A spinal injury can dramatically alter your life. After damaging your spine, you might no longer be able to walk your dog, pick up your child, ride your bike, or even go to your job. Some spinal injuries are so severe that you may need to move from your home to a residential care facility that can provide you with the assistance you need in your daily life.
If another person or company’s negligence resulted in your spine injury, there might be legal options available to you. A Wesley Chapel spinal cord injury lawyer could help you determine if pursuing a legal claim is the right decision for your family. Contact the dedicated team of Wesley Chapel catastrophic injury attorneys at Distasio Law Firm today to schedule your free case review.
Bringing a Lawsuit After a Spinal Cord Injury
Florida’s no-fault insurance scheme means someone injured in a wreck must seek payment from their PIP insurer. If PIP does not cover your expenses, you could seek compensation from the at-fault party’s liability insurer. If that coverage is insufficient, you could file a lawsuit if you have a serious injury as state law defines it.
A spinal cord injury meets Florida law’s requirements to step out of the no-fault system and file a personal injury claim seeking monetary damages. Winning damages requires a skilled attorney like Scott Distasio to prove that the at-fault driver was negligent.
A damages award through a personal injury lawsuit could cover your out-of-pocket expenses related to an injury, including future medical care and compensation for your diminished future earning capacity. You could also receive non-economic damages for:
- Pain
- Disability
- Humiliation
- Mental anguish
- Lost enjoyment of life
- Other subjective impacts of the injury
Frequent Causes of Spine Injuries in Wesley Chapel
Many spine injuries happen because of unintentional, yet preventable, acts by other people or entities. A large number of spinal injuries could have been avoided if the people involved had acted responsibly instead of recklessly.
Some of the most common causes of spinal trauma include:
- Automobile crashes in Wesley Chapel
- Falls from heights such as ladders, scaffolding, and roofs, such as on construction sites
- Falls due to slippery, wet, or uneven walking surfaces or tripping hazards
- Recreational and sporting accidents, such as boating, horseback riding, diving, or hunting accidents
- Medical errors, such as surgery mistakes, infections, or birth trauma
In addition to injuries caused by unintentional mistakes, some spinal trauma happens because of intentional acts of violence. Physical assaults, shootings, and stabbings can all damage a person’s spinal cord.
Regardless of whether someone caused your injury intentionally or unintentionally, they should still pay for their actions. A hardworking Wesley Chapel spinal cord injury attorney could work tirelessly to ensure that the at-fault parties are held accountable for the full-extent of your losses.
The Varying Degrees of Spinal Damage
Spinal trauma affects people differently depending on the severity of the damage and the location of the trauma on the affected person’s body. Trauma to the spine can damage vertebrae. Sometimes, the trauma completely severs the spinal cord. Other times, the trauma compresses the vertebrae—damaging or destroying the nerves that carry signals from the brain through the spinal cord to other areas of the body. Depending on the type of damage, the injury is either complete or incomplete.
Incomplete Spinal Damage
People with incomplete spinal cord injuries retain some feeling and the ability to control or move the parts of the body located below the damaged area. With quality medical care and aggressive therapy, some people with incomplete spine injuries are able to make full recoveries and resume productive lives.
Complete Spinal Damage
People with complete injuries lose all feeling and motor control below the damaged area of their body. In addition to mobility limitations, many people with complete spinal injuries also face chronic pain, respiratory problems, and bladder, bowel, and sexual problems. They might need to modify their homes or offices to make them more handicapped accessible. They may also need to hire a home health care aide to help them get dressed, shower, and eat.
Our team of experienced lawyers in Wesley Chapel understand just how debilitating spinal injuries can be. They could work aggressively on your behalf to get you the money you need to go about your life as comfortably as possible with your new condition.
Secondary Health Effects of a Spinal Cord Injury
Wesley Chapel car accidents resulting in spinal cord injuries have life-changing consequences and could shorten your lifespan. Damage to the spinal cord is a major stressor to the body and causes numerous secondary health conditions.
The Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation notes some of the secondary health impacts of spinal cord injuries include the following:
- Severe and debilitating pain
- Respiratory issues, especially in people with high injuries
- Skin infections due to pressure and bladder and bowel leakage
- Deep vein thrombosis, in which blood clots form in the leg or thigh
- Cardiovascular problems because of damage to the nerves controlling the heart muscle in people with high injuries
People with spinal cord injuries also often experience depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems.
The negligent driver who caused the crash leading to your spinal cord injury is liable for the injury’s physical and mental impacts.
Vehicle Accidents Are a Common Cause of Spinal Cord Injuries
The National Institutes of Health reports that vehicle accidents are the most common cause of spinal cord injuries. Spinal cord injuries usually, but not always, occur in crashes at higher speeds in Wesley Chapel.
When a crash results in a person being ejected from the vehicle, the force of the impact when they hit the ground could damage the spinal cord. Even if the individual remains in the car, a blow to the spinal cord could cause it to break or twist, causing significant damage. Impacts to the head could force the spinal cord to hyperextend or compress. Both actions could lead to spinal cord injuries.
The effects of a spinal cord injury depend on where the damage is. In general, a person will experience loss of sensation and motor control below the point of the damage. Thus, the higher on the spinal column the site of the injury, the more severe the person’s disability.
Work with a Wesley Chapel Spinal Cord Injury Attorney
After suffering spinal trauma, the most important thing you can do is to get the best medical care. The degree of your recovery could depend on the quality of the care you get both immediately following your accident and in the weeks and months to follow. A Wesley Chapel spinal cord injury lawyer at Distasio Law Firm could fight to get you the financial compensation that you need to put towards your recovery. Call today to set up an initial consultation.
