Get Help for Your Spinal Injury from Experienced Attorneys
Spinal injuries are a type of serious injury that can range from moderate to severe depending on the incident that caused it. An injury like this can be life threatening is a serious category of injury that often causes a strain on patient’s life in many different ways. Brain injuries affect your mental and financial health, along with putting your physical health in jeopardy. It can be hard to deal with the fallout of an accident and injury after they occur, but the attorneys at Sand Law are here to help take the weight off of your shoulders.
Spinal injuries are caused most often because of motor vehicle accidents (including car accidents, commercial trucks, delivery trucks, motorcyclists, pedestrians, and cyclists), as well as slip and fall accidents, defective products, and medical malpractice. Victims of these accidents may be able to file a lawsuit if the person who injured them was negligent. This type of case is referred to as a personal injury lawsuit.
Filing a personal injury case for your spinal injury can help you get the compensation that you need and may also offer you some peace of mind. If you’re located in the Woodbury area, one of our experienced attorneys would be happy to help you with your case. Once hired, your attorney can help you with your case, speak to insurance companies on your behalf, and even negotiate a possible settlement for you.
Common Causes of Spinal Injuries
Spinal injuries can range from moderate to severe depending on the type of accident one was involved in and where the injury occured on the spine. A spinal injury that occurs lower on the spinal column is less likely to result in paralysis, while an injury higher on the spine is more likely to cause permanent damage.
A complete spinal injury refers to the loss of ability to convey messages to or from the brain. In the case of a complete injury, this ability is completely lost. With an incomplete injury, this ability may only be partially lost.
According to the Shepherd Center there are approximately 291,000 people living with spinal cord in the United states and about 17,700 new spinal cord injuries every year.
Spinal Injuries from Motor Vehicle Accidents
Motor vehicle accidents are a common cause of many different types of severe injuries, such as traumatic brain injuries, broken bones, and spinal cord injuries. The back and forth movement that occurs when one is struck by a car can greatly injure the neck and spine, often leading to an injury called whiplash. Whiplash occurs when the head and neck move back and forth too rapidly, and there are three million new cases of whiplash each year.
Motor vehicle accidents can also cause spinal injuries that are much more serious than whiplash, like those that cause a vertebrae to break, be crushed, or dislocated, or those that cause the spinal cord to be pinched or severed.
Spinal Injuries from Slip and Falls
Slips and falls are another leading cause of spinal cord injuries. These injuries are especially common in dangerous work environments, like construction or oil field work. Spinal cord injuries can occur when one slips and lands on their back, falls off of a higher level or building, or even when one is struck by an object or against an object.
Slips and falls that lead to spinal injuries are also caused by parking lot hazards, uneven surfaces, wet surfaces, improper maintenance, cracked pavement, poor lighting, weather conditions, and more.
Spinal Injuries from Defective Products
Product defection can cause many different types of accidents, such as commercial truck accidents. Defective products includes things like defective tires, brakes, or other auto parts, as well as unsafe flooring, poorly manufactured construction equipment, or anything that can cause a person harm by being defective.
It’s a company’s responsibility to perform safety checks on their products before releasing them to the public. If a part is known to be unsafe and it is released anyways, or isn’t tested for safety at all before release, the company may be liable for any accidents the product may have caused.
Spinal Injuries from Medical Malpractice
Medical malpractice accounts for 4.6% of all spinal injuries and often occurs because of surgical error, misdiagnosis, improper treatment or care, the wrong prescription or dosage of medication, emergency room mistakes, and early discharge from the hospital. Medical malpractice may also cause pre-existing conditions to worsen.
Holding Those Responsible for a Spinal Injury
The liable party for your spinal injury depends on how your accident occured. Basically, the liable party is whoever was negligent in causing your accident. If you were in a car accident and someone crashed into you because they were texting while driving, they would be liable, as texting while driving is an act of negligence. Negligence may also look like distracted driving, driving under the influence, reckless driving, or speeding.
Liability is often less straightforward for commercial truck accident cases. With commercial truck accidents, there may be many reasons why the accident occured. If the brakes malfunctioned it could be the fault of the manufacturer. If the employee fell asleep behind the wheel it could be because the company overscheduled him. These accidents may also be the fault of loaders for improperly loading the vehicle.
Liability and negligence go hand in hand. Whoever acted with negligence and caused your accident is often the party that is liable for your accident. Multiple parties may be liable for your case, and your attorney will help you investigate further to determine who was liable.
Recovering Damages Caused by a Spinal Injury
With any injury comes medical bills and with medical bills comes stress. A good attorney can help assure you that you’ll receive the compensation that you deserve, helping you to rest easy knowing your case is in good hands.
Economic damages refer to any compensation that you may receive to cover costs that you have paid for yourself, or that you have outstanding bills for. Medical bills, like doctors visits, hospital costs, surgery costs, and therapy costs, can all be covered by this compensation. You may also receive compensation for any wages that you lost while out of work.
Non-economic damages refer to the costs that you’ll be paid out for pain and suffering, loss of consortium, and the loss of future wages or the loss of earning capacity. .
How Can a Woodbury Personal Injury Attorney Help?
If you or a loved one has a spinal injury because of a slip and fall, motor vehicle accident, defective product, or medical malpractice, please contact one of our talented attorneys here at Sand Law. With years of experience under our belts, we will make sure that you receive the time and attention your case deserves, and we will work hard to get you the compensation and justice you deserve. For more information, please contact us at (651) 291-7263 or online.