One’s life can be severely affected if their spinal cord is harmed in an accident. The impact could lead to a permanent and entirely disabling injury such as paraplegia or quadriplegia, which makes the victim unable to move freely and resigns them to a wheelchair.
A Brooklyn spinal cord injury lawyer at Cellino Law will take you through the proceedings that follow after you are involved in an accident that disables you. We utilize our expertise and skills to make sure that you get the compensation you deserve to live a comfortable life after the crash. You cannot change what has already happened, but we can offer personal and dedicated services that will go a long way to secure your future. Contact our Brooklyn injury firm at (888) 888-8888 for your free consultation.
Understanding a Spinal Cord Injury
A spinal cord injury is where the vertebrae is damaged. This can have multiple long term implications on a person’s health. The consequences can go to the nerves that are tasked with managing several body functions, for instance, gastrointestinal, respiratory, urinary, and musculoskeletal systems. Trauma on the spinal cord can affect one’s mental side severely, leading to conditions such as depression and anxiety.
Research states that the lifetime price of taking care of a typical spinal cord injury falls anywhere between $500,000 to over $3,000,000.
What Are Some of the Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries?
These injuries can be caused by almost any form of an accident as long as you are hit at a specific point of your body; you could easily suffer from a spinal cord injury. However, it is more probable to get a spinal cord injury when engaging in other activities compared to others. They are;
Car Crashes
Car crashes can be fatal for the people involved and can lead to many forms of injuries, such as spinal injuries. The extreme speeds involved in most cases render any protective measure not as useful as it should. If the crash was caused by negligence by other motorists, they should pay for the pain, suffering, and medical costs incurred on the spinal injury victim.
Slip-and-Falls
These kinds of accidents can be severe, especially for the elderly and can lead to many types of injuries, especially ones that involve the spine. In some cases, someone could be liable for the effects of the accident, depending on the circumstances surrounding the accident. If the property owner does not install sufficient lighting on their stairway, they could be held liable for any spinal injuries caused by their negligence.
Bicycle Crashes
Injuries on bicycles are often severe since the rider is exposed and cannot protect their body when riding at high speeds. Helmets only protect the head, but the neck and back are left exposed, which makes them susceptible to spinal cord injuries. You can reduce the chances of getting injured by riding your bicycle responsibly, but in some cases, other motorists, negligence can cause the accident. A motorist that hits a cyclist can be held liable for the costs and injuries from the accident.
Sport Injuries
Spinal injuries often happen when people are engaged in sporting activities, such as high contact sports, where people constantly ram into each other frequently or those that entail diving. Spinal injuries can be caused by diving into shallow water, as the diver can hit the surface of the pool, making their spinal cord compressed violently. Insufficient training, lack of supervision can cause such crashes, and the negligent entities might be the ones required to pay for their lack of oversight and control of their facilities.
Brutal Acts
Violent activities like the use of firearms and fighting can cause spinal cord trauma. In such cases, it is better to point out the parties that are to be held liable for the shock since they are not accidents but rather deliberate actions. Note that proving liability and negligence in court is mostly dealt with by a seasoned lawyer that knows the amount of money that can be recovered in civil lawsuits, in addition to the possible criminal charges against the liable party.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Spinal Injuries?
Spinal injuries are emergencies that call for prompt treatment. The symptoms of these injuries depend on the severity, but might consist of the following;
- Changes in sensory ability
- Body weakness and paralysis
- Numbness
- Pain
- Impaired bladder control
- Muscle spasms
- No feeling at and below the injured point
If the neck is injured, the signs can affect all the parts beneath it, such as the arms, legs, and muscles that aid in breathing. In the event that an injury happens at chest level, the victim can suffer from irregular sweating, blood pressure problems, and difficulties upholding average body temperature
How Do You Detect Spinal Injuries?
It is challenging to identify spinal cord injuries with no medical knowledge and experience. An individual should be checked after getting any of the following injuries.
- Head injuries, specifically if there is some damage on the face.
- Fractures on the pelvic
- Fall injuries
- Injuries close to the spine that go deep into the body
If anyone exhibits the mentioned signs and symptoms after being involved in the highlighted injuries, they could have suffered from a spinal cord injury. If possible, ensure that emergency responders are contacted to help handle the situation. They could restrict the victim to avoid the potential of harming the spinal cord more and get them to a specialized emergency treatment center.
After the person arrives at the treatment center, doctors and health providers will do an assessment to ascertain the nature of the injury. More tests might include:
- CAT or CT Scan
- EMG (Electromyography) tests: These are done to assess the muscles and nerves.
- X- Rays and Myelograms (These entail inducing dye before the spine is scanned)
- MRI to give doctors a clear picture of the injury
How Are Spinal Injuries Treated?
The way any treatment procedure turns out largely relies on the period between the injury and treatment. To reduce the long term effects of the spinal cord injury effects, it is vital to get a quick response.
