Like the brain, the spinal cord cannot repair itself, which
makes suffering from a spinal cord injury catastrophic. The
spinal cord controls essential bodily functions, such as feeling
and movement, which can be lost forever after a spinal cord
injury. Victims of spinal cord injuries often suffer from
lifelong disabilities, including everything from movement
problems in the feet to complete paralysis.
Spinal
cord injuries are most commonly caused by sudden trauma to the
spinal column or spinal cord. And in many cases, the sudden
trauma that causes a person’s spinal cord injury is the result
of another person’s negligence or malicious behavior. Some of
common causes of spinal cord injuries include auto accidents,
slip and fall accidents, and acts of violence. If you’ve
suffered from a spinal cord injury due to the careless or
malicious actions of another party, know that you have the right
to hold that party legally responsible for the results of their
actions.
If you or a loved one has been the victim of
a spinal injury accident in Southern California, contact LA
Lawyers Group today to receive a free case evaluation. Our
experienced personal injury attorneys can fight for your right
to recover financial compensation for the damages you’ve
incurred, including compensation for your medical bills, lost
wages, and pain and suffering.
Free Case Evaluation
Types of Spinal Cord Injuries
The spinal cord’s role in the body is to carry messages
between the brain and the rest of the body. When part of a
person’s spinal cord is damaged, their spinal cord can no
longer carry messages in the same way it once did. So, when a
person suffers from a spinal cord injury, they lose some or
all of their sensory and motor function below their injury.
How much sensation and motor function a spinal cord injury
victim loses depends on where their spinal cord was injured
and how severely it was injured.
There are two general categories that describe the severity
(or, in medical terms, the “completeness”) of spinal cord
injuries:
● Complete: If an individual has lost all
of the sensory and motor function below their spinal cord
injury, their injury is called a complete spinal cord injury.
● Incomplete: If an individual has
lost some, but not all of the sensory and motor function below
their spinal injury, their injury is called an incomplete
spinal cord injury. Incomplete spinal cord injuries can vary
in severity depending on how much connection between the brain
and body has been lost.
There are three terms that describe the location of the
paralysis that results from a person’s spinal cord injury:
● Tetraplegia: A partial or total paralysis that
affects all four of the limbs and the torso. Tetraplegia is
also sometimes called quadriplegia. ●
Paraplegia: A partial or total paralysis that affects
the lower half of the body. ● Hemiplegia: A
partial or total paralysis that affects one side of the body.
Causes and Symptoms of a Spinal Cord Injury
Spinal cord injuries are most commonly caused by some type of
sudden trauma to the spinal cord or the vertebrae, ligaments,
or discs of the spinal column. Some common causes of spinal
cord injuries include:
● Car Accidents ● Motorcycle
Accidents ● Truck Accidents ●
Slip and Fall Accidents ● Falling
From Heights
● Acts of Violence ● Sports
Injuries ● Medical Errors ●
Electrical Accidents
Spinal cord injuries disrupt communication between the brain
and the body, which can cause one or more of the following
symptoms:
● Partial Paralysis or Complete Paralysis
● Loss of Ability to Feel Touch, Heat,
and/or Cold ● Changes in Ability to Feel
Touch, Heat, and/or Cold ● Loss of Bowel
Control ● Loss of Bladder Control ●
Spasms ● Exaggerated Reflex Activities
● Changes in Sexual Function ●
Changes in Fertility ● Pain or Intense
Stinging Caused By Nerve Fiber Damage ●
Difficulty Breathing
Monetary Compensation for Los Angeles Spinal Cord Injury Cases
In California, a victim in a spinal cord injury case can receive
compensation for the damages they incurred due to the negligence or
malicious actions of another party, including damages related to
medical bills, lost wages, lost future income, and pain and
suffering.
