SPINAL CORD INJURIES
Spinal injuries can be devastating injuries that can drastically alter the course of the victims’ lives. They could result in loss of function of various limbs and even affect the brain. The medical expenses add up very quickly and could be impossible to pay off without financial aid.
However, it is possible to hold someone liable for your injuries if you feel you were not at fault. Spinal cord injuries are serious and it is estimated roughly 294,000 Americans suffer from them with the number continuing to rise.
On this page, we will go through exactly what a spinal cord injury could be, common causes for these injuries, and what legal action you can expect from a spinal cord injury case.
CLAIMING NEGLIGENCE FOR SPINAL CORD INJURIES
Many people that suffer from spinal cord injuries will claim that it was due to negligence from the other party involved (this goes for most personal injury claims overall). Negligence is a legal term that is best described as neglecting a duty to prevent an adverse outcome for someone due to convenience or personal gain.
The key word for this is “duty” which you will have to prove the offending party had a duty to prevent your injury from occurring. You will also have to prove that they neglected that duty and that this neglect was a direct cause to your injury.
Sometimes, not other people, but defective products can be at fault for a spinal cord injury. Companies that produced a dangerous product and did not give proper warning that it could cause this kind of injury can be held liable due to their negligence to give a sufficient warning.
There are other paths you can take to claiming a negligent party was the result of your injury as well. Proving negligence can be difficult though, and you should always consult a lawyer if you are unsure whether or not your injury was the result of another’s negligence.
WHAT IS A SPINAL CORD INJURY?
A spinal cord injury is when there is some kind of damage done to the spinal cord’s nerves or the backbone itself. These injuries can result in partial or full loss of motor skills in certain parts of the body because the spinal cord plays an integral role in controlling your motor function by sending signals to your brain.
A person can suffer from a wide range of ailments depending on the kind of spinal injury they suffer. There are three types of spinal cord injuries that can occur, which include:
- Nerve damage/spinal contusion
- Incomplete Spinal Cord Injuries
- Complete Spinal Cord Injuries
An incomplete spinal cord injury is when there is some damage to the spinal cord but some general motor function and feeling remains intact in whatever parts of your body that were affected.c A complete spinal cord injury is the most severe kind and can result in a complete loss of motion and feeling in the area affected. Complete spinal cord injuries are often the cause of paraplegia and will be impossible to completely recover from.
CAUSES OF SPINAL CORD INJURY
More times than not, a spinal cord injury is the result of some heavy trauma to the lower or upper back area. Some of the most common ways people get spinal cord injuries are from
- Vehicle accidents
- Slip and falls
- Acts of violence
- Sports injuries
- Surgical mistakes
Slip and falls and sports injuries are typically going to be difficult to pursue legal action for your injury unless you can prove the injury was the result of another person who intentionally tried to cause it. If the person caused the injury on purpose, this would fall under an act of violence which you can certainly build a case for.
Although it is rare, you could also get a spinal cord injury from complications due to surgery. If this is the case, you should contact a lawyer about claiming medical malpractice which you can certainly receive compensation for.
COMPENSATION YOU COULD RECEIVE FOR SPINAL CORD INJURIES
The compensation you receive from a successful personal injury claim due to a spinal cord injury will depend greatly on the severity of your injury, what your health was like beforehand, and many other details involving the accident itself and how the injury has affected your life.Compensation for these injuries will usually cover the medical expenses that needed to be paid for hospital stay, rehabilitation, and any medication needed to help the injury. Also, it will cover the “pain and suffering” the victim had to go through during the injury.
Also, if the victim was employed and can no longer work their job because of their injury, a financial expert will usually determine how much income they will lose because of the injury. The victim will be compensated for this as well.
All in all, compensation for spinal cord injuries can range from thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on many different factors.
CONTACT TRUSTED LAWYERS FOR SPINAL CORD INJURIES
Spinal cord injuries can be life changing and cause a great amount of pain. Suffering one of these can cause lifelong damage that will never heal even with years of treatment and physical therapy.
However, there are legal organizations like Law Leaders available that can help you build a claim for your injury and get the compensation you deserve. Their team of expert lawyers and committed to helping you and any other injured American get the settlement they need to live comfortably with their injury.
Contact Law Leaders today to find out how they can help!