Treatment options could consist of:
- Traction for making the spine stable
- Medicine for reducing inflammation of the affected part
- Looking at the kind of impact that leads to the injury, surgery could entail:
- Replacement of the bone and disc fragments
- Removal of tissue to reduce pressure
- Spinal braces implantation
- The combining of broken vertebrae
- Removal of foreign objects
Projections by the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center put the approximate length of a hospital stay for spinal injury rehabilitation at 36 days. The rehab process for these injuries can entail:
- Training on how to utilize motion assistive devices like walkers and wheelchairs
- Physical therapy on the affected body parts
- Vocational therapy to allow one to get on with their day to day activities while using the assistive devices
- Occupational therapy for enhancing motor skills
If a victim does not show significant progress on the affected part after six months, their impairment is more likely to be permanent. The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center also states that 30% of individuals with these injuries are more likely to be readmitted into hospital in the future, for an average of 22 days.
Forms of Paralysis Injuries and Anticipated Cost of Care
People who suffer from paralysis and their loved ones in Brooklyn, New York, or any other area, will not only be forced to live with the challenges of a new lifestyle but will also be required to cater to costly medication and assistive care.
Paraplegia
This is a condition that is mostly suffered by people whose lower spine is affected in a crash. It entails the loss of motor ability in the lower limbs. Paraplegics can still rely on their upper body parts, which allows them to utilize a wheelchair for some mobility.
Taking care of a paraplegic injury in the initial year will cost about $500,000 in New York, with an additional yearly cost of about $70,000. The projection for lifetime care for a victim aged 25 years at the time of the crash can quickly soar above $2.5 million.
Tetraplegia and Quadriplegia
These terms refer to the paralysis of both ends of the body. Tetraplegia can happen in varying forms, and the restrictions on movement and sensory functions vary depending on the exact location of that injury.
Patients who suffer from low tetraplegia will have reduced motor function in the upper side of the body, while those with high tetraplegia might need to depend on caregivers for the rest of their lives.
The amount of money required to cater for the care of low tetraplegia can quickly rise to above $800,000 in the first year, with that of high tetraplegia quickly going beyond $1 million.
An individual that was harmed at age 25 could be looking at lifetime care costs that range from $3.5 million to $5 million.
If you bring into consideration the burden of the expensive costs of care during a victim’s lifetime, together with lost income, pain, and suffering, you will see why it is crucial to have an experienced personal injury lawyer in Brooklyn, New York.
What Costs Are Involved with Spinal injuries?
The money you will need to take care of someone living with spinal injuries can be very high. Close to 43% of individuals who sustain such injuries are pronounced paraplegic, with 57% being quadriplegic. It shows that they will need medical and living assistance for the rest of their lives.
The projected costs of spinal injuries depend on the extent of the damages as well as the age at which the individual suffered the injury. At the least, lifetime care cost is about $450,000 for an individual that loses their motor function at 50. The high-end price spans to about $3 million for a 25-year-old who suffers from high quadriplegia.
How Can A Brooklyn Spinal Cord Injury Attorney Help A Claim?
The damage caused by a spinal cord injury can go a long way beyond the usual health problems. They can cause some financial difficulties as a result of lost income. This is a reason why you should get legal advice from a personal injury lawyer from Cellino Law.
The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center states that car crashes cause close to 36.5 percent of spinal injuries. The accident lawyers at Cellino Law significantly understand the New York traffic statutes. They will investigate the matter extensively to ensure that your injury was not caused as a result of the violation of traffic laws. Other common practice areas by our law firm include motorcycle accidents and car crashes. If anyone you know requires assistance with car accidents, motorcycle accidents, or spinal cord injury legal services.
The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistics Center also shows that 28.5% of spinal injuries are as a result of falls, 14.3% to violence, and 9.2% to sports. Someone’s negligence could have caused all these spinal injuries.
Your injury caused by a fall could have been due to a lack of compliance with the area’s safety standards and requirements.
If you fall in a public area, commercial property, or private home, the injury attorneys at Cellino law are able to put in a shift and try to point out any legal violations or signs of negligence. Slip and fall accidents represent the other area that Cellino attorneys can help you with.
If your spinal trauma was caused by violence, it is fundamental that you look for legal assistance from an attorney at Cellino law. The individual or group that acted violently towards you and caused the injury could be held responsible for your trauma, and this gives you a chance to seek compensation.
Alternatively, if your family member sustained a spinal injury while involved in sports, the proprietor of the ground in which they were playing could be required to compensate them. You will have to contact us early enough to let us investigate the case and see if you are qualified for compensation.
What Steps Do We Take To Attain Maximum Compensation for You?
We clearly understand that in a considerable percentage of the spinal injury cases, it is advisable to take the matter to trial as opposed to going for an out of court settlement. This is particularly applicable in instances where the defendant is trying to play foul during the negotiation stage.
A proper law company should have excellent negotiation skills, and this is why your chosen injury lawyer should not be scared to face off with the defendant in a court of law. Cellino Law has sufficient trial experience in similar cases, including spinal cord injury ones and all types of back injuries.
Call A Brooklyn Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer At Cellino Law Now For A Free Case Analysis
Our law company has recovered millions of dollars for victims in the past. We are behind some of the largest settlements and verdicts in the state of New York. We know that a personal injury can easily change your life for the worse, and it can be hard to cater for simple expenses after a severe back or spinal injury.
Our Brooklyn personal injury lawyers go all in to make sure that our clients receive their rightful compensation to allow them to pay for their medical expenses, lost income, and agony suffered as a result of the accident. For a free consultation about your options and entitlement following a spinal cord injury, contact us today at (888) 888-8888.