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Recent Blog Posts
Spine Injuries By Location
We know that spine injuries can be some of the most severe, but many individuals do not know that the impact stemming from a spine injury is often dependent on where the injury occurs. Along the spine, there are different sections, each controlling a different part of your body. Below, we will explain your spine's different sections and how an injury can impact your life.
Cervical Nerves
The cervical nerves and vertebrae are at the highest point of your spine. An injury at this point can cause the worst damages, referred to as quadriplegia. This type of paralysis causes you to lose functionality in all parts of the body below the point of your injury, including all four limbs.
Thoracic Nerves
Injuries at the thoracic level most often result in paraplegia, which usually only impacts your lower limbs. Most often, if you suffer injuries to your thoracic vertebrae and nerves, you will require the use of a wheelchair due to the loss in lower limb functionality.
What are Catastrophic Injuries?
In any matter involving negligence, you can suffer severe and serious injuries. In the legal world, the term to reference serious injuries is catastrophic. Filing a claim following someone else's negligence gives you the chance to obtain compensation to cover medical care costs, lost income, and other expenses associated with the injury.
It helps to recognize your rights after suffering one of these life-changing injuries. Below, we will detail some of the more severe injuries you can sustain, their impact on your life, and what kind of compensation you may recover.
In personal injury law, the following are considered catastrophic injuries:
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Spine and spinal cord injuries
- Serious burn injuries
- Broken bones
- Amputations
Call our firm today at 703-591-0067 and learn more about your rights in complex legal matters. We are here to help you.
Complete vs. Incomplete Spinal Cord Injuries
When you suffer a spinal cord injury, you may encounter significant damages as a result. However, there are two types of spinal cord injury - or paralysis - that you can experience: complete and incomplete. While any spine injury is difficult to endure, the difference between complete and incomplete spinal cord damage can be significant.
You should recognize how complete and incomplete spinal cord injuries can impact you and the long-term results.
Complete Spinal Cord Injuries
When you suffer a complete spinal cord injury, it means that your nerves have been completely damaged. You can lose all functionality in the affected limbs. For instance, if you suffer a complete cervical spinal cord injury, you may suffer quadriplegia. The complete means that you may not be able to use any part of your four limbs impacted by the injury.
Unfortunately, complete quadriplegia is potentially the worst type of injury you can experience involving your spinal cord. There are very few, if any, ways to treat this type of injury.
How Much Is My Case Worth?
Through the entire process of filing a claim, you may be wondering one thing: how much can I recover? The value of your car crash claim can vary greatly depending on numerous factors. If you are wondering how much you may be able to recover, here are a few things you should know and what to consider when pursuing maximum compensation.
Let our team help you. Call us at 703-591-0067.
Medical Expenses
The amount of money you are charged for medical treatment (as opposed to how much you paid out of pocket) can factor into how much you may recover after a crash. It is easier to determine how much you recover in this situation when it becomes clear how much you have been charged for the health care you received.
Lost Wages and Future Loss of Earnings
The time you have missed from work or will miss from work in the future are factors that influence the value of your case. Even if you used sick leave credit or personal time off credit for missed time for work, these credits have monetary value for which you are entitled to compensation. Likewise, the law allows recovery for the loss of future earnings or earnings capacity should your injuries require a surgery in the future or if your recovery will necessitate future time off from work. You should discuss these issues with a lawyer to determine what you may recover.
How Long Will My Claim Take?
We know that after a car accident and potentially severe injuries, you need compensation. With mounting medical bills and other potential losses, working quickly should be a top priority. Unfortunately, insurance companies will often delay claims if they feel it will make you accept a less favorable settlement.
It is important to recognize what delays may exist and how a lawyer can help you combat this tactic to pursue the compensation you deserve.
We'll help you through the process. Call us at 703-591-0067.
Insurance Companies and Their Delay Tactics
Insurance companies want to pay out as little as possible. They hope that delaying your claim long enough increases your need for compensation and that you will accept whatever they offer. Some delay tactics they may implement include:
- Holding off on investigating your damages
- Wrongfully denying your claim
- Claiming a lapse in coverage
When insurance companies use these tactics, they know it will require back and forth between their team and you and your legal team. The longer they make you wait, the more pressing it may become for you to settle your claim.
