If you have suffered a spinal cord injury in DC area, your life will very likely be changed forever. Victims will often suffer paraplegia, quadriplegia, or even total paralysis as a result of these injuries – and unfortunately, many will have to suffer the overwhelming financial costs associated with them.
Coping With a Spinal Cord Injury
In the moments after a car accident, many people will instinctively check their arms and legs to make sure they aren’t injured. Unfortunately, it’s harder for a victim to self-check for spinal cord injures – an affliction that can carry lifelong consequences.
Spinal cord injuries can be caused by any violent blow to the head, neck or back. In some cases, bone fragments from shattered vertebrae can tear or cut the spinal cord, disrupting the nerve cells that carry commands from the brain to the body. As a result, victims may suffer chronic pain, mobility problems or even paralysis that will affect them for the rest of their lives.
Traumatic accidents can cause many different types of spinal injuries, including:
- Slipped discs
- Herniated discs
- Broken backs
- Cervical spine injury
- Paraplegia
- Quadriplegia
- Temporary or permanent paralysis
The emotional stress of a spinal cord injury can cause just as much damage as the physical trauma. Many victims will need counseling or therapy to cope with their loss of independence. While life coaches and physical therapists provide a much-needed service, many victims cannot afford the extra cost after paying thousands of dollars in medical care.
Why You Should Pursue An Injury Case
Some victims don’t want to pursue legal action against the person responsible for their injuries. They may think that hiring a lawyer is too expensive, the process won’t be worth it in the end, or their insurance will cover their injuries. However, the benefits of filing a Virginia personal injury case for your accident far outweigh the negatives.
Here are just a few ways that a spinal cord injury case can benefit you and your family:
- Future medical costs. Although your insurance may cover immediate treatment, these injuries often incur regular medical expenses for the rest of the victim’s life, including spinal fusion, implants or other surgeries.
- Rehabilitation costs. Many victims lose a considerable amount of independence, relying on assisted living support, specialized medical devices or other assistance to improve their mobility.
- Loss of earning capacity. Spinal cord injury victims are rarely able to perform the same jobs they had prior to the accident – and in some cases, are unable to return to work at all.
- Improved medical practices. If your spinal cord injury was caused by a medical mistake, your case will hold the medical professionals or facility accountable for their practices and prevent the injury from happening to someone else. For more information on these injuries, click the link above to receive a FREE copy of our book, Do I Have A Case? A Patient's Guide to Virginia Medical Negligence Law.
As trusted Fairfax spinal cord injury attorneys, we know that this is a dark time for victims and their families. They have so much to think about, so much to adjust to, that they don’t have time – or money – to spend on pursuing a legal case.
That’s why the attorneys at Shevlin Smith always provide a FREE consultation with all injury victims, answering all of your legal questions and giving you an outline of your case before you hire a lawyer – and if you choose to retain us as your counsel, you pay nothing unless we win your case.
To find out more, call Shevlin Smith today at (703) 721-4233 to speak with a board-certified Virginia injury attorney.
