Suffering From Spinal Cord Injuries After an Accident? We Can Help
The spinal cord is a band of tissue that sends signals to and from the brain to help you feel sensations and move your body. Damage to such a vital organ often leaves an accident victim suffering from long-lasting effects, long-term medical care, and reduced quality of life.
Spinal cord injuries (SCIs) are among the most expensive to treat, requiring multiple operations and continuous rehabilitation. According to the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, SCIs impact between 249,000 and 363,000 Americans annually, with around 17,730 new injuries being added to the sum each year.
If you’re suffering from spinal cord injuries, our skilled Arkansas spinal injury lawyers can help you get compensation following any type of accident. Call 855-Xadjuster now to schedule your free consultation with one of Minton Law Firm’s spinal injury lawyers.
Accidents That Cause Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries can result from a wide variety of incidents. This is typically caused by a strong impact on the spine that fractures, crushes, or compresses the spinal column.
When the body is subjected to extreme force of any kind, the delicate spinal cord can sustain serious damage. Accidents that might cause such harm include the following:
- Car accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Slip-and-fall incidents
- Swimming pool accidents
- Workplace accidents
- Construction accidents
- Assault or abuse
- Defective products, like seatbelts and airbags
- Boating accidents
- Sporting injuries
- Medical malpractice
No matter what caused the accident, spinal cord injuries can be a major source of pain and distress. Catastrophic injuries leave victims often having to deal with extensive rehabilitation and, in some cases, permanent disability.
If you or a loved one has suffered a spinal cord injury in Arkansas, our team of experienced personal injury lawyers can help you seek compensation for your losses.
Signs and Symptoms of Spinal Cord Injury
The symptoms of a spinal cord injury vary, depending on the location and extent of the damage. When the spinal cord is severely damaged, it can cause either partial or complete paralysis, also referred to as paraplegia or quadriplegia.
Paraplegia
When accident victims suffer damage to the lower section of the spine, they may still have complete feeling and movement in their arms, hands, and torso. This is called paraplegia. Paraplegia can also be referred to as an incomplete spinal cord injury.
Quadriplegia
Quadriplegia occurs when accident patients sustain an injury to the upper part of their spine, which results in complete loss of movement and feeling in their arms, hands, chest, legs, and feet. In this case, some may also lose the ability to breathe on their own. Quadriplegia is considered a complete spinal cord injury.
Spinal cord injury victims may face a number of difficulties, including:
- Difficulty breathing or coughing
- Low blood pressure
- Loss of movement in affected limbs
- Loss of bowel or bladder control
- Muscle spasms
- Physical pain or stinging sensations in the nerves
- Numbness or tingling
- Difficulty with balance
What to Do If You’ve Suffered a Spinal Cord Injury in Arkansas
The most important thing to do after any accident is to consult a doctor. Prompt medical attention is vital for preventing more serious complications. Paramedics are typically the first to arrive on the scene and conduct an assessment to determine the degree of your injuries.
The symptoms of a spinal cord injury are not always apparent in the first few hours after an accident. However, inflammation and damage can develop over time following the initial injury, and accident victims may exhibit serious symptoms. If this happens, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible.
Treatment for a spinal cord injury is often expensive and ongoing. You may collaborate with a team of specialists, perhaps including neurologists, neurosurgeons, orthopedic surgeons, and therapists, to limit the extent of the injury.
Spinal cord injury patients may require one or more of the treatments or procedures listed below:
- Immobilization
- Respiratory assistance
- Xray, CT scan, or an MRI
- Traction
- Nursing care to monitor organ function, and blood pressure
- Physical therapy
- Occupational therapy
- Gastrointestinal care for bowel and bladder problems
- Functional electrical stimulation therapy
- Psychological care
- Speech-language pathology
- Medical nutrition
Home modifications may be required in addition to medical procedures, therapies, and assistive devices. These adaptations can allow personal injury victims to navigate their environment safely and independently.
Changes like widening doorways, adding ramps, or installing environmental control devices can make the house more accessible for the injury victim. This will make it easier for spinal cord injury victims to adjust and establish a feeling of normality in their everyday lives.
What Compensation Is Available in an Arkansas Spinal Cord Injury Case?
Treatments and equipment for a spinal cord injury victim can amount to a great cost. At Minton Law Firm, our skilled personal injury attorneys can help you evaluate your case and will fight to ensure you are fully compensated.
Damages awarded in spinal cord injury lawsuits can help relieve the financial burdens associated with catastrophic spinal cord injuries. The payout can also ensure that the victim receives quality medical treatment for the rest of his or her life.
Economic, non-economic, and punitive damages are all available to accident victims in a spinal cord injury lawsuit. The value of your case, however, will depend on the severity of your injury and its impact on your life.
Depending on the circumstances of your personal injury claim, an experienced Minton Law personal injury lawyer can help you recover damages through a spinal cord injury lawsuit.
As a spinal cord injury victim, you are eligible to recover compensation for:
- Medical expenses for the initial hospitalization, treatments, and rehabilitation
- Additional long-term care rehabilitation services
- Supportive equipment, like wheelchairs, respiratory systems, etc
- Lost earning capacity due to disability
- Cost for lifelong care including housekeeping help, nurses, and so on
- Mental anguish and emotional suffering
- Home modifications and adaptive technology
- Disability or disfigurement
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Loss of companionship
Although each case is different, spinal cord injury lawsuits are often high-value cases. Experienced personal injury attorneys understand how to demonstrate these losses to a jury or your insurance company for you to get fair financial compensation for your injuries. Speak to a spinal cord injury attorney at the Justin Minton Law Firm to find out how much your case is worth.
How Spinal Cord Injury Lawyers Can Help
If a negligent party caused your injuries, you have the legal right to seek compensation. A personal injury lawyer’s primary responsibility is to secure maximum compensation for damages in spinal cord injury lawsuits.
In many spinal cord injury lawsuits, the insurance company of the alleged at-fault party may offer the victim a quick and unfair settlement amount. For this reason, it’s essential to hire an experienced spinal cord injury attorney who will fight to get you the adequate financial compensation you deserve.
Spinal cord injury lawyers carry out extensive investigations to build your case. An experienced attorney may conduct witness interviews, review medical records, and gather evidence to help determine liability.
Your personal injury attorney may also collaborate with orthopedic doctors, pain management specialists, and vocational rehabilitation experts to assess the injuries and verify a full treatment plan. This will help determine the potential cost of providing adequate medical care throughout recovery or life.
Personal injury attorneys might also hire financial planners to estimate the value of predicted future salary and income losses.
Personal injury claims have a statute of limitations, and spinal cord injury cases require time to develop and pursue. If you or a loved one has suffered a spinal injury, consult an attorney as early as possible after the incident to ensure that all relevant evidence is collected and evaluated.
Contact Our Spinal Cord Injury Lawyers Today
Spinal cord injuries are among the most expensive and devastating injuries that may occur in an accident. Sadly, spinal cord injuries leave many people in chronic pain or permanently disabled.
In some cases, catastrophic accident victims may be unable to speak for themselves or don’t know where to begin to protect their rights. That’s where we come in.
The lawyers of Minton Law Firm focus on helping victims obtain the compensation they deserve for high-quality medical care throughout the rehabilitation journey. If you or a loved one is suffering from a spinal injury, no doubt much rest and healing are required, so let us handle the legal side of things.
Fill out the contact form to get a free consultation, or call 855-Xadjuster now to speak with one of our qualified attorneys.
