A spinal cord injury is any damage to the spinal cord or the nerves at the end of the spinal canal. This damage can result in severe consequences in the areas of strength, mobility, and sensations below the injury site.
People who suffer spinal cord injuries are often impacted in almost every aspect of their lives. They experience serious emotional, physical, psychological, and social consequences. There are certain circumstances when someone who experiences a spinal cord injury can file a lawsuit to attempt to recover compensation for their injuries.
Compensation for Spinal Cord Injuries
Due to the massive costs of treatment and lifestyle modifications, survivors of spinal cord injuries can claim monetary compensation for the losses caused by accidents. The losses often involve bills for hospitalizations, doctor’s appointments, physical and occupational therapies, and lost wages, amongst other financial costs. However, those are not the only consequences of a spinal cord injury.
There is also pain and suffering, loss of life’s pleasures such as hobbies and other activities they do for fun. Sometimes they also lose their spouses or partners as the physical and emotional toll may become overwhelming for them.
Then there are the future medical bills that include specialized care, future rehabilitation, and modification of vehicles and properties for easier movement. It’s also possible to recover future lost wages if the victim is no longer able to work.
In What Circumstances Can I File a Spinal Injury Claim?
You can initiate a claim due to a spinal cord injury when any of the following happens:
The injury to the spinal cord was caused by negligence
Generally, personal injury claims are based on an approach called negligence. If the accident leading up to the injury was caused by someone else’s negligence because they did not do what they were supposed to do or otherwise, you can file a lawsuit for damages.
When you file a claim for a spinal cord injury in Washington D.C. based on someone else’s negligence, your attorney must be able to prove the person who caused the accident was negligent and legally liable. You must demonstrate that they had a duty to do something and failed to do so, which led to the injury. Common examples of this negligence are slips and falls and car accidents.
The SCI was caused by a faulty product
Aside from negligence, faulty items are a significant aspect of personal injury claims, especially when they concern the spinal cord. Suppose you have an accident due to a faulty product that led to a spinal cord injury. In that case, you might be eligible for compensation from the defective product’s seller, manufacturer, or designer.
The spinal cord injury was a result of medical malpractice
Negligence in medical practice can lead to spinal cord injuries. If a spinal cord injury arises from wrongdoings by medical practitioners, it can provide grounds to file for compensation.
Your attorney must establish that the medical staff was responsible for providing you with a standard of care, but they failed to do so because they acted negligently. It must also be proven that this negligence was the reason for the spinal cord injury. Examples of such negligence would be a misdiagnosis, a surgical error, failure to detect a spinal tumor before it worsens, or an anesthetic error.
You should bear in mind that not all injuries to the spinal cord will entitle you to personal injury claim. You should discuss your claims with an attorney specializing in spinal cord injury settlements. Contact Lightfoot Law PLLC today for assistance.