Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer

Spinal Cord Injuries After an Accident

A spinal cord injury (SCI) can dramatically change an injury victim’s life, as well as the lives of their loved ones. According to data from the Paralyzed Veterans of America, about 12,000 people sustain spinal cord injuries every year in the U.S. In addition to the pain and suffering endured, spinal cord injury victims face emotional and mental pain, and a lifetime of extreme financial hardships and reduced employment. Whether it’s you or someone you love, having an experienced spinal cord injury lawyer on your side will ensure that your rights are protected.

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Understanding a Spinal Cord Injury

The spinal cord and spinal column vertebrae extend from the base of your skull to your lower back. The spine has a variety of nerves that are responsible for body movements and sensations. Most spinal cord injuries normally begin with trauma, which dislocates or fractures the vertebrae.

Common causes of spinal cord injury include:

Types of Spinal Cord Injuries (SCI)

A spinal cord injury could result in damage to one or multiple parts of the vertebral column. The type of spinal cord injury depends on the impact it has on the victim’s motor function and loss of sensation. As such, spinal cord injuries are classified into complete and incomplete injuries.

In a complete SCI, the victim loses sensation and the ability to move below the injury site.

Complete SCI can be further classified into:

  • Paraplegia: When SCI occurs in the lower back, it may cause partial paralysis to the victim’s pelvic region and legs.
  • Tetraplegia: Trauma to the neck region or the cervical vertebrae may result in the loss of motor function or paralysis to all limbs. This is also referred to as quadriplegia.

At Thompson Law

We provide spinal cord injury victims with dedicated and tenacious legal representation, ensuring that you get fair value for your claim. Our spinal cord injury lawyers will build a strong case with supporting evidence so that you recover the money that you deserve.

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Short-Term and Long-Term SCI Injuries

Most SCI victims lose the ability to lead a normal life after the accident. This is extremely distressing, especially for a person who is no longer able to work and take care of themselves. These factors may result in health conditions that can lead to more systemic complications of a spinal cord injury, such as:

  • Chronic pain
  • Partial or full paralysis
  • Inability to control the bowel movements or bladder
  • Susceptibility to respiratory infections and illnesses
  • Difficulties in regulating blood pressure and body temperature
  • Impairment or loss of sexual function
  • Pressure injuries, such as bed sores
  • Osteoporosis and loss of bone density
  • Depression

If you or a loved one has suffered a spinal cord injury in an accident due to someone else’s negligence, call our spinal cord injury lawyers for a FREE CONSULTATION.

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Treatment and Expenses Associated with SCI Care

Medical care is expensive. When you are involved in a sudden accident and suffer a spinal cord injury, the cost of treatment is a major concern. Fortunately, if the accident was caused by a negligent party, you can hold them liable. Some of the treatment costs for spinal cord injuries include:

  • Emergency Care: When a person sustains an SCI, immediate care is imperative in order to prevent further injury. During the emergency care, doctors will diagnose whether your spine has been injured and assess the severity and extent of the damage.
  • Hospitalization: In most cases, SCI victims are required to be admitted to a hospital in order to keep them as stabilized as possible and monitor them for possible complications. Unfortunately, apart from realigning the spine, most spinal cord injuries are irreversible. Doctors mostly focus on preventing other problems such as bladder or bowel issues, infections, and blood clots. The daily hospital costs in Dallas can add up quickly.
  • Surgery: Some spinal cost injuries require surgeries in order to correct or repair the damages. Victims will also incur the costs of post-operative care.
  • Medical Equipment: As mentioned, a spinal cord injury may result in temporary or permanent paralysis. In both instances, the victim will require special care and the use of medical equipment. However, permanent paralysis may demand the long-term use of equipment such as a special bed, a high-tech wheelchair, a respiratory machine, feeding tubes, and so on, all of which add to the total treatment costs.
  • Therapy: Almost all SCI victims require months or years of occupational therapy, physical therapy, counseling and other forms of ongoing treatment before they either fully recover or can cope with their new way of life.

Whether an SCI result in temporary or permanent paralysis, medical costs can cost millions of dollars. In a study on the cost of living with SCI, the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation estimates that the average cost of treatment during the first–year amounts to  $1 million. This includes the initial hospital costs, home modification costs, cost of rehabilitation, and the acquisition of medical equipment such as a wheelchair. Victims are forced to incur more than $200,000 in bills in subsequent years.

Why Seek Legal Help for a Spinal Cord Injury?

