Compensation for the Life-Long Impacts Spinal Cord Injuries
How a Spinal Cord Injury Accident Can Change Your Life Forever
Spinal cord injuries can have a severe impact on a person’s everyday quality of life. Many factors can be affected, such as the individual’s health, friendships, relationships, and financial stability. Those who endure a spinal cord injury have their lifestyle entirely changed to accommodate their new diagnosis. Treatments and procedures are often administered to allow the individual to live comfortably and perform day-to-day activities. Some may need help when doing these said activities, while others are capable of doing it themselves. It all depends on how severe the injury is along with how far along the individual is in their recovery process.
Below, our experienced spinal cord injury attorneys at West Coast Trial Lawyers will go more into detail about the life-altering experiences an individual may face after a spinal cord injury. Our attorneys will also guide you through the legal process of acquiring compensation.
How Spinal Cord Injuries Happen
There are many factors that can contribute to a spinal cord injury. This includes:
- Slip and fall accidents. A slip and fall will occur when an individual slips on a slippery surface or trips over an object, which can result in a spinal cord injury. It mostly depends on how the individual lands and the intensity of the impact to the ground.
- Car accidents. Car accidents typically involve heavy impact. If a driver is involved in a serious accident, it is likely for them to suffer a spinal cord injury. The driver could get ejected out of the vehicle and land on the ground aggressively, which can severely damage multiple bones in their body.
- Pedestrian accidents. When a pedestrian is hit by a motorist, bicyclist, or scooter rider, it could cause them to aggressively fall on the ground.
- Physical violence. When an individual is shot or stabbed in the back, it can seriously damage their spine.
- Premises liability. A property owner can leave their premises in unsafe conditions, which can lead to a visitor falling victim to an injury.
The Impacts of Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries can be life-changing. Not only is a person physically impacted, but their overall quality of life and emotional state can be directly affected, as well.
There are different levels of severity when it comes to spinal cord injuries, which range in level of impact from mobility issues to complete paralyzation. Essentially, the two larger categories of spinal cord injury are incomplete spinal cord injury and complete spinal cord injury.
Incomplete spinal cord injury is when a person still has feeling and some function in the areas beneath their wound. This means that the spinal cord is still functioning to a degree that it can send receptors to the brain. This can also be understood as partial paralysis.
Complete spinal cord injury is when a person no longer has feeling and cannot function the areas beneath their injury site. This means that the spine is no longer functioning at a capacity to which it can send receptors to the brain. This can also be understood as complete paralysis.
Whether the spinal cord injury is incomplete or complete, one thing for certain is that with these physical changes, it can really take a toll on a person’s mental and physical health. Victims of spinal cord injuries often feel out of control and mourn losing the life they had prior to the accident.
How Compensation for a Spinal Cord Injury Can Support a Victim’s Lifelong Medical Needs
If a person suffers a spinal cord injury as a result of an accident, they are entitled to compensation for their losses, which includes economic and non-economic damages.
Economic damages refers to costs that can be readily calculated based on the past and future tangible financial expenses and losses related to the spinal cord injury, such as:
- Medical bills. This can be costly as spinal cord injury victims may require life-long treatments.
- Lost wages. This is the income the victim could have made if they did not suffer a spinal cord injury from the accident.
- Household services. This involves having a live-in caretaker to assist the spinal cord injury victim with their daily activities.
Non-economic damages refers to costs that are calculated on the invaluable losses that a victim of a spinal cord injury faces upon getting hurt. This can include compensation for:
- Pain and suffering. The emotional and physical pain resulting in a spinal cord injury can really affect the victim.
- Loss of companionship or consortium. The victim may not be able to keep a relationship, have intercourse, and/or the ability to have a child.
- Loss of enjoyment of life. The victim has no intention of seeking enjoyment in their lives due to the complications of living that come with a spinal cord injury.
These damages can be recovered by filing an insurance claim and/or lawsuit against the party at-fault for causing the accident and injury. Compensation will help relieve the victim from financial burdens caused by the negligence of the person at-fault for their injuries.
West Coast Trial Lawyers Is Here to Help
If you are suffering from a spinal cord injury due to another party’s negligent actions, our experienced team of spinal cord injury attorneys at West Coast Trial Lawyers are here to help you get the compensation you deserve for your losses.
No fees will be charged until your case has been settled. Contact our team for a free, no-obligation consultation by calling (213) 927-3700 or emailing [email protected].