Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer

A spinal cord injury can result in permanent nerve damage or paralysis that affects a person’s quality of life. These severe injuries do not only affect the injured victim but their entire family, who must make changes to their day to day lives to help take care of the injured victim. With this type of accident, the victim usually incurs massive costs from their injury and will need help from a top spinal cord injury lawyer Houston to guide them through this complex legal process.

If you have suffered a spinal cord injury due to the negligence of others, and an insurance company is refusing to adequately compensate you, then you must contact a spinal cord injury lawyer. An attorney will thoroughly investigate your case and can hold the negligent party responsible for your injuries and all related damages.

Houston Spinal Cord Injury Attorneys

A spinal cord injury is the most expensive injury an accident victim can have. It can occur by medical malpractice, disease, or trauma. This type of injury results in damage to the nerves that are protected within the bones that surround the spinal canal. This type of serious injury can happen to anyone at any time and often results in a lack of feeling or movement below the level of injury. Because this type of injury is so expensive to treat, an accident victim must seek legal representation to hold those responsible for the accident liable.

Common Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries

In the United States alone, over 1.2 million people are living with a spinal cord injury.

There are an estimated 17,000 spinal cord injuries annually, according to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center. This does not include accident victims who die immediately from the injury. A spinal cord injury can be incomplete, causing partial paralysis or total paralysis. The causes of a spinal cord injury can range from a no-fault accident to gross negligence.

The leading causes of spinal cord injuries include:

• Vehicle accidents
• Falls
• Workplace accidents
• Sports injuries
• Surgical or medical errors
• Acts of violence

A spine, like the human brain, cannot regrow cells. Because of this, it’s important to keep in mind that while some of the symptoms of a spinal cord injury can appear right away, others may become noticeable over time.

Common symptoms of a spinal cord injury can include:

• Complete or partial paralysis over any part of the body
• Loss of sensation or tingling in the extremities
• Loss of motor function or coordination
• Weakness or pain in the back, head, or neck

Not every person who suffers a spinal cord injury will have the same experience. In some cases, injuries to the spine can be very difficult to detect. If a person is suffering from any of the symptoms listed above, a full exam performed by a trained medical professional is needed.

Types of Spinal Cord Injuries

There are two different types of spinal cord injuries:

• Incomplete
• Complete

An incomplete injury is an injury to the spine in which some movement or feeling is still evident below the point of the injury.

A complete spinal cord injury is characterized by the total loss of function below the point of the injury.

An incomplete injury can vary in its severity and extent, with the location of the injury usually having a significant impact on the resulting symptoms. The most likely complications with an incomplete spinal cord injury include:

Anterior Cord Syndrome

This complication indicates that there is damage to the front of the spinal cord. This complication can result in temperature sensations, pain, and impaired touch and movement below the injury.

Central Cord Syndrome

This complication occurs with damage to the center of the spinal cord. While some leg movement is preserved, it can result in the loss of function in the arms.

Posterior Cord Syndrome

This condition is distinguished from other complications by the damage occurring to the back of the spinal cord. Posterior cord syndrome can lead to poor coordination.

Brown Sequard Syndrome

This complication is the result of only one side of the spinal cord being damaged. As a result, one side of the body will lose movement but will preserve sensation. The other side of the body will have preserved movement, but a loss of sensation.

A physician performing an exam can usually recognize where on the spine the injury has occurred, based on the symptoms the patient is experiencing.

Spinal Cord Anatomy

There are a total of five sections that make up the spinal cord:

• Tailbone
• Pelvis
• Lower back
• Chest
• Neck

Different types of paralysis can result when there is a complete spinal cord injury, depending on the section the injury occurs at. For example, the loss of function in the legs, a condition that is referred to as paraplegia, can occur if the spinal cord injury occurs in the sacral, lumbar, or thoracic sections of the spinal cord, while a condition called quadriplegia, in which all four limbs lose function, can occur when there’s a complete spinal cord injury at the spine’s cervical section.

What Compensation Is Available for Spinal Cord Injury Victims in Houston?

A severe spinal cord injury can be catastrophic, requiring permanent or long-term medical treatment. The cost to treat severe spinal cord injuries can be immense, even with health insurance. It can be a major financial burden on the victim and their family. If a victim’s injury was caused by the maliciousness or negligence of another party, the victim has a right to recover damages and hold that party responsible. For spinal cord injury victims, the compensation available can include:

• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Loss of consortium
• Pain and suffering
• Mental and emotional distress
• Loss of earning capacity
• Lost benefits and wages
• Medical costs

Recovering Damages in a Spinal Cord Injury Lawsuit

When a person suffers from partial or complete paralysis as the result of an accident, they must take action to receive the compensation they deserve. A Houston spinal cord injury attorney can help you pursue damages in a personal injury claim. Monetary compensation can help alleviate the financial burden that follows this type of severe injury. Working with an experienced attorney can increase your chances of fully recovering your losses.

