Spinal cord injuries often leave their victims suffering from difficulties that last for a lifetime. If you suffered a spinal cord injury in an accident, your entire life may change in the blink of an eye. Paralysis, restricted movement, and ongoing pain and difficulty can all leave you feeling as though your life has turned upside down. If you find yourself among the 17,500 new victims who suffer a spinal cord injury each year, and your injuries occurred due to the negligence of another party, you may need an attorney to help you seek the compensation you deserve. Contact Thurswell Law today to learn more about our legal services.
Does a Lawyer Really Help After a Spinal Cord Injury?
You already have a team of medical professionals helping you with your spinal cord injury. If you suffered injuries in a car accident or premises liability accident, you may assume that the insurance company will automatically offer you the payment you deserve for your injuries. Unfortunately, many injury victims find themselves struggling to get the compensation they deserve. An experienced personal injury attorney can:
- Provide you with advice about the compensation you should expect
- Help file the claim with the insurance company
- Fight on your behalf if the claim must go to court
- Offer valuable legal advice about how long your claim may take and how to pursue it
At Thurswell Law, many of our clients find that working with an experienced attorney can help increase the compensation they receive and even get the compensation they deserve in their hands sooner, which can make it easier for them to move forward with life in spite of their injuries.
Challenges Associated with Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries often bring with them a host of challenges, many of which can offer life-changing consequences. When most people think of spinal cord injury, they think of paralysis: the inability to move, usually either from the neck down or from the waist down, depending on where the injury occurred. Not every spinal cord, however, will result in full paralysis. In the case of an incomplete spinal cord injury, victims may retain some movement even below the site of the injury. Spinal cord injuries, however, come along with other potential symptoms, including:
- Extreme pain or pressure in the back or neck area
- Changes in the way the victim experiences sensation, including heat, cold, and pressure
- Fertility challenges
- Loss of sexual desire or feeling
- Erectile dysfunction
- Difficulty breathing or coughing
- Difficulty clearing secretions from your lungs, especially during illness
- Loss of bladder function
- Poor bowel control
- Tremors or spasms in areas below the injury
Some symptoms of spinal cord injury resolve over time, especially if the victim suffered an incomplete spinal cord injury. Others, however, may linger long-term and even for the rest of the patient’s life. Patients who receive prompt treatment and rehabilitation may have better odds of a recovery than patients who fail to receive treatment and physical therapy.
Common Reasons for Spinal Cord Injury
Spinal cord injuries can occur for a wide range of reasons. Understanding how your spinal cord injury occurred can help you better prepare to seek compensation from the responsible party.
- Horseplay. In some cases, your actions may contribute to your spinal cord injury. Engaging in horseplay in a dangerous area, especially around shallow water, often results in accidents and injuries, including spinal cord injuries. In some cases, choosing to engage in horseplay may leave you liable for your own injuries.
- Diving accidents. In areas with shallow water, owners and operators must post signs warning about the dangers of diving. If you choose to dive in spite of those signs, you may bear responsibility for your own injuries. On the other hand, a lack of those signs may leave the owner of that swimming facility responsible for your accident.
- Auto accidents. Auto accidents represent one of the most common types of spinal cord injuries. In auto accidents, the spine takes a great deal of force abruptly. Often, this results in serious injury, including potential paralysis. In auto accidents, the party that caused the accident, whether you, another driver, the manufacturer of the car, or a mechanic who improperly repaired a car, leading to an accident, bears responsibility for your injuries.
- Slip and fall accidents. In a slip and fall, striking your neck or back at the wrong point can cause serious damage. In a slip and fall, take a look at the premises. Did the owner fail to take proper safety precautions? Were there signs to indicate a potential fall hazard in the area, including wet floor signs if needed? If the facility failed to take proper precautions, its insurance company may help compensate you for your injuries.
- Construction accidents. On a construction site, many hazards can lead to an accident at any moment. On a construction site where the company ignores safety precautions and OSHA regulations, the construction company may bear responsibility for any injuries, including spinal cord injuries.
Compensation After Spinal Cord Injuries
After a spinal cord injury, you may need compensation to help you pay the bills associated with that injury and prepare to live the rest of your life. You can file a claim for:
- Pain and suffering
- Medical expenses
- Lost time at work
- Lost earning potential if you cannot return to your job
Many insurance companies, however, will fight to reduce the amount of your compensation, and therefore their financial liability, as much as possible. They may, for example, attempt to prove that you bear responsibility for the accident, or attempt to catch you participating in activities that a spinal cord injury should make impossible. The insurance company may also delay payment, leaving you to struggle to pay your bills on time. Working with a lawyer helps more effectively fight these tactics and prove that you do deserve compensation for your injuries.
Do You Need an Attorney After a Spinal Cord Injury?
If you need an attorney after a spinal cord injury, we can help. Contact Thurswell Law today to schedule your free consultation. You can reach us online or by phone at (248) 354-2222.
