Spinal Cord Injury Accidents in 2022

Common causes of spinal cord injuries include:

Motor Vehicle Accidents

Statistics show that motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of spinal cord injuries. One study found that 39.3% of SCI occur due to this type of accident.

Slip and Falls

According to the National Floor Safety Institute, slip and falls account for more than 8 million emergency room visits in the United States. This represents 21.3% of ER visits, the leading cause of visits.

Gunshot Wounds

SCI occurs when bullets find their way into the spine after a shot is fired. Such an injury can lead to a partial or total loss of function below the point of injury.

Sports Injuries

High-impact sports, such as football, soccer, judo, kickboxing, and wrestling, can lead to spinal cord injuries. Individuals who suffer these injuries may require surgery and long-term care.

The effects of spinal cord injuries vary depending on the severity of the injury. Some common effects include:

• Loss of bladder or bowel control, leading to infections such as UTIs,
• Limited mobility due to paraplegia or quadriplegia
• Chronic pain due to damage to the nervous system
• Respiratory problems
• Splacity, also known as involuntary muscle stiffness due to interrupted signals between the brain and certain parts of the spinal cord
• Circulatory problems, increasing the risk of pulmonary embolism, blood clots, and other circulatory disorders
• Depression, anxiety, and other mental health problems
• Clonus, or the involuntary shaking of the limbs
• Sexual incapacity due to damaged nerves
• Loss of muscle tones in different areas around the body
• Difficulty distinguishing between heat, cold, and pressure
• Sleep apnea, leading to interrupted sleep due to irregular breathing patterns

You can file a spinal cord injury lawsuit if the injury stems from someone else's negligence or recklessness. For example, if you were injured in a car accident caused by a drunk driver, you may be able to sue the driver for their negligence and include your spinal cord injury in your claim.

You can also file such a lawsuit if you slipped and fell on public or private property, such as a grocery store. An experienced premises liability attorney specializing in slip and falls can fight for you in and out of court.

The kind of damages you may be able to claim will depend on the specifics of your injury. In most cases, SCI victims can claim economic and non-economic damages.

Economic damages include the financial expenses or losses you incurred due to the accident. Some examples include medical expenses, hospital bills, the cost of medical equipment, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, etc.

Non-economic damages are damages you incurred due to the injury but do not involve financial losses or expenses. Examples include pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of companionship, etc.

The issue of liability usually depends on the specifics of the cases. When determining liability, the personal injury attorney will review the following factors:

How the accident occurred: What were you doing when you got injured? The answer to this question will help determine whether you were at fault for the accident or partly at fault. If you were not at fault, you may be able to collect full compensation for your injuries. On the other hand, if you are partly to blame, you may be able to collect only a portion of the settlement or no settlement at all.

Where the accident occurred: The exact location could help determine liability, especially in premises liability cases. For example, if you slipped and fell at the mall after stepping on a slippery surface, the mall owners might be responsible if the incident occurred in a public place, such as walkways. On the other hand, if the incident occurred inside a store, the store owner might be responsible even if the store is located inside the mall.

Your status when the accident occurred: Let's say you suffered SCI after a slip and fall incident. The slip and fall attorney will want to know your status at the premises. This is because, in most jurisdictions, you may not be able to recover any damages if you were at the property illegally.

However, there are exceptions to this rule; in some states, parents of children who have been injured at someone else's property can file a premises liability lawsuit even if the child was at the property illegally.

If you suffered spinal cord injuries resulting in partial or permanent paralysis, you would need to make significant changes in your life. Unfortunately, these changes will likely require a lot of money. That explains why it is always advisable to file a lawsuit.

The last thing you want is to receive a bill you were not prepared for, especially if you were injured due to someone else's negligence. That said, some common financial commitments that could arise from such an injury include:

Home Improvements: Depending on the nature of your injuries, you may need to install wheelchair ramps, redesign your bathrooms, install safety features to prevent slips and falls, etc. All these projects cost thousands of dollars.

