An injury to the spinal cord has the potential for causing permanent, catastrophic harm. Due to the vital role the spinal cord plays in the body’s central nervous system, these types of injuries can cause temporary or permanent paralysis, intense pain, and physical limitations. These injuries can make it difficult for those harmed to provide for themselves, and the treatment they require may be quite intensive.
An experienced DuBois spinal cord injury lawyer understands the challenges of recovering from these devastating injuries. A skilled catastrophic injury attorney might be successful in helping you obtain financial compensation if your injury was the result of another person’s careless actions.
An injured claimant can file a lawsuit against a defendant who, through inadvertence, recklessness, or intentional action, caused injury to his or her spinal cord. Carelessness or negligence occurs when someone engages in an unreasonable or thoughtless course of action. Recklessness occurs when someone acts despite knowing that their conduct could cause undue harm to another. Intentional conduct includes behaviors designed to bring about a particular result.
No matter whether a defendant has acted carelessly, recklessly, or intentionally, a plaintiff must prove that the defendant’s conduct caused the accident that resulted in his or her spinal cord injury. Since Pennsylvania is considered a modified comparative negligence state, an injured plaintiff may recover some compensation even if his or her actions contributed to the accident, so long as the defendant was primarily responsible.
Once a plaintiff has established that the defendant’s conduct caused or contributed to his or her spinal cord trauma, he or she must provide evidence supporting the extent of the injury and any other associated losses. This evidence could consist of medical bills, invoices, statements, estimates of future medical bills or lost earning capacity, or any other direct or circumstantial evidence suggesting the extent of the plaintiff’s harm.
Proving a spinal cord injury case takes a considerable amount of investigation, preparation, and work. For some plaintiffs, this is too much to do on their own. A DuBois spinal cord injury attorney could take over completing these tasks, freeing up plaintiffs to focus on their physical recovery.
Plaintiffs who only seek recovery for their immediate medical bills, ambulance costs, and other expenses they incurred immediately after the accident may not end up receiving adequate compensation. This is because someone who suffers harm to his or her spinal cord may require ongoing medical treatment and therefore incur costs far into the future. Additional damages may include:
A plaintiff may also be eligible for non-economic damages to compensate them for having to experience physical and mental pain and for losing the ability to enjoy his or her life fully. As these losses from spinal cord harm can be more difficult to quantify, a knowledgeable attorney in DuBois could help a claimant calculate their total damages.
If you or a loved one sustained a spinal cord injury in an accident caused by another’s careless actions, speaking with a knowledgeable DuBois spinal cord injury lawyer is imperative. An attorney could evaluate your case and help bring a suit against those responsible for your harm. Call Marcus & Mack today.
