to recover important damages to compensate for all the inevitable losses.

Hiring spinal cord lawyers can be beneficial as your lawyer can:

• Review the circumstances of the accident and assess fault
• Gather all the required evidence for your case
• Ensure that your medical records are clear and complete 
• Review video footages, pictures, and other recordings of the accident 
• Quantify the amount of damages that you may be entitled to receive 
• Assist you in drafting legal proceedings designed to help you recover damages
• File an insurance claim if possible and negotiate with the insurers 
• Speak to witnesses and evaluate their credibility 
• Retain the services of the right experts to present the evidence in your case
• Negotiate a fair settlement out of court or proceed to trial

Keep in mind that a spinal cord injury law firm or attorney is specialized in spinal cord injures and legal claims based on it.

As a result, they have the proper experience and understanding in knowing what’s relevant to prove in this type of case, how to go about it, and what is a reasonable amount of money that can be recovered.

If you or your loved one have been implicated in an accident where spinal injuries were caused, I believe that it’s important to speak to a spinal cord injuries lawyer to get an overall sense of your rights and legal options.

Common Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries

What are the common causes of spinal cord injuries?

There are many ways that a person can suffer injuries to his or her spinal cord.

Statistics show that in the United States, there are approximately 18,000 spinal cord injuries every year and where many of those injuries are attributable to the fault of another.

The spinal cord is a very delicate and sensitive nerve tissue that runs from the base of your skull down to the center of your back and is surrounded by the vertebrae (or your back bones).

Any type of accident that results in a jolt to the spine can cause permanent damages to the spinal cord.

Some common accidents that result in a spinal cord injury are:

• Falling accidents 
• Diving accidents
• Traffic accidents 
• Sports impacts
• Auto accidents
• Truck accidents
• Boating accidents 
• 18 wheeler accidents
• Motorcycle accidents
• Bicycle accidents 
• Gunshot accidents 
• Stab wounds 
• Medical malpractice
• Surgical negligence 
• Slip and fall accidents 
• Dangerous products 
• Commission of a crime 
• Acts of violence 
• Birth injuries 
• Pedestrian accidents 

These are just some examples of how a spinal cord injury may be caused but there can be much more.

Common Symptoms of Spinal Cord Injuries

Spinal cord injuries are serious injuries that may result in important physical impairment to the victim.

Depending on the severity of the injury, the victim can suffer slight pain, tingling sensation, or even loss entire sensation in parts of his or her body.

The most common systems of spinal cord injuries are:

• Loss of movement
• Altered sensation 
• Muscle spasms 
• Back pain
• Breathing difficulty 
• Loss of bowel movement
• Loss of bladder control
• Weakness in limbs
• Paralysis 
• Difficulty walking 

Luck victims may be able to walk away from an accident impacting the spine with minor damage.

However, if the spine injury was important, the victim may suffer from long-term and lifetime damages such as paralysis representing a permanent condition that could not be cured.

For instance, injures to the cervical spine or the upper column can result in quadriplegia representing paralysis in all four limbs.

Injuries to the lower spine can affect a person’s movement and feeling in the lower extremities of the body (called paraplegia).

If there’s paralysis in two legs and one arm, we call this triplegia.

Spinal Cord Injury Damages

A person involved in an accident or situation resulting in damages to the spinal cord can suffer important short-term and long-term damages.

No matter how the spinal cord injury was caused, whether through a car accident, medical malpractice, gunshot, stabbing, or other, a person may suffer significant financial and non-financial damages.

Financial damages (or economic damages) are those that the victim of a spine injury suffers and it is easily quantifiable, such as:

• Medical bills 
• Hospital bills
• Prescription drugs
• Rehabilitation expenses
• Future medical bills
• Lost wages
• Loss of earning capacity

Economic damages are easily provable by the production of the invoice, receipt, or statement.

In addition to financial damages, the victim may also claim non-financial damages (or general damages) representing damages for non-monetary losses.

General damages can include:

• Pain and suffering damages
• Emotional pain 
• Physical suffering 
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Loss of consortium
• Mental anguish
• Stress and anxiety 

Overall, the plaintiff is entitled to receive compensation for the financial losses directly caused by the spinal cord injury along with non-monetary damages caused resulting from the pain, suffering, and long-term consequences of having to deal with a life-changing injury.

It’s important that you call a spinal injury lawyer or spinal cord injury law firm to have your case assessed to see how much you may be able to recover in damages. 

