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Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer

If you’ve suffered a spinal cord injury, you know the difficulties of this kind of harm. Both your physical and financial health is at stake when you sustain injury to your spinal cord. The Joel Bieber Firm is ready to help you. Contact us today to speak with a qualified spinal cord injury lawyer and get a free consultation.

What Is a Spinal Cord Injury?

The spinal cord is one of the most critical parts of the body and one of the primary parts of the nervous system.

It is a complex structure that runs from the brainstem all the way to the lower back. Additionally, the spinal cord is particularly delicate, as it is made of a bundle of nerves. This bundle of nerves carries messages from the brain to their intended body parts.

The messages that originate in the brain serve several purposes, including:

  • Managing reflexes
  • Controlling the functions of your body
  • Helping you process sensations

Because of the importance of the spinal cord, when it suffers an injury, it can permanently affect your life.

An injury to the spinal cord can result in many issues, including:

  • Loss of movement and sensation
  • Loss of bowel and bladder control
  • Spasms
  • Extreme pain
  • Difficulty breathing

If you’ve suffered a spinal cord injury caused by another, you are not alone in your struggle. Consult with a qualified spinal cord injury lawyer as soon as possible.

Types of Spinal Cord Injuries

As with other types of injuries, there are different kinds of spinal cord injuries.

Generally, a spinal cord injury can be either complete or incomplete. A complete spinal cord injury causes permanent damage to the area affected. Paraplegia and tetraplegia often result.

On the other hand, an incomplete spinal cord injury means that there is partial damage within the affected area. The ultimate result of the injury depends on the severity of the injury and the victim’s health.

Additionally, there are four sections of the spinal cord that could suffer injury:

  • Cervical spine: These injuries affect the head and neck
  • Thoracic spine: Injuries in this area affect the upper chest, the mid-back, and the abdomen
  • Lumbar spine: These injuries affect the legs and hips
  • Sacral spine: Injuries in this region affect the hips, thighs, buttocks, and pelvis

Typically, symptoms and long-term effects depend on the area of the spinal cord that was harmed. Your treating physician can provide a proper diagnosis and treatment.

Potential Long-Term Effects of Spinal Cord Injuries

Because of the influence the spinal cord has on the body, lasting effects are likely. Some of the common health complications could include:

  • Paralysis in the arms, legs, or both
  • Chronic pain
  • Inability to regulate body temperature and blood pressure
  • Risk of serious heart and lung problems
  • Permanent loss of bladder and bowel control
  • Sexual dysfunction

The more serious your health issues, the more need for medical treatment. Additionally, the effects of spinal cord injuries may cause you to need long-term care.

Unfortunately, the more care and treatment you need, the more expensive it becomes. If you’re facing serious financial strain, a spinal cord injury lawyer can help you.

How Do Spinal Cord Injuries Happen?

Spinal cord injuries are a result of force or trauma to some area of the spinal column. Some of the common accidents and incidents that result in spinal injuries include:

  • Motor vehicle collisions, including car, truck, and pedestrian accidents
  • Slip and falls
  • Medical malpractice
  • Birth injuries
  • Workplace accidents
  • Intentional violence

Often, spinal cord injuries are a result of another party’s wrongful actions. If someone has caused you harm, a spinal cord injury lawyer can pursue justice on your behalf.

Liability for Spinal Cord Injuries

Simply put, the individual who causes your injury would be liable for your harm. However, while it sounds easy enough, proving liability can be challenging at times.

Spinal cord injuries can be intentional, but they’re usually a result of negligence. If a party’s negligent actions caused your injury, your personal injury lawyer must prove some details.

First, your lawyer must prove the party owed you a duty of care. For example, truck drivers owe others on the road a duty to drive carefully.

Next, once you’ve established they owed you a duty, you must show there was a breach. For instance, If a truck driver drives under the influence, they are not driving in a careful manner. So this action would breach their duty.

Next is causation. Your lawyer must show the relationship between the party’s actions and your accident.

Finally, you must show you’ve suffered damages as a result of your accident. These damages can include both monetary and non-monetary losses.

