Injuries to the spinal cord can be life-altering and have permanent consequences. If you or a loved one suffered serious spine damage, you may be facing significant medical bills and rehabilitative costs. However, if another party was responsible for the injury, you may have legal options for holding them accountable and securing the financial resources you need.
Contact a Lakewood spinal cord injury lawyer for advice on your case. At Tittle & Perlmuter, a skilled attorney could help you pursue damages to cover medical expenses, lost income, and costs related to living with the injury. You also could receive money for your suffering and diminished quality of life.
Consequences of Spinal Cord Injuries
The spinal cord encapsulates nerves that serve as the body’s communication channels. If there is a disruption or break in the cord, messages cannot travel between the brain and their destination. People with spinal cord damage typically suffer reduced sensation and movement in the areas of the body below the injury. If the spinal cord breaks, there could be complete paralysis and total loss of sensation.
A spinal cord injury could impact health in other ways. According to the Christopher Reeve Foundation, people with a spinal cord injury might suffer from the following secondary health impacts:
- Uncontrollable muscle spasms
- Cardiac problems associated with lack of physical activity
- Loss of bowel and bladder control which could lead to infection and skin lesions
- Chronic pain
- Mental health issues
- Respiratory issues ranging from trouble inhaling deeply, to lung collapse, to paralysis of the diaphragm, which could mean the individual requires mechanical assistance to breathe
- Deep vein thrombosis
The negligent party could be liable for paying for all the injured party’s medical costs, including those required to treat the secondary conditions. An experienced Lakewood attorney could advise a family on how to document all their spinal injury-related expenses to ensure that any settlement or damages award is adequate to cover the losses.
Spine Damage Claims in Lakewood
For a successful claim, a victim and their local attorney must prove that someone else’s negligence caused an accident that led to the spinal injury. Negligence means that a party did not use appropriate caution given the circumstances.
An experienced Lakewood spinal injury attorney could prove negligence by showing that another party violated a law or safety regulation. Even if there was no violation, negligence may still have been a factor if the person’s conduct was reckless or careless.
If an injured victim was partially responsible for the accident, he or she may still be able to pursue reduced damages so long as another party was primarily at fault. A knowledgeable lawyer at our firm could offer further guidance on proving negligence in a spinal cord injury case.
Seek Legal Advice as Soon as Possible
According to Ohio Revised Code §2305.10, an individual has two years from the date of injury to file a lawsuit seeking damages. In many cases, a person with a spinal cord injury might still be adjusting to his or her condition when the statute of limitations runs out.
It could be advantageous for someone with a spinal cord injury to seek legal counsel long before the two-year period is due to expire. A spinal injury attorney in Lakewood could use the time to collect evidence of negligence and identify potentially responsible parties. In many cases, it could be possible to open negotiations soon after a spinal cord injury and potentially reach a settlement before the statute of limitations expires.
Work with a Lakewood Spine Injury Attorney
If you are recovering from a spinal cord injury, you have a lot on your plate. Let an experienced attorney handle a legal claim for compensation while you focus on adjusting to life after such a devastating event.
At Tittle & Perlmuter, our Lakewood spinal cord injury lawyers have experience helping people in similar situations and can support you throughout the entire legal process. Take the first step and reach out to our firm today to make an appointment for a free case review.
