Easton Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer
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Easton spinal cord injury lawyer, Edward Shaugnessy, understands the impact that these spinal injuries have on clients and their families. As a lead personal injury lawyer at Law Offices of Edward P. Shaughnessy, Shaughnessy and his team of Easton personal injury attorneys are committed to providing compassionate legal representation to spinal cord injury victims affected by these catastrophic injuries.
If negligence caused your spinal cord injury, you could have grounds to pursue a spinal cord injury lawsuit against the responsible party to recover damages. Your Easton personal injury lawyer will gather evidence, negotiate with the insurance company, and work to recover financial compensation for your spinal cord injuries.
Contact the Easton spinal cord injury lawyers at 610-258-9955 today to schedule a free case evaluation and discuss your personal injury claim. Our personal injury lawyers work on a contingency fee basis, so you won’t pay any legal fees unless your personal injury claim is successful.
What is a Spinal Cord Injury?
A spinal cord injury (SCI) is a severe and often life-altering condition that occurs when there is damage to the spinal cord. Typically, a spinal cord injury results from a variety of causes, including traumatic events like a car accident, falls, sports injuries, or violent assault, as well as non-traumatic causes such as diseases or degeneration.
Depending on the location and severity of the spinal cord damage, the effects can range from minor impairments to permanent loss of function below the wound. Our Easton spinal cord injury lawyers will work to ensure your spinal cord injury case adequately reflects the severity of your injury.
Spinal Cord Injury Symptoms
Spinal injury symptoms can vary significantly, but recognizing them is crucial for immediate medical care and effective legal action.
Critical symptoms of such an injury include:
- Loss of movement
- Altered sensation
- Pain or discomfort
- Respiratory issues
- Reflex issues and muscle spasms
- Changes in bladder and bowel control
- Altered sexual function
The devastating effects of a spine injury may appear immediately after the spinal injury or may develop gradually. Timely recognition and documentation of these symptoms are essential for medical treatment and critical in legal contexts, where they form the basis for filing claims and seeking compensation.
Types of Spinal Cord Injuries
There are two main types of SCIs: complete and incomplete, with each type of spinal cord injury resulting in a different level of paralysis.
Complete Spinal Cord Injury
A complete SCI is a serious spinal cord injury where there is a total loss of sensory and motor function below the wound.
Higher spinal cord damage may result in quadriplegia, while lower injuries might cause paraplegia. These injuries can also lead to secondary health issues, such as pressure sores or respiratory complications, necessitating ongoing medical care and support.
Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury
An incomplete SCI is characterized by partial damage to the spinal cord, resulting in a varying degree of retained motor or sensory functions below the wound. Unlike complete spinal injuries, where all functions are lost, individuals with an incomplete SCI may still have some movement or sensation.
What Causes Spinal Cord Injuries?
These serious injuries can be caused by both traumatic accidents and degenerative health conditions, although the vast majority of SCIs are caused by the former. The most common causes of SCIs include truck and motorcycle accidents, slip and fall accidents, medical malpractice incidents, violent assaults, swimming and diving accidents, and workplace accidents.
Motor Vehicle Accidents
Motor vehicle accidents – such as car, truck, or motorcycle accidents – are among the leading causes of spinal cord injuries (SCIs), often resulting in severe and life-altering consequences for those involved. During a car accident, the force exerted on the occupants can be substantial enough to cause damage to the spine, especially in high-impact crashes or when the vehicle rolls over.
The nature of the damage largely depends on the accident’s severity and the body’s position during the motor vehicle accident.
The resulting SCIs from a car accident range from minor impairments to complete paralysis, significantly impacting the victim’s quality of life. If you have suffered a spinal injury from a car accident, call an Easton auto accident attorney today.
Slip and Fall Accidents
Slip and fall accidents are a common but often overlooked cause of SCIs, particularly among older adults and in environments with hazardous conditions. Falls can lead to a variety of severe injuries, such as a fractured spinal column, a disc herniation, or direct trauma to the spine itself, resulting in partial or complete SCIs. Such injuries can have drastic consequences, ranging from reduced mobility and sensation to complete paralysis.
In legal contexts, slips and falls leading to SCIs often raise questions of premises liability and negligence. Establishing the property owner’s responsibility for maintaining a safe environment is key in these cases, as it forms the foundation for seeking appropriate compensation for medical bills, lost wages, ongoing medical care, and other monetary damages resulting from the severe injury.
Contact an Easton slip and fall accident lawyer for more information about filing a claim.
Medical Malpractice
Medical malpractice can, unfortunately, be a contributing factor to SCIs, occurring when a medical professional fails to provide the standard of care required, leading to preventable injuries.
Establishing medical malpractice involves demonstrating that a medical professional deviated from the standard of medical care, and the healthcare provider’s negligence caused the SCI. Victims of SCI due to negligent medical attention may seek compensation for the significant medical costs, rehabilitation expenses, lost wages, and the profound impact on their quality of life.
These personal injury cases require a thorough understanding of medical care and medical costs as well as legal principles from an Easton medical malpractice lawyer to effectively advocate for the rights and needs of the injured party.
Swimming and Diving Accidents
Swimming and diving accidents are notable causes of these catastrophic injuries. These catastrophic injuries often occur when individuals dive into shallow water and strike their head on the bottom, causing trauma to the neck and spine.