While proving liability can be one of the hardest parts of a case, it’s no challenge for a skilled attorney. For this reason, you can rely on your spinal cord injury lawyer to competently take on this task.

Pursuing Compensation for Your Spinal Cord Injury and Related Losses

How you’ll pursue compensation for your spinal cord injury depends on your case. For instance, if your injury was a result of a car accident, you’ll likely start by filing an insurance claim. Still, you may need to file a personal injury lawsuit.

Your spinal cord injury attorney can best determine how to seek the monetary recovery you need.

Your damages represent your financial and non-financial losses. Based on the facts of your case, you may be able to get damages for:

  • Medical expenses for past and future bills
  • Rehabilitation costs
  • Lost earnings
  • Diminished or lost earning capacity
  • Emotional distress
  • Loss of enjoyment of life
  • Permanent disability
  • Pain and suffering

Without a lawyer, you may not be aware of the value of your case. Properly calculating your damages is crucial. For this reason, your attorney can review the details of your claim to assign a value to your losses.

Do Not Wait to Consult with a Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer

If you’ve suffered a spinal cord injury, do not wait to seek legal guidance. An experienced spinal cord injury lawyer can properly and efficiently handle your case.

The Joel Bieber Firm has attorneys with over 400 years of collective experience. We’ve had the chance to recover millions of dollars for our clients through the years. We know what it takes to reach a successful outcome.

Contact us today to request a complimentary consultation.

Frequently Asked Questions

Spinal cord injuries are generally classified into two types: complete and incomplete. A complete injury causes permanent damage to the affected area, often resulting in paraplegia or tetraplegia. An incomplete injury means there is partial damage, with varying degrees of impairment depending on the severity and location of the injury.
Long-term effects of spinal cord injuries can include paralysis in the arms, legs, or both, chronic pain, inability to regulate body temperature and blood pressure, risk of serious heart and lung problems, permanent loss of bladder and bowel control, and sexual dysfunction. These effects often require extensive and ongoing medical treatment.
Liability for a spinal cord injury generally falls on the individual or entity whose actions or negligence caused the injury. Proving liability involves showing that the responsible party owed a duty of care, breached this duty, directly caused the injury, and that the injury resulted in damages.
Compensation for a spinal cord injury can cover medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, lost earnings, diminished or lost earning capacity, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, permanent disability, and pain and suffering. The specific damages you can pursue depend on the details of your case.
To prove liability, you must show that the responsible party owed you a duty of care, breached this duty, and that this breach directly caused your spinal cord injury. Evidence such as accident reports, witness statements, and expert testimony can support your case. Your lawyer will work to gather and present this evidence effectively.
Compensation for a spinal cord injury can be pursued through insurance claims or personal injury lawsuits, depending on the circumstances of the injury. A spinal cord injury lawyer can help determine the best course of action, gather necessary evidence, and negotiate with insurance companies or represent you in court.
Consulting with a spinal cord injury lawyer is crucial because they have the expertise to handle complex legal and medical issues, prove liability, and calculate the full extent of your damages. An experienced lawyer can help you secure the compensation you deserve, allowing you to focus on your recovery. Contact The Joel Bieber Firm for a free consultation to discuss your case.
Common symptoms of a spinal cord injury include loss of movement, loss of sensation (including the ability to feel heat, cold, and touch), loss of bowel or bladder control, exaggerated reflex activities or spasms, changes in sexual function, pain or intense stinging sensations, and difficulty breathing. The severity and location of the injury determine the specific symptoms experienced.
The location of the spinal cord injury determines which parts of the body are affected. Injuries to the cervical spine (neck) can cause paralysis in the arms, hands, trunk, and legs (tetraplegia). Injuries to the thoracic spine (upper and mid-back) can affect the chest and legs (paraplegia). Injuries to the lumbar spine (lower back) impact the hips and legs, while injuries to the sacral spine affect the hips, thighs, and pelvic organs.
While there is currently no cure for spinal cord injuries, treatments are available to manage symptoms and improve quality of life. Immediate medical interventions can prevent further damage, and rehabilitation therapies can help restore some functions. Ongoing research is exploring potential treatments, such as nerve regeneration and advanced prosthetics.