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It is devastating to learn that your spinal cord has been harmed due to someone else’s carelessness. There are many different injuries and complications that can result from spinal cord damage, ranging from pain to paralysis. The amount of money you are entitled to receive in compensation for a spinal cord injury sustained in a serious accident depends on many factors.
Have you or a loved one sustained a spinal cord injury due to the negligence of another? Contact Ali Awad, ‘the CEO Lawyer,’ and his team of experienced personal injury attorneys at the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm by calling (833) 254-2923 or contacting us online to receive your free and confidential case evaluation. Attorney Ali Awad, ‘the CEO Lawyer,’ established the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm and quickly turned it into one of the fastest-growing law firms in the country. If we take your case, you won’t pay anything until we win.
Spinal Cord Injuries
A spinal cord injury (SCI) is a catastrophic injury that can completely destroy victims and their families. The victim’s physical, mental, and financial well-being are all impacted by SCIs. In the United States, there are more than 12,000 new spinal cord injuries per year. Knowing who caused the spinal cord injury, its severity, how it affected your life, and its financial repercussions are necessary to put together a claim. If you suffered a spinal cord injury that wasn’t your fault, our legal team is committed to achieving justice on your behalf. We have decades of experience with spinal injury accident claims. We are ready to take on the insurance providers and are equally ready to fight in court for your rights to obtain a just reimbursement.
Spinal Cord Injury Causes
Numerous accidents can result in spinal cord injury. These injuries’ typical causes include:
Automobile collisions: According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, auto accidents cause 38.6% of spinal cord injuries.
Falls: The most frequent cause of spinal cord injury is falling due to slip and trip incidents. Other causes include slips and falls from ladders, stairs, and structures.
Gunshot wounds: Injuries to the ribs are common with gunshot wounds. The cervical spine’s nerves may potentially be harmed by them.
Motorcycle accidents: Due to a lack of protection, motorcycle riders are more likely to sustain serious injuries than occupants of other vehicles. A significant spinal injury is more likely when a motorcycle strikes an object than when it hits the ground.
Medical consequences that could result from negligence: Medical mistakes, such as nicking a spinal nerve during spine surgery, can cause spinal cord damage. Since 2015, roughly 4.2% of spinal cord injuries have been caused by medical or surgical procedures.
On-the-job: Your employer’s worker’s compensation insurance will cover the costs if your injury happens at work. However, if a third party or substandard machinery was to blame for your harm, you might be able to hold that person or the maker accountable.
Spinal Cord Injury Types
SCIs can result in symptoms ranging from partial limb amputation to total loss of control over the body. The degree and location of the injury will determine the symptoms you encounter. Swelling in the spinal canal may result in temporary damage, but spinal cord trauma is typically what results in permanent damage.
Craven Region
Injury to the cervical spine in the neck can cause loss of sensation and movement in the arms, legs, and trunk. They may make it harder to control your breathing, which affects your capacity for speech. Quadriplegia or tetraplegia results from total spinal cord damage and the inability of the muscles that control the limbs and trunk to function. To write, type, and use a phone, some tetraplegics may need assistive technology. For mobility, people with cervical injuries need wheelchairs with special controls. Additionally, they are dependent on others for assistance with daily tasks. A more noticeable decline in quality of life is experienced by those dependent on wheelchairs and other assistive devices.
Atropic Region
The muscles in your chest, midback, and abdomen are all impacted by upper thoracic injuries between your ribs, potentially affecting your ability to breathe. Lower thoracic injuries affect the back and abdomen, which you use for stability and balance and to cough and open your airway. Paraplegia, also known as loss of motor function and paralysis in the trunk and legs, results from complete injuries to the thoracic spinal cord. To regain basic motor skills and manage pain, paraplegic patients require physical therapy and occupational therapy.
Sacral and Lumbar Regions
The person is typically affected from the hips down by a lumbar spinal cord injury. Some people may need braces to walk, while others will need a wheelchair, depending on the precise location and severity. Loss of sensation and function of the pelvic organs, such as the bladder, bowel, and genitalia, results from trauma to the sacral region. Although lumbar injuries can make it difficult for patients to control their bowel and bladder functions, they may not always need assistance from others. These people might always require aids and alterations to their houses and automobiles. Spinal cord injuries are terrible, and their effects go well beyond the physical limits they impose. In addition to depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder, spinal cord injury victims may also experience mental anguish and emotional distress. You can hold the negligent party accountable if their carelessness or recklessness resulted in your injuries with the aid of an accomplished attorney. Our personal injury lawyers work tirelessly to build a solid case and can help you get fair compensation for your SCI.
The Financial Impact of Spinal Cord Injuries
Your medical treatment’s current and future costs can impact your finances. The patients may experience severe financial difficulty due to costs reaching $100,000. When a person has high tetraplegia, their medical treatment costs exceed $1 million in the first year. The total cost for that same person, who is injured at age 25, is $4.72 million over their lifetime. Your capacity to perform your previous job duties may be compromised if you suffer a spinal injury. It’s possible that your workload will need to be lighter or less physically demanding. If you are no longer able to work or are unable to perform your previous employment, you may be entitled to compensation for lost wages and future earning potential.