It’s important to know how much your case may be worth before filing a lawsuit or claim.

Who Is Liable For Spinal Cord Injuries

One of the most important questions that your spinal cord injury lawyer must be able to answer is who is responsible for the injuries to the spinal cord.

By finding the right company or party (or multiple parties), your spinal injury lawyer can build a case specifically intended to target the defendant in question and win.

If a person suffers damages to the spine while on the job, he or she may be able to get workers’ compensation benefits offered by the employer.

Generally, employees injured on the job will not have the ability to file a lawsuit against the employer but will have the advantage of getting compensation under the workers’ compensation program.

Outside of the employment relationship, anyone acting in a negligent or reckless manner can be held responsible for the spinal cord injures and thus liable for damages.

For instance, if a person caused damages to you in a car accident due to their negligent driving, the negligent driver may be held liable to compensate you for damages.

Another example is when a medical practitioner makes a professional mistake (or medical malpractice) resulting in damages to you, then a claim for negligence may be filed.

You can also have a company, manufacturer, retailer, or distributor held responsible for the sale and distribution of a defective product that has caused or contributed to your damages.

In such cases, a product liability lawsuit can be filed against the company in question holding them responsible for the defect in their product causing your injuries.

Spinal Cord Injury Settlements or Verdicts

Depending on the nature of the case, a person may recover damages ranging from a few hundred of thousands of dollars all the way to millions of dollars.

For example, depending on the specific nature of the injury, the estimated lifetime cost of a spinal cord injury can range from $1.6 million to well over $5.5 million.

The amounts that you can get will also depend on the applicable laws and the possible liability caps imposed by law.

In some jurisdictions, some types of claims will have no liability caps for spinal cord injuries whereas in other jurisdictions you will not be able to claim over a certain amount of money.

To get the right information and guidance, you should speak to a qualified attorney in your jurisdiction.

By doing an online search, I was able to find spinal injury law firms claiming that they were able to get:

• $47,400,000 jury verdict for a personal injury case
• $42,000,000 jury verdict for a motor vehicle accident
• $9,550,000 jury verdict for a firearm injury
• $5,250,000 in settlement for hospital negligence
• $4,000,000 in settlement for personal injury 

Spinal Cord Injury Attorneys Takeaways 

So there you have it folks!

Spinal cord injures can be devastating for the victim and the victim’s family.

Since the spinal cord is such a sensitive and delicate nerve in our body, a serious injury can result in paralysis and loss of mobility in the body.

A victim who permanently loses the ability to walk, use their hands, or others will no longer be able to live the life he or she had planned to live.

The common symptoms of spinal cord injures are:

• Loss of bowel movements
• Paralysis 
• Loss of sensation
• Tingling sensation
• Weakness in the limbs or back
• Limb incoordination
• Impaired breathing 

Taking care of a person who has lost mobility or has become paralyzed due to a spinal cord injury can also be costly and overwhelming for the family.

According to the Dana and Christopher Reeves Foundation, the victim of a spinal cord injury may incur costs over a million dollars for the surgeries, medical devices, equipment, treatment and others.

If you are someone you know has been involved in an accident resulting in spinal cord damage, I think it’s important that you consult with an experienced spinal injuries lawyer to understand your legal rights and options.

You may be able to file an insurance claim or file legal action to recover the compensation needed to move on with your life and make all the necessary adjustments to your life following the accident.

Spinal cord injury law firms and attorneys are well trained and experienced in handling spinal injury lawsuits and claims to get the best possible compensation for you.

By hiring spinal cord injury attorneys, you are able to:

• Properly evaluate the circumstances of the accident
• Identify companies and individuals at fault 
• File proper claims 
• Respect the legal deadlines and statute of limitations for filing a claim or lawsuit
• Have your case set up and presented in the best possible light 
• Build a strong and compelling case
• Represent you in court and present your case 
• Work with medical and financial professionals to identify your damages and quantify it

If you or someone you know were involved in an accident or situation where another person may be at fault for causing your damages, it’s important that you consult with a spinal cord injury lawyer to get legal advice and representation.

It’s crucial that you respect the legal process of filing a claim and file your claim within the legal timelines to avoid being time-barred.

I hope I was able to provide you with some essential information on spinal cord injury attorneys and how you may benefit from their services.

Let’s look at a summary of our findings.

Spinal Cord Injury Attorney Overview

You May Also Like Related to Spinal Cord Injury Lawyers

Related to Lawsuits And Spine Injuries