Often, SCI victims are forced to take loans, take second mortgages, and max out their credit cards as their insurance policies cannot fully cover the cost of SCI treatment. If the injury was due to another person’s negligence, you can file a lawsuit against them. Negligent actions in car or truck accidents include drunk driving, speeding, distracted driving or texting while driving, failure to obey traffic lights, and driving a vehicle with mechanical damages.

A personal injury attorney will help you get compensation for:

  • Medical Expenses: Apart from the initial costs of treating a spinal cord injury, treatment could extend for years or even a lifetime. An attorney will help you calculate the anticipated costs of future treatment and make sure you are adequately compensated.
  • Lost Wages or the Loss of Earning Ability: An SCI victim will have to take some time off in order to recover. Even after they recover, they may be forced to work part-time or take a lower-paying position. In the case of a severe injury, the victim may no longer be able to work. A personal injury attorney will, in most cases hire a vocational expert who assesses the victim’s residual earning capacity and ensures that this is accounted for in the settlement amount.
  • Pain and Suffering: SCI victims not only suffer physical pain but also go through emotional anguish due to fact or such as; struggling with bladder and bowel control, sexual dysfunction, difficulty walking, or being confined to a wheelchair. All these can lead to extreme mental trauma for which you need to be compensated for.
  • Loss of Companionship: Affected parties such as parents, spouses, and children can get compensation for the effects of the SCI.

Contact an Experienced Spinal Cord Injury Attorney at Thompson Law

Call Our Spinal Cord Injury Lawyers for a FREE CONSULT

At Thompson Law, we understand the difficulties that all SCI victims and their families go through. Call us today to discuss happened to you no charge. Your case evaluation is confidential, without charge, and there’s no obligation. Our phones are answered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We’ll get started on your case the moment you call, and can either sign you up over the phone, or come visit you in person.

Our experienced team of spinal cord injury lawyers are dedicated to helping you get the justice you deserve. We can explain your legal options without any upfront fees, and you will only pay if we win your case. Call our spinal cord injury lawyers today for a free case evaluation.

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Personal Injury FAQs

Personal Injury

If you are injured in any type of accident, your first priority should be to seek immediate medical attention, even if you are not certain that you are injured. Seeking immediate medical treatment does two things: 1) it ensures injuries you sustained are diagnosed and treated; and, 2) it helps eliminate any doubt by the insurance company that your injuries were caused by the accident. 

Often, the shock and adrenaline of an accident can mask symptoms of injuries, so making the mistake of skipping a medical examination can have profound consequences. By seeking prompt medical treatment, you protect both your health and your ability to seek compensation for your injuries with the help of your attorney.

If you were in a motor vehicle accident we have also detailed here what to do after a car accident.

A skilled personal injury lawyer is necessary to get full and fair compensation for injuries you sustained in an accident. Most defendants, whether individual drivers or commercial vehicle operators, are covered by liability insurance. Those insurance companies are not obligated to protect or take care of you. Insurance companies exist to protect the defendant (their customer) who caused the wreck. 

A personal injury attorney can help you obtain compensation for every category of damages to which you are legally entitled. These damages can include things like: medical bills, lost wages, property damage, pain & suffering, punitive damages, loss of limb, diminished mental function, physical impairment, scarring or disfigurement, emotional or mental trauma, and loss of consortium (in wrongful death claims). Further, you may be entitled to future medical bills, future lost income, future pain and suffering, and other damages in severe injury cases.

Uninsured Motorist (UM) Coverage can help save the day if you are hit by an uninsured driver or if you are the victim in a hit-and-run collision. In short, UM coverage is an add-on coverage that drivers can add to their auto insurance policies that will protect them in the event that they are in an auto accident with a driver who either does not have insurance or cannot be located. You can contact your insurance provider to confirm whether your policy includes UM. If you do not have this coverage, the personal injury attorneys at Thompson Law recommend that you consider adding UM to your auto insurance policy today. 

Absolutely not. It’s important to leave the investigation to the professionals. They know exactly how to work a case to determine all of the facts and details.

Some of the most devastating injuries caused by careless driving happen to pedestrians. As a pedestrian, you have the same right to be free from injury and harm caused by the irresponsibility, error, or negligence of others as any motorist on the road. In is important to obtain the services of an experienced personal injury attorney as soon as possible if you are injured as a pedestrian. The right attorney will see that you receive the medical care you need, guide your damage claim process, and receive full compensation for your injuries.  

