Suffering a spinal injury is often catastrophic for the injured person and devastating for their family members and friends. Despite months of medical care and rehabilitation, many injury victims have lasting disabilities.
When another person’s careless or negligent actions caused your injuries, there is often an added desire to hold them responsible for the pain and suffering they caused.
At the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine, our spinal cord injury lawyers serving Fort Lauderdale can help you hold the liable party (or parties) responsible for your impairment. We can recover the compensation you deserve for your medical expenses, pain and suffering, and lost wages.
Hiring a Personal Injury Attorney: is it Affordable?
The Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine works on contingency, meaning we don’t get paid unless our clients receive a settlement or court award. This arrangement allows us to go to work for our clients as soon as possible while helping them avoid burdensome upfront costs.
You can speak more with us about your concerns on this matter during a free consultation. Before we start working with a client, we review all agreements to make sure we are on the same page regarding fees.
For a free legal consultation with a spinal cord injuries lawyer serving Fort Lauderdale, 800-747-3733
How can My Family Recover Compensation after a Spinal Cord Injury?
If you or a loved one has suffered a spinal injury because of another party’s negligence, you may be eligible to file for damages. Negligence can lead to spinal cord injuries in a number of ways, from car accidents to medical malpractice to premises liability cases.
Negligence occurs when someone who owes you a duty to keep you safe acts carelessly by mistake or even intentionally. If you suffer injuries due to their actions or inaction, they are financially liable for your medical bills, lost wages, and other accident-related losses.
Proving Negligence in Your Spinal Cord Injury Case
Our Fort Lauderdale personal injury lawyers serving Fort Lauderdale can review the evidence in your case to see if you can establish a negligence case. Your situation must satisfy four elements to show how the at-fault party is responsible for your injuries and related losses. The elements are:
- Duty of care. The other party must have owed you a duty of care or responsibility of keeping you reasonably safe from harm.
- Breach of duty. The other party failed to keep their duty to keep you safe.
- Causation. Breaching their duty of care caused an accident that brought injury or harm upon you.
- Damages. As a result of the accident you encountered, you suffered damages that are compensatory under the law.
If you can prove all four of these things, then your situation meets the legal definition of negligence.
When to Pursue a Third-Party Liability Claim
For example, if you became a paraplegic because of a car accident, the driver who broke a traffic law and caused the crash is responsible for your injuries. In this case, we would file a third-party liability claim based on the at-fault driver’s auto insurance policy to recover money damages.
We would also present the evidence to prove negligence and demonstrate your losses to the insurance company. We would then negotiate a settlement based on the value of your present and future expenses.
Fort LauderdaleSpinal Cord Injuries Lawyer Near Me 800-747-3733
We Can Help if the Insurance Company Rejects Your Claim
Occasionally, the insurance company refuses to negotiate, or other complications arise. If this occurs, we can discuss other options to help you get the payout you need and deserve. This may include filing a personal injury lawsuit in a Florida civil court and having a judge or jury rule on your case and award damages.
Florida has Strict Deadlines for Injury Cases
If we have to file a personal injury action on your behalf, we have four years to do so, per Florida Statutes §95.11(3)(a). We advise clients to file their lawsuits early so that we have time to build a case before the deadline expires. Once it does expire, the chance to recover compensation from the liable parties is lost.
Do I need a Lawyer to Help Me File a Fort Lauderdale Spinal Cord Injury Claim?
It can be essential to find a Fort Lauderdale spinal cord injury attorney who can effectively represent your interests, answer any questions you may have, and advise you regarding the legal options that are available to you.
We have the resources necessary to build a strong case in your favor, including calling in expert witnesses who can estimate your future care needs. Let us handle all your legal needs and fight for the compensation you deserve while you focus on completing rehabilitation and recovering as fully as possible.
What are Some of the Most Common Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries?
Spinal cord injuries happen when a violent blow damages the nerves in the spinal cord. This can cause paralysis, loss of feeling, and problems with muscle control. Other spinal injuries can include a herniated or slipped disc or broken vertebrae.
The most common causes of spinal injury are vehicle accidents, which account for 38% of injuries, and falls, which cause 32.3%, according to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC). Acts of violence—primarily gunshot wounds—cause 14.3% of spinal cord injuries, while 7.8% occur during sports and recreational activities, such as swimming and diving.
As of 2021, there were about 296,000 people living with spinal cord injuries in the United States. Every year, there are 17,900 new spinal cord injuries diagnosed in this country.
How does Spinal Cord Injuries affect the Lives of Fort Lauderdale Victims and their Families?
The expenses associated with spinal injuries are extremely high. Hospital stays include an average of 11 days in an acute care unit and more than a month of inpatient rehabilitation, according to the NSCISC. Less than 1% of spinal cord injury victims experience complete neurological recovery before they leave the hospital, meaning there is therapy and ongoing care required for more than 99% of people with spinal cord injuries.
In addition, many people who experience a spinal cord injury suffer from a lasting disability. They are not able to return to work and require lifelong nursing care. Those who do recover sometimes require months or years of painful, tough rehabilitation. Even minor injuries can damage nerves and result in years of chronic pain.
Why the Location of a Spinal Injury is Important
In spinal cord injuries, the severity of an injury depends in part on where it occurs on the spine. When the lower spinal cord suffers an injury, the person is more likely to become a paraplegic and therefore unable to move their legs and the rest of their lower body.
When the upper portion of the spinal cord suffers an injury, there is a greater chance that the victim becomes a quadriplegic. This means all four limbs are adversely affected. They may struggle to breathe on their own, feed themselves, and complete self-care activities. This can greatly affect the quality of life and level of disability following an injury.
How can I Contact a Spinal Cord Injury Attorney’s Office?
To discuss your potential claim or lawsuit regarding a Fort Lauderdale spinal cord injury, call the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine today. We offer free case evaluations.