Such accidents can raise negligence issues, especially in public or commercial swimming areas where inadequate safety measures might be a contributing factor. These cases often require a nuanced understanding of liability and negligence laws, making the role of an experienced spinal cord injury attorney crucial.
Workplace Accidents
Workplace accidents are a significant source of spinal cord injuries (SCIs), namely severe herniated discs and overuse injuries, especially in industries where physical labor or interaction with heavy machinery is involved.
The legal aspects of workplace SCIs often involve workers’ compensation claims. Additionally, employer negligence or safety violations may contribute to the injury, potentially leading to a personal injury lawsuit.
These legal proceedings require an in-depth understanding of workplace safety laws, workers’ compensation regulations, and personal injury litigation, underscoring the importance of skilled Easton workers’ compensation attorneys for affected workers.
Compensation in a Pennsylvania Spinal Cord Injury Lawsuit
In a personal injury lawsuit, accident victims can recover monetary damages in the form of economic and non-economic damages. An Easton personal injury lawyer can help recover damages, such as:
- Medical Expenses: Covers all medical costs from the time of injury, including current and future medical bills for emergency medical attention, hospitalization, surgeries, medications, and ongoing medical attention.
- Rehabilitation Costs: Accounts for expenses related to physical therapy, occupational therapy, and other forms of rehabilitation essential for life after the spinal injury.
- Assistive Devices and Home Modifications: Includes costs for wheelchairs, mobility aids, vehicle modifications, and home adaptations like ramps and specialized bathroom equipment.
- Lost Wages and Loss of Earning Capacity: Compensates for the income lost and potential future loss of earnings due to diminished working capacity.
- Pain and Suffering: Addresses the physical pain and emotional distress suffered by the victim, including loss of enjoyment of life and mental anguish.
- Long-term Care Costs: This covers the expenses of long-term care services.
- Punitive Damages: In cases where the defendant’s actions were particularly egregious, punitive damages may be awarded to punish the wrongdoer and deter similar conduct.
Why You Need an Easton Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer
Hiring an experienced Easton spinal cord injury attorney is crucial for several compelling reasons:
- Expertise in SCI Cases: Our Easton personal injury lawyers have extensive knowledge of the complexities associated with SCIs.
- Navigating Legal Processes: Personal injury cases involving SCIs can lead to lengthy and complex legal proceedings. A skilled spinal cord injury lawyer will adeptly navigate these processes, handle paperwork, gather evidence to prove that negligence occurred, and meet critical deadlines, alleviating stress and confusion for you and your family.
- Maximizing Financial Compensation: An experienced lawyer in Easton with a background in handling SCI cases can accurately assess and quantify the full extent of damages, ensuring you receive full compensation.
- Negotiation Skills: The insurance company and defendant often attempt to minimize payouts. A seasoned spinal cord injury lawyer can effectively negotiate with these parties to protect your interests.
- Trial Experience: If your case goes to trial, having a spinal cord injury lawyer with courtroom experience is invaluable.
- Local Knowledge: Familiarity with Easton’s local laws, courts, and legal nuances is beneficial. A local personal injury lawyer will have insights and connections that can benefit your legal case.
- Support and Advocacy: Beyond legal representation, an Easton personal injury lawyer provides emotional support and advocacy, ensuring you feel heard and understood throughout the legal process.
Spinal Injury FAQs
How Does a Spinal Cord Injury Affect the Brain?
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) and spinal injury result from damage to the central nervous system. When a forceful impact affects the neck, it can cause a TBI by jarring the brain while simultaneously exerting enough force on the spine to result in a spinal injury.
The simultaneous occurrence of these injuries can complicate diagnosis and treatment, as symptoms can overlap and exacerbate each other. An Easton traumatic brain injury attorney understands these complex health challenges and can provide solid legal representation for injured victims.
Can Paralysis Be Cured After a Spinal Cord Injury?
Currently, there is no definitive cure for SCIs that guarantees the reversal of paralysis. However, significant advancements in medical research, including stem cell therapy, nerve regeneration techniques, and innovative rehabilitation methods, offer promising prospects for improvement.
How Much is a Spinal Cord Lawsuit Worth in Pennsylvania?
For catastrophic injuries, such as high tetraplegia, the approximate lifetime costs exceeded $5,000,000, according to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC) Even less severe SCIs, the approximate lifetime costs to nearly $2,500,000.
These lifetime expenses include initial hospital bills, surgical procedures, rehabilitation, medical equipment, home modifications, long-term care, ongoing medical bills, etc.
Additionally, indirect costs, such as lost wages, reduced earning capacity, and changes in lifestyle and personal relationships, should be considered.
Experienced Easton Spinal Cord Injury Lawyers
If you or a loved one has suffered this catastrophic injury, it is crucial to seek knowledgeable and compassionate legal representation from an Easton spinal cord injury attorney.
Our Easton spinal cord injury lawyers are committed to supporting spinal cord injury victims through every step of their legal journey. With extensive experience handling SCI cases, our personal injury attorneys understand your challenges and are dedicated to fighting for the full and fair compensation you deserve.
Do not face this challenge alone. Contact a spinal cord injury lawyer at the Law Offices of Edward P. Shaughnessy at 610-258-9955 to schedule a free consultation and learn how we can help you secure the best possible outcome for your spinal cord injury case.