Typically, yes. If a family member is seriously injured or killed in an accident, or if the injured party is a minor child, then it may be appropriate under the law for a parent, spouse, relative, or legal guardian to file a claim or lawsuit on behalf of the injured or deceased party.  These types of claims are complex, and usually depend on the type of relationship involved, as well as the individual facts and circumstances of the injury. Calling the experienced personal injury attorneys at Thompson Law is step one to explore filing a legal claim on behalf of your loved one. 

If the other vehicle involved in your crash was an 18 wheeler or another commercial vehicle, call an attorney immediately. Companies who own commercial vehicles and 18 wheelers often have their own team of investigators who will arrive on the scene immediately working on the driver’s defense case. The sooner you involve an attorney of your own, the better your chances are of receiving compensation for your injuries and damages.

No. They aren’t trying to help you. They’re trying to protect their drivers and reduce their costs. That’s why they have a team of lawyers ready to flock to the scene of any accident. Don’t accept any form of compensation until you talk to your attorney. Most victims of 18 wheeler crashes sustain more injuries than victims of normal crashes, and can receive higher compensation as a result. Don’t let them fool you into accepting a smaller payout for your injuries and damages. Your injuries could require years of medications and surgeries, and the company will try everything to avoid making huge payouts. Call your attorney and let them do the negotiating on your behalf.

The best personal injury attorney has three major characteristics: Excellent customer service, cutting edge technology, and a willingness to take cases and win at trial. Ask your potential attorney about the client experience they offer, what kind of technology they use to make your life easier, and when was the last time they took a case to jury trial. Asking these types of questions will give you guidance on what kind of experience you can expect as a client and what kind of results you can expect at the end of your case.

Thompson Law has high ratings from clients for its emphasis on customer service, and its attorneys have achieved significant results on small, large, and complex cases alike. No matter if you have been involved in a minor car wreck or are dealing with catastrophic injuries from a rarer and more devastating event like a terrible workplace accident, dog bite, or an 18 wheeler wreck, Thompson Law can assist you.  

Yes! Thompson Law is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to provide free consultations. If you have been injured in a truck wreck or car accident, hurt in a slip and fall incident, or otherwise injured from the negligence of another person or party, give us a call any time at 1-800-LION-LAW. We can speak to you over the phone, chat online through our website or social media outlets, or arrange an in-person meeting at your convenience. Our team is ready to help! 

An insurance company will not pay medical expenses or other damages as they come due; rather, after they have accepted liability, the insurance company will make a one-time, lump-sum final payment only at the end of your case.  Dealing with medical expenses, and obtaining the proper medical care, after an accident can be tricky. But it does not have to be! Call the personal injury attorneys at Thompson Law, who can explain how to deal with the “day-of” hospital bills, how to continue to receive the care you need, and ultimately how to recover an appropriate settlement that takes care of your bills from the incident as well as fair and just compensation for you.

Let’s be honest: this isn’t a legal show on TV and your case will not settle in the next hour – or even tomorrow.  The true answer is: it depends.  We find that most cases settle within 7-10 months from date of incident; but the timeframe in your case could be shorter or longer depending on: the facts and circumstances of the accident; the length of time it takes you to complete medical treatment; and the character of the insurance company, or companies, involved in your case.  In the event that your case cannot settle pre-litigation and it becomes necessary to file a lawsuit, the litigation process alone can take 1 to 2 years due to the court system and legal process necessary to prepare for trial.  But because so much of the timeline depends on the facts and circumstances of your unique case, call Thompson Law today to discuss the personal injury claims process

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Office Location: 3300 Oak Lawn Avenue, Suite 300, Dallas, TX 75219

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I was rear-ended while pregnant so the last thing I needed was to deal with insurance companies regarding my claims, Dina, Jeff and Genesis were great. They always returned my calls and answered all my questions. I really recommend Thompson Law if you find yourself in a car accident.
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Thompson Law Guarantee

Thompson Law receives an attorney fee and you pay no legal fees as our client unless we pay you. Thompson Law has 350 years of combined experience in legal representation and has won over $1.8 billion dollars in cash settlements for our clients. We master the art of managing client cases with empathy, compassion, respect and, of course, prodigious skill. Contact us today for a free, risk-free consultation to discuss your accident and your options.

State law limits the time you have to file a claim after an auto accident. If you have been injured in an accident, call now to get the help you need.