Mobility features: If you were paralyzed due to SCI, you may need to change how you move around, including the vessels you use to move around. Besides a wheelchair, you may need a new vehicle with supportive features for individuals with disabilities.  

Supportive services: Even with all the modifications, you will still need someone to take care of you. Depending on the nature of your injuries, you may struggle with your activities of daily living, such as bathing, grooming, meal preparations, etc. For this reason, you will likely need a long-term caregiver. But you should not pay for these costs out of pocket; the other party should compensate you for your losses if they are responsible for your injuries.

The needs discussed above are not final. They only cover economic damages. Keep in mind that you may still be eligible for non-economic damages.

You do not necessarily need a lawyer after the injury, but the pros of hiring one outweigh the cons. Here is why.

The other party will not want to compensate you just because you got injured. Bear in mind that spinal cord injuries are serious—depending on the specifics of your cases, you may be entitled to thousands or even millions of dollars as compensation for your losses. Therefore, it is unlikely that the other party will want to settle without a fight. Instead, they will use every opportunity to avoid liability or at least share the burden with you, saving them a lot of money as a result.

When you pursue an SCI claim without an attorney, you will likely not have the legal resources to last you through the entirety of the case. A standard SCI case involves many different stages. You may need to travel long distances to interview witnesses, collect evidence, meet with experts from different fields, etc. The bottom line is that these cases are expensive to fund out of pocket. However, hiring an attorney means you do not have to worry about such expenses.

For example, at Morgan and Morgan, we provide our services on a contingency basis, meaning you only pay when you win. If we do not win, we will not charge you for our legal expenses.

Developing a spinal cord injury does not automatically mean you are entitled to compensation. Many different factors will come to play before you even stand a chance of obtaining compensation. For instance, if you were partly to blame for the accident, you may or may not be able to recover damages. Insurance companies know how these rules work and will always use them against you whenever the opportunity presents itself.

The things you do or even say after such an accident could influence the amount of compensation you may be entitled to. Others might jeopardize an entire claim. A seasoned attorney can help you understand everything you need to know after the accident, limiting the chances of making costly mistakes.

Lastly, remember that an attorney has your best interests at heart. The same cannot be said about the other party's insurance claims adjuster. They help the insurance company limit the amount they should pay you as compensation for your injuries.

On the other hand, an attorney's goal is to ensure you receive the compensation you need and deserve. For this reason, they will do everything not only to win but also to maximize your claim. This is because they will earn a small portion of the settlement if you win.

It is always advisable to hire an attorney as soon as you can. The more you delay hiring an attorney, the easier it is for the other party to get away with their negligence or recklessness. Contacting an attorney early enough gives them enough time to review your case and gather evidence to support your claim. If you take too long to contact the attorney, the other party will likely tamper with evidence, making winning more difficult.

In addition, keep in mind that personal injury cases are time-sensitive. Each state has a statute of limitations for these cases. The statute of limitations is the time a plaintiff has to take legal action against a defendant. If the statute of limitations expires, you cannot take legal action against the other party. This applies even if the party was negligent.

Morgan and Morgan is not the only personal injury law firm in the United States, but we stand out. If you are looking for a competent attorney to represent you, here is why you should choose us:

• We offer a free, no-obligation case evaluation
• We are the largest personal injury law firm in the United States, serving clients from coast to coast
• We have an army of over 800 personal injury attorneys ready to fight for you
• We have access to powerful legal resources to investigate your claim and build a strong case against the other party
• We have a strong network of professionals in our team, which includes attorneys, paralegals, legal advisors, etc
• Our attorneys have helped our clients recover more than $20 billion as compensation for various injuries, including spinal cord injuries
• We have been around since 1988, with offices throughout the country
• We offer our services on a contingency basis. We don't win; you don't pay.

Ready to get started with your claim? Fill out our free case evaluation form today.