Spinal cord injury

In need of a spinal cord injury attorney with a past record of success and big winning record. Then you might want to read more about this type of injury and how we can help.

Depending on the severity of the injury, spinal cord injury victims may face surgery, extensive rehabilitation and confinement to a wheelchair for a period, possibly for the rest of their life. If the negligent actions of someone resulted in a catastrophic injury to the spine, the injured person needs the assistance of experienced spinal cord injury attorneys.

How Do Spinal Cord Injuries Happen?

There is any number of ways in which someone suffers a spinal cord injury. For instance, motor vehicle accidents are the most common type of accident leading to a spinal cord injury.

Additionally, other causes include athletic injuries, falls, medical malpractice and violent assaults.

Moreover, motorcycles accidents and defective products have also resulted in spinal cord injuries.

What Are the Types of Spinal Cord Injuries?

Basically, there are two major types of spinal cord injuries. A complete spinal cord injury results in the part of the spinal cord below the injury cannot communicate with the injured person’s brain. As a result, the victim loses motor and nerve function below the area of the injury. In addition, the victim will have no sensation below the injury.

Such an injury can result in paraplegia (loss of use of two limbs) or quadriplegia (loss of use of all four limbs).

In an incomplete spinal cord injury, some nerve signals can move along the spine to and from the brain. Therefore, the victim will have some degree of movement and sensation. Of course, the amount of movement and sensation the victim has depends on the severity of the injury.

Finally, car accidents can also cause spinal contusions. This results in a small degree of nerve damage which is usually temporary.

How Are Spinal Cord Injuries Treated?

First responders and/or doctors look to see if the victim can breathe. A spinal cord injury could mean the victim can’t breathe and will need a respirator or breathing tube.

Then the medical staff immobilizes the victim’s neck/back to prevent movement of the spine. Additional, unnecessary movement of the spine could lead to further damage.

Next, the medical staff will give the victim a large dose of steroids. The steroids will keep swelling and inflammation in the injured spine down.

Lastly, the victim is then placed in traction or a cervical halo to stabilize the spine.

Once the diagnosis is made, the doctor will perform surgery on the damaged spine to relieve pressure. Additionally, the damaged spine is further stabilized with pins, screws and rods, if necessary.

Who Can Be Held Liable for Damages for a Victim Who Suffered a Spinal Cord Injury?

Certainly, there are several people who spinal cord injuries lawyers can hold liable for their negligent actions that resulted in a spinal cord injury. For instance:

-A doctor who damages a patient’s spinal cord during surgery.

-Drivers of motor vehicles whose negligent driving caused a spinal cord injury to another driver or passenger.

-The landlord of a building in which an elderly person fell on defectively maintained stairs (the elderly are particularly susceptible to injury, including spinal cord injuries, when they fall).

-The owner of a construction site at which a worker or visitor was injured due to unsafe working conditions.

-An athletic trainer who did not properly treat a student-athlete who complained of severe neck pain from a collision on the field

What Are the Damages Spinal Cord Injured Persons Recover in a Legal Action?

There are multiple damage claims you can make in a spinal cord injury lawsuit:

Medical expenses

You may seek compensation to recover all your medical bills (even those for which your insurance company paid) relating to your medical care.

Lost wages

As part of your spinal cord injury claim, you may recover the wages you lost because you had to miss work because of your damaged spine.

Pain and suffering

This type of damage is subjective. Nonetheless, it is widely recognized in personal injury law. As a result, you can tell the jury how badly your neck and back were injured in the car accident.

Disability

Furthermore, you can tell the jury about how the spinal cord injury resulted in you being confined to a wheelchair for several months. You can walk now but only with the aid of a cane. Additionally, your former job required you to lift heavy boxes which you no longer can do. You can tell that to the jury.

Future medical treatment

Certainly, with a spinal cord injury, you may need medical and physical therapy treatment for the foreseeable future. You (and your doctor) can tell the jury about your expected future treatment.

Loss of consortium

If negligently driven motor vehicles caused your spouse to have a spinal cord injury, the jury can compensate you for the negative impact the injury has on your relationship. For instance, you can’t go for long walks you previously enjoyed together. As another example, you couldn’t go dancing with friends which you did regularly.

Indeed, this claim is recognized in personal injury law. In fact, it is called the loss of consortium.

How Do You Find Experienced Spinal Cord Injury Attorneys?

There are plenty of attorneys to pick from. However, to hire a personal injury attorney, you may have to do a little research.

Lawyer Referral

Perhaps the lawyer who represents your business or who did a will for you can refer you to a motorcycle accident attorney.

Bar Associations

Of course, state and local bar associations have lawyer referral services. Consequently, you can contact them for the name of local motorcycle accident lawyers.

Google Search

Searching on Google for a “personal injury lawyer near me” will get you a long list of personal injury lawyers.

You can narrow the search by also searching for “spinal cord injury attorneys near me.”

Lawyer Directories

Martindale Hubbell and Avvo are two of several online lawyer directories. Indeed, they help you find local lawyers based on their area of practice. Some directories offer client and peer reviews and ratings of the attorneys.

In fact, you will see multiple listings for personal injury attorneys.

What Are Some Tips to Hire a Personal Injury Attorney?

Of course, interview any personal injury attorney you are considering in his or her office. You should get a free consultation.

Is the office neat? Does the staff seem competent and professional? Are phones answered promptly?

If the answer to these questions is “yes,” that’s a good sign.

If not….

Additionally, there are several questions you should ask the attorney before you hire them. For instance, ask how long have they been an attorney. Also, you can ask how many personal injury cases have they handled? How many spinal cord injury cases have they handled?

Likewise, you will want to know if the attorney you are interviewing is the attorney who will handle your claim.

Experienced and Knowledgeable Spinal Cord Injury Attorneys

If you or a loved one suffered a spinal cord injury because of another person’s negligence, you need experienced spinal cord injury attorneys. First, we will investigate the accident or conduct that led to your injury. Then we will fight to get you the compensation you deserve. Contact us at our Hammond office at (219) 200-2000 or online at alexmendozalaw.com – contact us today.