Spinal cord injuries often result in lasting disabilities in the form of:
- Partial or complete paralysis
- Reduced mobility
- Impaired muscle control or ability to speak
- Chronic pain
- Weakness, tingling, or numbness
However, this does not mean there will not be any improvement in function in some patients. Every injury is different, and it is possible for some spinal cord injury victims to experience improvements depending on the nature and severity of their injuries.
Factors That Affect a Patient’s Recovery Potential from a Spinal Cord Injury
The severity of the injury depends on where on the spine it occurs. Lower spinal cord injuries can result in paraplegia, while upper spinal cord injuries can cause quadriplegia. In the most severe cases, the victim can have trouble breathing, feeding themselves, and caring for themselves, which can significantly impair their quality of life.
Recovery also depends on whether the injury was complete or incomplete. Patients suffering from an incomplete spinal injury have a greater potential for recovery than those who have suffered a completed spinal injury. This is related to the number of axons and cells damaged at the time of the accident.
Generally speaking, the fewer damaged axons and cells, the greater the capacity for recovery from a spinal cord injury.
Treatment for Spinal Cord Injuries
Surgical or non-surgical treatments may be appropriate, depending on the injury. Surgeons may be able to decompress nerves and repair fractures to achieve quality-of-life improvements.
Recovering from a spinal cord injury also includes an extensive rehabilitation period. This may include the support of physiotherapists, occupational therapists, nutritionists, social workers, and others. A patient may undertake this treatment at a hospital, a rehabilitation center, or both.
Although surgical cures for spinal injuries are not possible, many experimental treatments exist for patients with spinal injuries. These include epidural stimulation, retraining central nervous systems, exoskeleton suits, and functional electrical stimulation (FES).
We Can Seek Justice for Your Spinal Cord Injury
You shouldn’t have to pay for losses stemming from another party’s negligence. It would be best if you didn’t have to manage a complicated legal case on your own, either.
Instead, you can partner with a Daytona Beach spinal cord injury lawyer who can manage each of your case’s obligations by:
Offering Help on a Contingency-Fee Basis
Our law firm helps spinal cord injury claimants on a contingency-fee-basis. This arrangement lets you seek compensation without paying our team anything up front or out of pocket. Furthermore, a portion of your settlement pays for our help.
While you focus on improving, we’ll build the strongest possible case. We’re prepared to do everything possible to secure your debts.
Determining Your Injury-Related Losses
After examining your medical bills and case’s evidence, our Fort Lauderdale personal injury lawyers will pursue compensation for:
- Co-pays
- Prescription medications
- Physical or occupational rehabilitation
- Costs of medical equipment
- Hospital bills
- Medical treatment fees
- Property damage costs
- Child care expenses
- The cost of household maintenance and upkeep
- Physical pain and suffering
- Loss of companionship and love
- Loss of guidance and support
- Diminished quality of life
- Lost wages
- Loss of future potential earnings
- Mental anguish
Your situation will determine what types of losses you can recover through legal action. So, you may recover other losses than those listed here. What you need to do is to contact our spinal cord injury lawyers for a full evaluation of your case. Depending on its specifics, our attorneys will calculate the economic and non-economic damages that you could demand from the liable party via a claim or a lawsuit.
Filing Your Case Within the Applicable Deadline
You have a limited time to file a lawsuit after your spinal cord injury. You generally have four years to file your lawsuit, per Florida Statues § 95.11(3)(a). Filing your case within this deadline protects your right to damages. Filing your case outside of this deadline could:
- Make you ineligible to pursue damages in court
- Leave you with few financial recovery options
- Prevent you from seeking what you’re owed
Your four-year filing window generally begins from the date your spinal cord injury happened. If any filing exceptions apply to your case, we will discuss them with you.
Filing a Claim with the Insurance Company
One way to recover compensation for your damages is by filing a claim with the insurance company. Depending on how your spinal cord injury occurred, there may be multiple parties who could share liability. Generally, this individual or entity will be protected by some type of insurance policy.
For example, if you were involved in a motor vehicle accident, the driver who hit you should be protected by auto insurance coverage. If you were involved in a slip and fall accident, the property owner should have homeowner’s insurance or some other type of coverage in place.
We resolve many cases through insurance negotiations. Chances are, with our team advocating for you, litigation won’t be necessary.
Filing a Lawsuit Against the At-Fault Party
If you can’t recover damages through an insurance settlement, you can file a civil lawsuit. Bringing your case before a judge and jury allows you to recover each of your injury-related losses.
A Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer May Be Able to Help You
If you or your loved one’s spinal cord injury was caused by the negligence of another party, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries, losses, and other expenses. In some cases, punitive damages may also be appropriate.
You do not have to face this situation alone. To find out how a lawyer can help you following a spinal injury, call the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine today for a free consultation.
