The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center reports that more than 12,000 Americans suffer from a spinal cord injury each year. A spinal cord injury can drastically change the life of the victim and their family in an instant.
If you sustain a spinal cord injury, you may have a legal claim for compensation. Our team of Sarasota personal injury attorneys can help you navigate the Florida legal system and get you the compensation that you deserve. Jack Bernstein, Injury Law has been serving spinal cord injury victims in Sarasota, Bradenton, Venice, North Port and surrounding areas for over 36 years.
A Spinal Cord Injury Can Drastically Change Your Life
The spinal cord is the name for the group of tissues, nerves and other fibers that sits in the spine. The spinal cord is part of the nervous system. It sends communications between the brain and the rest of the body.
The spinal cord is long, and vital for communicating signals of feeling and movement through the body. Damage to the spinal cord can result in permanent losses in feeling and function throughout the entire body. Sudden trauma can sever the spinal cord resulting in catastrophic injuries.
What Are the Common Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries?
There are several common causes of spinal cord injuries. We know that no two cases are alike, especially concerning spinal cord injuries. We meet clients who suffer from spinal cord injuries in many different ways. Here are some of the ways that a spinal cord injury may occur:
- Car accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Falls including slip and fall accidents and falls from elevated surfaces
- Cycling accidents
- Sporting accidents
- Intentional attacks like assault and battery, knife wounds and gunshots
- Medical errors
- Natural causes like cancer and osteoporosis
What Problems and Medical Difficulties Result From Spinal Cord Injuries?
When most people think about spinal cord injuries, they think of paralysis. It’s true that paralysis can be a catastrophic and devastating result of a spinal cord injury. Here are some of the problems and medical difficulties that can result from a spinal cord injury:
- Loss of feeling that may be temporary or permanent
- Immobility/Paralysis
- Poor coordination
- Uncontrolled shaking
- Weakness
- Incontinence
- Loss of sexual function
- Breathing difficulty
- Tingling in hands and feet
- Complications of other health problems
How Do I Know If I Have a Claim for My Spinal Cord Injury?
You may have a claim for recovery after a spinal cord injury if someone else acts in a negligent, reckless or intentional way that causes or contributes to your injuries. If your accident occurs because someone else isn’t careful enough, they may owe you for your losses and damages. Negligence is a legal standard that looks at how a reasonable person would behave in the same situation.
If you think about it, your accident may not have been a true accident at all. It may have been prevented if someone had been more careful. When a person behaves in a negligent way that hurts someone else, Florida law says that it’s up to the negligent person or people to compensate the victim for their economic and non-economic damages. Our team of Sarasota injury lawyers can help you look at your case and provide you with an informed opinion about the strength of your evidence.
What Do I Have to Prove to Win My Case?
To prove your case, you have to prove four things: duty, breach, causation, and damages. Duty means that the other person has a duty to you to be careful. For example, all drivers on the road have a duty to operate their vehicle in a reasonably safe manner that looks out for others on the road. Second, you must prove that the other person breached their duty of care or that they weren’t as careful as a reasonable person would have been under the circumstances.
Next, you have to show that the other person’s lack of care led to your damages. Demonstrating the link between the other person’s negligence and your injuries in called showing causation. Finally, you must show that you have losses or damages because of your injuries. Your losses may include both economic damages and non-economic damages.
What Losses Can I Claim in a Sarasota spinal cord injury case?
Here are some of the losses that you may claim after a spinal cord injury:
- Emergency medical bills
- Bills for follow-up medical care
- Long-term medical care expenses
- Rehabilitative care
- Nursing care
- Expenditures for wheelchairs, walkers, hand railings, and other personal assistance devices
- Physical pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
- Costs for needed help around the house
- Lost work
- Lost earning capacity
If someone tragically dies as a result of a spinal cord injury, their family or representatives may recover for wrongful death. The team at Jack Bernstein, Injury Attorneys can help you examine your case to make sure that you claim a complete list of the damages that you may deserve.
Is There Anything that I Should Do Right Now to Protect My Rights?
If you’re interested in seeking compensation after a spinal cord injury, there are things that you can do to begin building your claim right now. In fact, it’s important to do these things as soon as you can to gather the necessary evidence to build your claim. First, you should get the medical care that you need. You should work with medical professionals to completely and accurately determine the extent of your injuries. Be sure to save any medical records that you receive in the course of treatment and keep a journal of the dates of your medical care, the type of care that you receive, and receipts for the costs of treatment.
Also, it’s crucial to begin contacting witnesses and documenting the scene of the accident. You should ask witnesses for statements as soon as you can. When we represent a client, we contact witnesses on their behalf. Our attorneys know how to ask the right questions to gather the evidence that you need to prove how your accident occurred and prove your claim for compensation.
Contact Jack Bernstein, Injury Attorneys Today
Have you or a loved one suffered from a spinal cord injury in Sarasota? We want to help. Our passion is helping victims get the compensation that they deserve.
We want to work with you to help you understand your options under Florida law. It’s our privilege to help you get what you need to fairly compensate you for your losses. There’s never a cost to pick up the phone and speak with our team. Contact us today at (941) 822-2222 for a confidential consultation with our legal team.
Tampa Car Accident + Personal Injury Lawyers
For more than 40 years, personal injury lawyer Jack G. Bernstein has protected the rights of individuals who have been injured in a variety of circumstances. Throughout his career, Bernstein has been a strategist thoroughly dedicated to the idea of protecting the rights of his clients. Mr. Bernstein is a member of the Florida State Bar Association, the Hillsborough Bar Association and the Clearwater Bar Association.
Mr. Bernstein has the experience and expertise to handle a wide range of injury cases. Among the types of plaintiffs Mr. Bernstein represents are individuals involved in car accidents caused by drunk drivers or other exhibiting negligence, medical complications resulting from carelessness caused by a physician or a medical facility, including brain injury, bicycle, motorcycle, moped and truck accidents, admiralty law and cruise ship accidents, accidental drownings, all types of wrongful death lawsuits, along with most injury, catastrophic occurrences and legal malpractice issues.
Our firm handles every type of personal injury and accident case, using negotiation and litigation tactics effectively. We handle cases throughout Tampa, Sarasota, St. Petersburg, and Clearwater, FL. With a staff of approximately 40 people, including six lawyers and 34 support personnel, we have the legal resources to get the justice you deserve and the maximum recovery for your losses. Schedule your free consultation today; we are always here to help.
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