A spinal cord injury is one of the most catastrophic injuries a person can suffer. It often leaves victims with permanent disabilities requiring life-long medical care. The spinal cord controls critical body functions, including movement and sensations, and an injury can lead to a permanent loss of these essential functions.
From the high cost of treatment to loss of earning capacity to a potential disability, spinal cord injuries are often devastating and life-changing. The situation worsens if the injuries are due to someone else’s negligence. While Arizona laws entitle victims to compensation, severe injuries often leave victims in physical, emotional, and financial distress.
However, you do not have to carry the burden alone. A skilled Phoenix spinal cord lawyer can ease the burden by helping you get fair compensation for your injuries and other damages.
Common Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries
Some of the most common causes of spinal cord injuries in Phoenix include:
- Motor vehicle accidents – around 40% of all spinal cord injuries occur in auto accidents, including car accidents, bus accidents, and trucking accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Construction site accidents
- Sports-related accidents
- Slip and falls
- Medical malpractice
- Violent acts, including battery and assault
- Defective products
- Neurodegenerative diseases
Depending on the severity of a spinal cord injury, it is either complete or incomplete. Complete spinal cord injuries are injuries that completely disrupt the functions of the spinal cord, including loss of movement and sensation for different body parts. Incomplete spinal cord injuries may take away some functions of different body parts while retaining sensations. For instance, they can lead to an inability to move but with sensations on the victim’s legs.
Recovering Damages in a Spinal Cord Injury Case
Spinal cord injuries require costly medical care and usually for the rest of the victim’s life. A previously independent person may require round-the-clock assistance and costly modifications for their living spaces. With mobility issues, the victim may also need specialized equipment, including a powered wheelchair and a wheelchair-accessible car. All these changes may require thousands of dollars.
While a victim needs to recover the maximum compensation for these and other unexpected expenses, damage recovery in a spinal cord injury case is not always easy. Like other negligence claims, the law requires you to prove the defendant’s negligence for successful damage recovery.
Some recoverable damages in a spinal cord injury lawsuit include medical care expenses, rehabilitation costs, lost wages, lost earning capacity, pain and suffering, loss of companionship, property damage, and wrongful death of a loved one.
Why You Need a Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer
Even without the physical pain, the financial and emotional distress that comes with a spinal cord injury can overwhelm anyone. You need all the support you can get, especially when pursuing compensation. A lawyer can help with investigations and identification of the liable party. They will also negotiate with insurance companies on your behalf and, if necessary, file a personal injury claim.
Essentially, a lawyer carries the burden of the legal process, including worrying about who is liable and how to get fair compensation to allow you to focus on recovery.
Contact a Phoenix Spinal Cord Injury Attorney
With spinal cord injury settlement awards amounting to millions of dollars, you might have to deal with insurance companies seeking to reduce the compensation due to you. Dealing with such issues while recovering from severe life-changing injuries can be overwhelming. However, a spinal cord injury can help you deal with these and other related issues.
If you are in Phoenix, AZ, and you or a loved one is a victim of a spinal cord injury due to someone else’s negligence, we are here for you. Kevin Chapman, our skilled and experienced Phoenix spinal cord injury attorney at Rowley Chapman & Barney Ltd, is committed to helping you get fair compensation for your injuries. Contact us today for a free consultation with Kevin and to learn more about our services.
