Spinal Cord Injury Lawsuit

A spinal cord injury (SCI) occurs when the nerves of the spinal cord are damaged or severed. The spinal cord is the communication pathway between the brain and body. Once injured, those communications may become severely interrupted. These injuries are often serious and can lead to other symptoms and health issues throughout the body.

Spinal cord injuries often occur from traumatic events or accidents. Motley Rice personal injury attorneys have litigated cases involving severe, permanent spinal injuries sustained in connection with:

• Car accidents
• Diving incidents
• Motorcycle accidents
• Bus accidents
• Business-run excursions
• Restaurants
• Other business properties

Common spinal cord injuries

Spinal cord injuries are usually classified as either complete injuries or incomplete injuries:

• Complete: No feeling or ability to move below the spinal cord injury.
• Incomplete: Some feeling and movement can occur below the spinal cord injury.

When victims lose feeling or the ability to move certain parts of their body, this is called paralysis. Spinal cord injuries that lead to paralysis may be categorized in two different ways:

• Tetraplegia: This is when the arms, hands, trunk, legs and pelvic organs are all impacted by the spinal cord injury.
• Paraplegia: This is when the trunk, legs and pelvic organs are all impacted by the spinal cord injury in some way.

Spinal cord injury symptoms

Victims of spinal cord injuries may experience many symptoms. Common symptoms may include:

• Paralysis
• Nerve pain (neuropathy)
• Loss of feeling
• Loss of movement
• Limb Weakness
• Difficulty breathing
• Loss of bowel and/or bladder control
• Changes in sexual function
• Fertility issues

Spinal cord injuries are often considered catastrophic because the injury is severe and can affect the rest of someone’s life. Victims may have to endure multiple surgeries and medical interventions. They may also need long-term rehabilitation and may have to make difficult day-to-day modifications.

Pursuing a spinal cord injury lawsuit allows victims and their families to seek compensation for the injuries sustained. Since spinal cord injuries often lead to ongoing medical costs for treatments, surgeries, therapy, care, etc, a personal injury lawsuit can help victims recover some of those costs.

There are laws and regulations which may govern how and when you may file a claim for damages. These laws and regulations vary state by state. If you believe you may have a claim, we recommend that you retain competent legal counsel as soon as possible.

Who can be held liable for spinal cord injuries?

Victims can hold the responsible parties accountable for their spinal cord injury. This may include negligent drivers, employers, manufacturers and anyone else who caused the injury. If the cause of the injury involved multiple parties or you’re unsure how to proceed with your legal claim, an attorney can help you figure out who to hold responsible.

If your spinal cord injury was caused by someone else’s negligence, you may be eligible to seek compensation for economic and non-economic damages. This includes:

• Economic damages: Medical expenses, lost wages, out-of-pocket costs, etc.
• Non-economic damages: Pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, loss of consortium, etc.

Because spinal cord injuries are severe, the lifetime costs for individuals living with this injury can exceed several million dollars. This amount will also depend on the age of the injured person, the severity of the injury, and the medical care and interventions needed going forward.

Our attorneys understand the devastating impacts of a catastrophic injury such as spinal cord damage and will work closely to help clients receive proper compensation.

What is considered a spinal cord injury?

A spinal cord injury refers to damage to the spinal cord or nerves in the spinal cord. The injury can occur in the cervical spine, thoracic spine, lumbar spine, or sacral spine. Since the spinal cord communicates directly with the brain, an injury to the spinal cord can lead to other symptoms across the body.

What is the average settlement for a spinal cord injury lawsuit?

The average settlement for a spinal cord injury lawsuit will vary. Settlement or compensation amounts will depend on many factors, including the severity of the injuries and the specific circumstances around how the injury occurred.

How long do I have to file a spinal cord injury lawsuit?

The amount of time victims have to file a spinal cord injury lawsuit will depend on the statute of limitations for the state in which the injury occurred. Depending on who is involved in the spinal cord injury claim, the deadline to file may be shortened. A catastrophic injury lawyer can help you figure out the statute of limitations for your legal claim.

Our catastrophic injury attorneys seek justice for victims and their families and strive to identify and hold accountable the responsible parties whose alleged negligence and willful acts contributed to permanent disability or wrongful death due to a spinal cord injury. We also work to encourage the evolution of policies and procedures to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.

Read more on our personal injury litigation experience.