Medical Bills
Spinal cord injury victims may be able to recover damages for
their past and future medical expenses. This includes, but is
not limited to, the cost of hospital visits, clinic visits,
spinal surgery, physical therapy, trauma care, long-term care
(including the costs of in-home care), medical equipment, and
medication.
Lost Wages
Even a less severe spinal cord injury will likely prevent an
injury victim from working while they recuperate from their
injury. If a victim has lost wages due to their spinal cord
injury, they can pursue damages for these lost wages.
Loss of Future Earnings
Spinal cord injuries often cause permanent disability, which
can prevent a victim from ever being able to work again.
Spinal cord injury victims who are disabled by their injury
can pursue damages for the future wages they likely would have
earned had they not been injured. Additionally, they can
pursue damages for the loss of anticipated bonuses, tips, and
opportunities for advancement.
Pain and Suffering
A spinal cord injury is a life-changing injury that can cause
immense pain and suffering. The impact a spinal cord injury
has on the injury victim’s life cannot be understated. This
type of injury has a devastating effect on a person’s
physical, emotional, and social well being. In California,
victims can pursue monetary damages for these types of
non-economic losses.
Punitive Damages
In some cases, a court may award victims of spinal cord
injuries punitive damages. These types of damages are awarded
as a punishment for a liable party that exhibited particularly
harmful or malicious behavior.
The Cost of Medical Expenses for Spinal Cord Injury Victims
A spinal cord injury is one of the most costly injuries anyone can
suffer from. In the first year of treatment alone, the average cost
of medical care for a spinal cord injury victim ranges from around
$350,000 (for individuals with incomplete motor function) to around
$1,000,000 (for individuals with high tetraplegia). Then, the
average yearly cost for ongoing care can range from around $40,000
to around $200,000. Depending on the severity of a spinal cord
injury, the estimated lifetime cost of care for this type of injury
can range from just over $1,000,000 to just under $5,000,000.
It’s important to note that these average figures only
account for the cost of a spinal injury victim’s medical care. They
don’t take into account an injury victim’s indirect costs, such as
their loss of wages and productivity. The average indirect cost of a
spinal cord injury is approximately $72,000 per year.
Needless to say, the financial cost of a spinal cord
injury is immense. But if your spinal cord injury was caused by the
negligence or malicious actions of another party, there is an
alternative to paying these costs out of your own pocket. You may be
able to have your medical costs and indirect costs covered by filing
a personal injury lawsuit against the liable party.
Do You Need An Attorney for a Spinal Cord Injury Case?
If you would like to recover financial compensation that
appropriately reflects your losses, you should seek the help
of an attorney that specializes in spinal injury cases. While
the vast majority of spinal injury cases are settled with
insurance companies, attempting to negotiate with an insurance
company on your own will likely result in you receiving a mere
fraction of what you could receive if you had legal
representation advocating for you.
The goal of an
insurance company is to settle a claim for as little money as
possible, as quickly as possible. Insurance companies count on
the fact that injury victims usually do not know how much
their injury claim could be worth and they tend to try to rush
victims into taking lowball offers. But a personal injury
lawyer that specializes in spinal injury cases will have a
full understanding of the type of compensation you’re entitled
to. This includes compensation for not only past medical
expenses, but also for future medical expenses, the loss of
past and future wages, and pain and suffering. Our attorneys
will aggressively negotiate with insurance companies in order
to reach a settlement that is fair and appropriate.
Additionally, our trial lawyers can take a case to trial when
an insurance company is not negotiating in good faith.
Contact a Los Angeles Spinal Cord Injury Attorney
If you or a loved one has sustained a spinal cord injury due to
the careless or malicious actions of another person or entity,
contact the spinal cord injury lawyers at LA Lawyers Group today
to receive a free case evaluation. An injury attorney at our law
firm can fight for your right to recover the appropriate
financial compensation for the losses you’ve suffered.
Call LA Lawyers Group today at (818) 386-6777 to
receive your free consultation with one of our Los Angeles
spinal cord injury lawyers.
