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A spinal cord injury can have a devastating impact on a person’s life. Victims can suffer permanent changes in strength, sensation, and other bodily functions below the site of the injury. If you have recently experienced a spinal cord injury, it is likely that almost every aspect of your life will be affected. Most of these injuries require comprehensive medical treatment, leave you unable to work for a period of time, and decrease your quality of life. The Augusta personal injury attorneys at Nicholson Revell LLP work with our injury clients to ensure they receive the full compensation they are due.
If you believe someone else is to blame for your spinal cord injury, discuss your legal rights with a personal injury attorney. An attorney has the information and knowledge you need to answer your legal questions. A lawyer can review your case for signs of fault in connection with your injury. Then, your lawyer can take care of many legal processes on your behalf in pursuit of compensation, such as to:
From dealing with insurance companies and properly assessing the value of your claim to reducing your stress by handling complex legal matters for you, an attorney can make the legal process easier so you can focus on recovering. Our attorneys at Nicholson Revell LLP will make sure you have what you need to obtain justice.
According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC), there are an estimated 17,000 new spinal cord injury cases in the U.S. each year. Men account for approximately 80 percent of new cases, with vehicle accidents being the leading cause of injuries followed by falls, acts of violence, and sports/recreational activities.
The spinal cord is a tube of nerve tissue and cells extending from the brainstem sending singles to and from the brain throughout the rest of the body. Despite being surrounded by a column of protective bone, it can be severely injured due to several types of personal injury accidents, such as:
Many of these accidents and incidents are preventable. They occur because one or more people are careless or reckless. If you believe someone else had the power to prevent you or a loved one’s spinal cord injury, yet carelessly failed to do so, this person may be legally responsible for your economic and noneconomic losses.
Depending on the area and severity of damage a spinal cord injury can result in minor back pain to quadriplegia (partial or total loss of use of all four limbs and torso) or paraplegia (partial or complete loss of the lower limbs and possibly the trunk). Besides paralysis, other symptoms of spinal cord injuries can also include, but are not limited to:
If you get into an accident and experience any of these symptoms, go to a hospital immediately. If you have a mild to moderate spinal cord injury, failing to obtain proper medical care could make it worse and cause paralysis. Symptoms can last for a lifetime in a serious spine injury case. However, modern treatments are available to help reduce a patient’s pain and increase quality of life.
There are two main types of spinal cord injuries: complete and incomplete. With a complete spinal cord injury, the spine has been fully severed or compressed. This eliminates the connection between the brain and body, making the brain unable to send signals below the point of injury. A complete spinal cord injury will result in paralysis.
An incomplete spinal cord injury means the compression or severance of the spine is not complete; therefore, the patient retains some feeling or function below the site of injury. A patient with an incomplete spinal cord injury may only experience mild muscle weakness, for example, rather than full disability.
If you were not at fault for the incident that caused your spinal cord injury, you shouldn’t be the one who has to pay for medical care. Someone else may be responsible through his or her insurance. In Georgia, you have the right to file a claim against an at-fault party in pursuit of justice and financial compensation. You will file this claim in the civil courts in the county where your injury took place.
The civil justice system in Georgia permits injured accident victims to seek compensation to make them whole again. A personal injury claim centers on the legal theory of negligence. Someone is negligent when that person does not use an appropriate level of care, causing injury or harm to others. Negligence consists of four elements:
It is necessary to prove these four elements based on a preponderance of the evidence to obtain financial compensation for a spinal cord injury. This means enough proof to demonstrate that the defendant’s negligence more likely than not caused your injury. A lawyer can help you preserve and present evidence to prove these four elements.
In personal injury law, liability means legal and financial responsibility for an injury. Before you can file a personal injury claim for a spinal cord injury in Georgia, you or your lawyer must identify the liable party. This is the party that had the ability to prevent your spinal cord injury but failed to do so. Many parties could be liable for your injury depending on the circumstances of the case:
A spinal cord injury attorney can identify the liable party in your injury claim through an investigation of your accident. Then, your attorney can let you know if that defendant has the insurance or resources to pay out a settlement or jury verdict. If not, your attorney can search for other liable parties who may have better insurance. Hiring an attorney from the beginning of your case can help you hold the correct party responsible.
If your lawyer succeeds in holding someone accountable for you or a loved one’s spinal cord injury, your family could obtain financial compensation for several past and future losses:
An attorney can help you pursue maximum compensation for the full extent of your losses suffered, even if that means taking your personal injury case to trial in Augusta.
Between investigating the circumstances resulting in your spinal cord injury, dealing with insurance companies, and handling other legal complications, an experienced personal injury attorney can sort through your legal options for monetary recovery.
Nicholson Revell LLP will put to full use our years of experience with personal injury law to investigate the full extent of your damages so you obtain full compensation. Our goal is to force the wrongdoer to fully compensate you so you can focus on recovering from your spinal cord injury. Contact us today for a free legal consultation.
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