Florida Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer

A spinal cord injury (SCI) can permanently impact someone’s ability to live a normal life, to work, or to attend to the needs of their family. Someone who sustains an SCI may require lifelong care, and often is unable to perform basic tasks without assistance.

If your disability resulted from someone’s carelessness or recklessness, you should reach out to an Indiantown spinal cord injury lawyer. A personal injury attorney at Rafferty Domnick Cunningham & Yaffa can help you pursue compensatory damages from the person at fault for your accident.

Common Causes of Severe Spinal Trauma

A spinal cord injury may happen when the spine sustains significant trauma or impact due to an unexpected or violent accident. Spinal cord injuries can also stem from:

• Car accidents
• Motorcycle collisions
• Bicycle crashes
• Slip and falls
• Crushing injuries caused by malfunctioning equipment
• Construction accidents
• Gunshot wounds

When someone’s SCI is caused by the negligence or maliciousness of another individual, they could have grounds to file a legal claim for compensation and should speak with an Indiantown legal advisor.

Collecting Financial Damages for a Spinal Injury

Several types of financial damages could be available to spinal cord injury victims, depending on the facts of their accident and the kinds of losses they have endured. They could stand to recover the value of their tangible losses, such as wage loss, hospital bills, surgery bills, physician expenses, therapy and rehabilitation costs, and the cost of home or vehicle modifications due to the person’s injury.

The value of the plaintiffs’ intangible losses may also be recovered in a successful lawsuit. Examples of intangible losses include future lost income, loss of consortium, diminished quality of life, mental trauma, emotional anguish, pain, and suffering.

Sometimes, the court will review the facts of the accident and determine that the conduct of the negligent party was so grievous that it merits additional punishment. In cases such as this, the court may decide to award a plaintiff punitive damage to the plaintiff as well.

Bear in mind, the deadline to file a personal injury claim for damages is four years from the date of the incident (see Florida Statutes Annotated § 95.11(3)), so it is best to consult with an Indiantown representative well before that time.

Classifications of Spinal Cord Injuries

If an SCI is complete, this means that the injured region is irreparably impaired. A complete spinal cord injury can lead to paralysis from the waist down, also known as paraplegia. In very severe cases, quadriplegia could result if the impact is close to the neck. Someone who has quadriplegia has limited to no function or feeling from the neck down. On the other hand, an incomplete spinal cord injury results in the partial loss of use and function in the impacted region.

The magnitude of damage depends greatly on the region of the spinal column that sustained an impact. For example, if someone receives an injury to their lumbar spine, they may experience limited mobility from the hips down. Damage to the sacral spine can impact the function of the reproductive organs and thighs, as well as other areas in the lower half of the body.

Talk with an Indiantown Spinal Cord Injury Attorney

If another person’s negligence caused your SCI, do not hesitate to enlist legal aid from an Indiantown spinal cord injury lawyer. An attorney can protect your rights and fight to win you a financial recovery.

Call now to schedule a case consultation with Rafferty Domnick Cunningham & Yaffa today.