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A spinal cord injury (SCI) is one of the most devastating consequences of an accident. In all likelihood, you will experience significant long-term effects from the injury. Even if you can make a recovery, it may only come after multiple surgeries and lengthy rehabilitation.
If someone else was responsible for your SCI, you might be entitled to the financial compensation that you and your family will critically need. Contact Trey Harrell Auto Accident and Personal Injury Attorney to learn more about your legal rights.
The Importance of the Spine
The spine is a group of bones, muscles, and tendons that stretch from your brain to your tailbone. The spine is the critical part of your body that conveys messages to the rest of your body to move. The spinal cord is protected by discs, ligaments, and spinal fluid because an injury can impact your ability to move and use your limbs.
How Spinal Cord Injuries Can Occur
You can suffer spinal cord injuries in a:
- Car accident
- Truck accident
- Bicycle accident
- Slip and fall accident
- Physical attack
- Construction accident
How the Spinal Cord Can Be Damaged
SCIs happen when there is some sort of sudden trauma that impacts the spinal cord. It can become damaged by:
- Fractures
- Dislocations
- Crush injuries
- Compression
The spinal cord is very sensitive to any kind of physical damage. It does not heal itself. In many cases, the damage to it is permanent. The extent of the injury will depend on where the damage to the spinal cord occurs. The higher the SCI, the more significant the injury because movement below the point of the damage is affected. For example, a cervical SCI will be the most serious since it occurs at the neck. Everything below the neck will be severely impacted.
The Different Types of SCIs
Different types of SCIs include:
- Complete injuries: A complete SCI is when the damage to the spinal cord is permanent. Complete injuries can include paraplegia (when you lose the use of your legs) and tetraplegia (when you lose the use of all four limbs)
- Incomplete injuries: An incomplete SCI is when there is partial damage to the spinal cord. You may lose some function or recover after surgical intervention and extensive rehabilitation.
Even an incomplete SCI will have serious impacts on you. It often takes 18 months or more to show signs of recovery. In some cases, it will take you many years to recover from an incomplete SCI, if you can even recover at all.
The Costs Associated with a Spinal Cord Injury
SCIs will result in high costs. The exact amount of costs depends on your age when you suffer the injury, and its severity. You can expect the following lifetime costs for the following types of SCIs:
- High tetraplegia has care costs of over $1.1 million in the first year and $200,000 for every subsequent year.
- Low tetraplegia has care costs of approximately $840,000 in the first year and almost $125,000 every year thereafter.
- Paraplegia has first-year costs of over half a million dollars, with additional costs of $75,000 per year
These costs do not even factor in other elements, such as:
- Lost wages
- Pain and suffering
- Embarrassment and humiliation
- Loss of enjoyment of life
You Must Fight for Full Financial Compensation for Your Injuries
As you can see, you should receive full financial compensation for your injuries. In many cases, you may never work again, making it even more critical for your family. However, you are up against an insurance company that does not want to pay you what it must.
The first step towards financial compensation comes when you call an experienced attorney. Your lawyer will work to establish what happened in your case to prove that someone else should be held responsible. Equally important is their calculation of your total damages.
With such a serious injury, you cannot afford to have an incorrect or rushed calculation. Before you begin settlement negotiations with the insurance company, you will need to understand the full extent of your damages. Not only will you need to reach the point of maximum medical improvement, but you will also require all your costs to be quantified.
Getting Financial Compensation for Spine Injuries
There are two ways to obtain financial compensation for your SCI:
- File an insurance claim and negotiate a settlement
- File a lawsuit in court against the responsible party (which will usually end in a settlement)
Regardless of how you choose to pursue financial compensation, you will need an experienced attorney to handle your case. There is too much on the line to leave anything to chance.
Contact a Charleston Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer Today
Attorney Trey Harrell helps South Carolina families. When you or a loved one has suffered a catastrophic injury in an accident, you need a fighter who will work to maximize your financial recovery. That is exactly what we do, leaving no stone unturned in your case.
You can begin the legal process by setting up a free consultation. You can call us today at (843) 636-8739 or reach out to us online to discuss your case.
Spinal Cord Injury Case FAQs
How do I win a spinal cord injury case?
Someone else will assume a legal obligation to pay you for your injuries when you can prove that they were negligent.
How does an attorney know how much my case is worth?
We will work with the relevant experts to come up with the value of your damages. These include:
- Medical experts to understand your condition
- Vocational experts to determine how much earnings you lose
- Life care planning experts to determine your care needs
- Economic experts to understand how inflation can affect your settlement
How long will my SCI injury case take?
You should fight as long as necessary to get every dollar you deserve. SCI cases can take longer, given the amount of money at stake.
