A spinal cord injury changes your life in a heartbeat. The healing and rehabilitation processes can be arduous and require months of effort. Your family will also have to adjust to a new normal.
Accidents cause almost all spinal cord injuries, and negligence causes nearly all accidents. A diligent catastrophic injury attorney could bring a claim against the negligent party for the damages you suffered due to your injury.
If you reside in Rhodes Ranch, Sovana, Sun City, or the surrounding area, contact a Summerlin spinal cord injury lawyer at Shook & Stone. You could receive reimbursement for your medical expenses and diminished income and get compensation for the pain and suffering you experience because of your injury.
Spinal Cord Injury Basics
The spinal cord is a sheath of nerves that travels along the spine, communicating between the brain and the rest of the body. Damage to the spinal cord disrupts the nerves’ ability to transmit and receive signals, and people experience loss of sensation and muscle control below the injury site as a result.
Spinal cord injuries can be incomplete, meaning some nerves are undamaged. According to the National Institutes of Health fact sheet, people with incomplete spinal cord injuries sometimes can recover much of their former functioning. However, when all or most of the nerves suffer damage, the limbs below the injury are paralyzed, and secondary health impacts might develop, including:
- Pneumonia
- Circulatory issues
- Sexual dysfunction
- Loss of bladder control
- Problems regulating blood pressure
Depression and anxiety are also common after a spinal cord injury.
The primary causes of spinal cord injuries in the U.S. are falls, vehicle accidents, sports injuries, and violence. In most cases, someone’s negligent conduct contributed to the situation that led to a spinal cord injury. A proactive Summerlin spinal cord injury attorney could investigate an incident, identify the potentially responsible parties, and pursue a lawsuit for damages against them.
Holding a Negligent Party Accountable
Negligence is failing to behave as a reasonable person would act in similar circumstances and causing an injury to someone else. Ignoring safety rules, violating the law, or not taking proper precautions to prevent a foreseeable accident are indicators of negligence.
When a spinal cord injury lawyer in Summerlin files a claim against a potentially responsible party (defendant), they must prove the defendant’s negligence. Most claims do not end up in court, but negotiating a reasonable settlement requires proof the defendant’s misconduct caused the spinal cord injury. If the injured person (plaintiff) has a viable claim, the defendants typically prefer a settlement to the uncertainty of a trial.
A plaintiff could claim damages for their lost wages, medical expenses, and other costs of treating, rehabilitating, and living with the injury. If their injury prevents them from resuming their former employment, the defendants are liable for the plaintiff’s reduced earning capacity. A plaintiff is also entitled to collect payments for their:
- Pain
- Disability
- Emotional trauma
- Lost opportunities
- Lost enjoyment of life
- Other non-economic consequences of the injury
Employment-Related Spinal Cord Injuries
If a person was working when they injured their spinal cord, the workers’ compensation program offers no-cost medical treatment and temporary total disability payments for 104 weeks. Eventually, the program will seek a disability rating and offer a payout based on the worker’s degree of permanent disability.
Workers’ compensation benefits are helpful in the period immediately following the injury. Still, they do not cover all the treatments and services a family might require, and the injured person cannot get compensation for their pain and suffering. While an individual cannot sue their employer for a work-related injury, they can sue any third party whose conduct contributed to the accident.
A capable Summerlin spinal cord damage attorney could handle an injured person’s workers’ comp claim and ensure they receive appropriate benefits while investigating to determine whether any other parties had a part in the incident. If so, the worker could bring a lawsuit against the negligent third parties seeking uncompensated medical costs, lost wages, loss of future earning capacity, and compensation for pain and suffering.
Consult a Summerlin Attorney After a Spinal Cord Injury
Spinal cord injuries require arduous rehabilitation. Many people who suffer these devastating injuries require a substantial period of adjustment.
A Summerlin spinal cord injury lawyer at Shook & Stone could manage the legal and financial issues that arise while you and your family focus on healing. Reach out to a caring attorney at our firm as soon as possible after you are injured. We are here to help you seek the justice you deserve.
