SPINAL CORD INJURIES

It is estimated that over 11,000 spinal cord injuries occur in United States every year. Work-related accidents, slipping and falling, auto accident and criminal attacks have been frequently cited as common causes of spinal cord injuries. The often devastating injuries leave victims and family members stressed for years to come due to costly, ongoing medical expenses, inability to work and painful rehabilitation. Personal injury attorneys Fisher & Talwar can help reduce the amount of emotional and financial stress caused by your injuries. Our experience in injury claims and thorough analysis will help you recover the full compensation that you are entitled to.

Common types of spinal cord injuries may include:

Paralysis and loss of sensation
Spinal contusions
Severed spinal cord
Central cord syndrome
Anterior cord syndrome
Brown-Sequard syndrome
Partial nervous system damage
Vertebral subluxation

Have you or your loved ones been injured or disabled by a spinal cord injury? Our attorneys can help.

If you’ve been injured as a result of someone’s negligence, you may be entitled to more compensation than you think. Insurance companies want to settle for less and you shouldn’t allow them to do so. Your pain and suffering should be taken into account when seeking compensation, attorneys Fisher & Talwar understand that and fight for you.

Signs You Have Suffered a Spinal Cord Injury

Many people aren’t entirely sure they have injured their spinal column in an accident or violent attack. But over the coming days and weeks they notice that something is wrong. It is critically important that you go to the hospital as soon as possible. Some moderate injuries can degenerate rapidly without proper care.

If you notice any of the following, you might have suffered a spinal cord injury:

Intense back pain
Bowel or urinary incontinence
Loss of movement
Stinging sensation in the limbs
Trouble breathing
Spasms or other uncontrolled movements
Impotency

Of course, these symptoms could be signs of another medical condition. But their rapid onset following an accident or violent attack could be a sign that your spinal cord was injured. Obtain prompt medical treatment to learn more.

Fair Compensation for Life-Changing Injuries

Our clients can often receive compensation for their medical expenses, which are often considerable. According to the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, a spinal cord injury could cost over $1 million in medical care for the first year alone. Accident victims often need multiple surgeries with long stays in the hospital.

But medical expenses also include future medical care for what are life-altering injuries. Someone who is a paraplegic might need over $2 million in future expenses if they were injured while young. Even an incomplete spinal cord injury could cost a person over $1.5 million in lifetime medical expenses. Few people have the resources to pay for this care.

A fair settlement should also include compensation for lost income, including loss of future earning capacity. Some people will never work again following a spinal cord injury. Even in the best of situations—where partial recovery is possible—a person might have to take a lower-paying job. For example, someone who worked as a police officer might need to find employment at a call center because they can no longer walk around. This could represent a considerable loss of lifetime income. A Los Angeles spinal cord injury attorney can calculate how much income you have lost and include that as part of a settlement demand.

How Spinal Cord Injuries Impact Families

A spinal cord injury affects more than the victim. His or her family can also suffer considerable stress—emotional, as well as financial. Fortunately, a spouse or domestic partner could receive compensation for how the accident has impaired their relationship.

California law recognizes something called a loss of consortium claim. It seeks to compensate the spouse/partner who did not suffer a spinal injury for negative changes in their relationship—specifically, the loss of society and intimacy. This law makes sense. Having a paralyzed spouse can completely change a marriage, and the non-injured spouse should be compensated in some way.

The amount of compensation is subjective and based on what a jury believes would “make up” for changes in the marriage. However, compensation does not cover certain economic losses, such as your spouse’s lost income, or the cost of medical care. Those damages would be included in your spouse’s lawsuit.

Free Consultations

Our consultation is free. We understand that people are in a great deal of pain and stress after a spinal cord injury and should be able to get quick legal advice without spending countless hours trying to find the answers to their questions. Your questions will be answered promptly by our partners who will also handle your case if it is accepted. If you decide to retain us as your spinal cord injury attorneys after the consultation, we will also defer any attorney fees until we recover for you.

Our spinal cord injury attorneys want to make it easy for injured to get answers to their questions and to find out if there is a claim to be made against a negligent, responsible party.

We value our clients and show them our utmost dedication. We have all the necessary components to conduct a thorough investigation for your claim – from our careful methodical approach to the medical expert opinions and input. You can rest assured that no detail will be overlooked when it comes to recovering the compensation you deserve.

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