A lawyer can evaluate your case and calculate the full extent of your damages.

Why Spinal Cord Injury Cases are Very Different from other Personal Injury Cases

A spinal injury case is very complex because a spinal cord injury can be catastrophic. These cases often involve filing claims against multiple defendants who played a role in the victim’s accident, in addition to coordinating several medical disciplines.

SCIs are incredibly expensive injuries. The estimated lifetime costs for an accident victim with paralysis is in the millions. This doesn’t include the loss of health benefits and wages. When a personal injury lawyer takes on a spinal cord injury case, they must assess what the victim’s lifetime costs will be, so they can pursue a just amount for damages.

This includes:

• Medical bills for ongoing therapies, medical devices, surgeries, medication, and hospital stays.
• Costs that are associated with assistive technologies including computer software, ramps, and wheelchairs
• Constant discomfort and/or pain
• Loss of health benefits
• Out of pocket medical expenses
• Loss of future earning potential
• Depression, stress, and anxiety
• Psychological, emotional, and physical issues

If you have suffered a severe spinal cord injury, receiving legal advice from an experienced spinal cord injury attorney in Houston can help you navigate through this type of difficult legal process. Many parties can be held liable if your injury was due to unintentional harm, intentional harm, or negligence. The Houston spinal cord injury lawyers at the Ben Dominguez Law Firm are prepared to aggressively represent the best interest of our clients. We have the resources needed to handle this type of complex claim.

Houston Statute of Limitations

In Houston, Texas, the statute of limitations is two years from the date of the accident. Failing to file a claim or lawsuit after the deadline can get your claim or case barred. This is why you need a Houston spinal cord injury lawyer to ensure all of your paperwork is filed correctly and on time, to meet these important deadlines.

How a Spinal Cord Injury Attorney Can Help

While this type of serious injury can be caused by a blameless accident, almost half of them are the direct result of negligence in auto collisions. Still, others can occur due to an entity’s or another person’s irresponsible behavior in other types of settings. Because of the extensive cost that’s associated with spinal cord injuries, in addition to the emotional and physical losses, an accident victim will often choose to pursue a suit against the negligent party or parties involved. Disregard for workplace safety and reckless driving are a couple of examples of how negligent behavior can lead to a spinal injury lawsuit.

Aside from monetary compensation for the accident victim, filing a lawsuit can lead to other types of changes, such as:

• Improvement of workplace safety standards
• New legislation making a product safer
• The adjustment of local road safety rules
• In some cases, filing a lawsuit can uncover widespread safety violations and other instances of negligence.

The Investigation

A lawyer with experience in spinal cord injuries can protect your rights to full and fair compensation. A personal injury lawyer can help by investigating your case to determine the negligent party. In an auto accident where the other driver was distracted, it’s obvious who was negligent. However, in other cases, proving liability can be very complex. A Houston spine injury lawyer will thoroughly prepare a case with the present and future needs of the accident victim accounted for both financially and medically.

Case Preparation

An attorney will begin their investigation by assembling a team of medical and legal experts who have been chosen for their ability to persuasively describe, document, and analyze their findings with respect to each technical issue of damages and liability that will arise in a case. They will also consult with experts in life care planning, medicine, and healthcare, to ensure their client receives full compensation. In cases that involve quadriplegia or paraplegia, the attorney will work with established healthcare cost data that will detail all of the known costs that are associated with current and future medical equipment, nursing care, and other needed medical treatment and medical devices, including the cost of wheelchairs and modifications that need to be made to the victim’s vehicles and home.

Expert Witnesses

A physical rehabilitative expert will work with life care planners to help address and identify the medical, physical, day to day needs of the accident victim and create individualized plans that are designed to ensure that the victim can achieve some level of independence and improved quality of life.

Additionally, the lawyer may also bring in an economist to quantify and analyze the medical costs that are associated with the life care plan and to prepare a report that will account for any inflation, interest, and rising medical costs.

Only an experienced personal injury lawyer is equipped to present all of the damages to the jury in understandable and clear terms.

Contact the Top Houston Spinal Cord Injury Lawyers Today

The Ben Dominguez Law Firm is dedicated to the recovery of full and fair compensation for spinal cord accident victims. Our lawyers have the skills and experience to obtain compensation for accident victims who have sustained this type of severe injury. Our goal in every case is to help the accident victim recover the money they need to make the most of their life in the aftermath of such a traumatic accident. Contact the leading Houston spinal cord injury lawyers today to schedule a consultation and for more information regarding how we can help.