Factors Involved in a Spinal Cord Injury Lawsuit
The compensation your attorney requests depends on many things. These include your age and general health, how your injury is treated, and its severity. This step is essential to your personal injury case and benefits from the knowledge of an accomplished attorney with a proven track record of favorable verdicts and settlements.
Severity of Injuries
Your claim’s outcome and settlement amount may be enhanced by the quantity and caliber of the evidence used to support your injury claims. Your injury’s severity can be demonstrated by evidence like medical bills. The price of upcoming medical care and rehabilitation is included in this. It also requires the testimony of medical experts to establish that your injury exists and is as serious as you claim.
Age and Health
Accident injury victims are more likely to obtain higher payouts if they are younger and healthier at the time of the injury. This is because of the effect on a healthy person and how long you will require medical treatment due to your accident.
Cause of Injury
To demonstrate that the responsible person was careless, your attorney can present security footage, pictures, and witness testimony.
Liable Parties
After an accident, several parties might make an effort to establish who was at fault. The insurance provider employs an adjuster, and they might claim that the accident that caused your injuries was not to blame. To establish liability and defend your rights to a just payment, a personal injury lawyer can look into your claim. If your spinal cord injury was caused by a slip-and-fall incident that violated state law, your attorney can begin working on a premises liability claim.
What Kinds of Damages Can Be Obtained in a Spinal Cord Injury Case?
In Georgia, regardless of the type of their injuries, all accident victims are generally qualified to receive the same types of compensation. These harms fall into two groups:
- Compensation for economic losses; or
- Compensation for non-economic losses
Economic Loss Compensation Due to a Spinal Injury
According to Georgia law, those who sustain spinal cord injuries due to another person’s negligence are entitled to full financial compensation for their losses. Importantly, this covers both past and future financial losses in addition to those incurred as of the date your claim was submitted. Therefore, you might seek damages to pay for these expenses for however long they may last, for instance, if you will need continued medical care, therapy for your recovery, or painkillers.
Following a spinal cord injury accident in Georgia, the following present and future financial damages may be recovered:
- Healthcare costs
- Costs associated with physical and mental therapy
- Prescription costs
- The price of medical and assistive technology
- The price of modifying a property or a car to accommodate injuries
- Loss of earnings potential and income
Compensation for Non-Economic Losses Due to a Spinal Cord Injury
Your life may be affected in all areas if you get a spinal cord injury in an accident. Your injury’s immediate and long-term non-financial consequences could be considerably higher, even though your money losses could be significant.
In Georgia, anyone who suffers harm as a result of someone else’s negligence is entitled to full compensation for all non-financial losses, both recent and future:
- Pain & Suffering
- Disfigurement and scarring
- Other types of emotional distress include anxiety, depression, and bereavement.
- Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- Reduction in enjoyment of life
What Elements Affect Spinal Cord Injury Damage Calculations?
The process of figuring out the damages you are entitled to collect under Georgia law can start once you have a clear picture of the many losses you are eligible to recover. The following can be calculated using several techniques:
- Current financial losses
- Future financial losses
- Non-economic damages, present and foreseeable
Assessing Current Economic Damages
The procedure for calculating current monetary damages for a spinal cord injury is relatively simple. In essence, this entails gathering all the bills and receipts you have acquired for your medical care and other injury-related costs, adding them all up, and then calculating the final amount.
Then you add the amount of money and benefits you have lost from not being able to work while recovering from this.
Estimating Your Potential Economic Damages
It is far more challenging to calculate your potential financial losses. Your lawyer will have to examine your future medical requirements in collaboration with your doctors to determine these losses. To calculate the amount of money you would likely lose due to being out of work for an extended period (or permanently), your attorney must consult with a financial expert.
Estimating Non-Economic Damages You May Experience Now and in the Future
Putting a monetary value on your present and future non-economic losses is the trickiest part of determining damages for a spinal cord injury. Consider the following when assessing non-monetary damages for a spinal cord injury:
- You’re age
- Your general well-being, financial situation, and employment situation
- The accident’s seriousness
- The effects of your injury physically
- Your injury’s psychological effects
- The various effects of your injury on your daily life
- How long you’re most likely to feel these effects
A multiple of your financial damages or a “per diem” rate will normally be used to assess non-financial damages after considering these considerations. Whatever the case, the majority of your spinal cord injury claim is most likely to be made up of non-financial damages.
Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer
We urge you to get in touch with the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm for a free, no-obligation consultation if you have experienced a spinal cord injury due to an accident and would like to learn more about your legal rights. All spinal cord injury lawsuits are handled on a contingency basis, meaning no fees are incurred until your case is settled or won.
Call Ali Awad, ‘the CEO Lawyer,’ and his experienced team of spinal cord injury attorneys today to receive a free, no-obligation consultation. We can assist you with exploring your legal options and avenues to ensure that you receive the compensation you deserve. Contact the CEO Lawyer Personal Injury Law Firm by calling (833) 254-2923 or contacting us online.