What to Know Before You File a Car Accident Claim
Filing a car accident claim can be a complex process, but it can be easier to navigate with the right legal counsel on your side. Unfortunately, there are many misconceptions about hiring a lawyer, and several people do not know what to expect when they begin the process. Before moving forward, it is vital to have information that can help you through a claim in the most favorable way possible.
Our firm is here to help you. Call 703-591-0067 today.
The Importance of Legal Counsel
Insurance adjusters are hired and trained for their ability to become friendly and minimize losses. When you have a lawyer on your side, you get a different perspective regarding how insurance adjusters are treating you. A lawyer protects you from a vulnerable situation where adjusters may try to take exploit their experience and superior knowledge at your expense.
Legal counsel can also help to maximize the compensation you may recover. Having a lawyer means showing all losses you may experience because of an accident, including medical expenses, lost income, pain and suffering and more.
Things Insurance Adjusters Won’t Tell You
Like any business, insurance companies focus on making money. As such, they utilize insurance adjusters in the aftermath of a crash to speak with you and determine liability and compensation. While this may not seem like a problem initially, trusting in an insurance adjuster too much could lead to numerous mistakes when in resolving your claim.
Let us protect your rights: 703-591-0067.
Insurance adjusters are trained professionals who have one job: protect profits. If they can minimize or deny your claim, they have done their job. However, this objective often comes at your expense as they keep secrets from you throughout the entire process. Here are some of the things they will not tell you.
You Should Have a Lawyer for a Claim
Many insurance adjusters will tell you that filing a claim is a simple process. They will act friendly to get you to believe whatever they say. One thing they try to convince you of is that you do not need legal counsel during this process. However, they are only doing so to take advantage of a vulnerable situation.
What are the Common Causes of Winter Car Accidents?
In bad weather, we know that negligent driving can still occur. However, there are different types of accidents that can arise that would cause severe harm on the road. The causes often vary, but there are three main problems that exist when rain and snow fall.
If you suffer an injury due to negligence, learn your rights from our team: 703-591-0067.
At Shevlin Smith, we focus on helping you after a car accident. The following three type of events are not always naturally occurring, and negligent actions may play a role in causing a crash:
Slippery Roads
Because Fairfax gets a lot of rain and snow, the roads can quickly become slippery. Rain, snow, and ice can make it not only difficult to stop but may also cause drivers to lose control of their vehicles and cause them to drift into other lanes.
Poor Visibility
Fog and heavy rain or snow can reduce your visibility. Unfortunately, it also reduces other drivers' visibility, and they may not see traffic stopping in front of them. It may even impact how well they see vehicles in the lanes next to them, creating a potential risk when merging.
What You Can Do to Stay Safe in the Winter
Driving during winter can take already hazardous situations and increase the potential dangers. It is vital for all drivers to recognize how to stay safe on the road when weather turns treacherous. Below, we will help you understand some of the most effective ways to stay safe on the road in the winter weather and prevent you and others from experiencing significant harm.
We're here to help. Call us at 703-591-0067.
Give Others Space
Slippery roads and other problems on the road can make it more difficult for you to stop whenever approaching traffic. If you are driving too close to another person, it could result in a rear-end collision when it comes time to stop.
Change Lanes as Little as Possible
It is easy to lose control when there is a significant amount of rain (hydroplaning) or when snow hits the road. Changing lanes often puts you in a position where you can lose traction going across different parts of the road.
Bad Weather Crashes: Is Anyone Negligent?
In Fairfax, roughly 43 inches of rain fall in the winter months. There's also an average of 22 inches of snow. These weather conditions often make for some of the most hazardous times for driving. Several crashes happen during the winter months, and many people chalk it up to the bad weather conditions as the main reason.
Before you let bad weather excuse someone else's negligent actions, you should know that drivers have a responsibility to put safety first. In a severe accident, you may hold someone else accountable for your injuries, even if the crash occurs in terrible weather conditions. Below, we'll help you understand your rights to hold someone liable.
Here are situations where someone may be responsible for your injuries in bad weather:
- When a driver fails to maintain their vehicle
- When a driver ignores road conditions or travels too fast for road conditions
- When a driver follows too closely
Because proving liability and negligence in crashes involving terrible weather, consult with a lawyer. Call us today at 703-591-0067.
703-591-0067
10513 Judicial Drive, Suite 200, Fairfax, VA 22030
703-591-0067
From our office in Fairfax, Shevlin Smith, P.C. serves clients throughout Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C., including Alexandria, Annandale, Arlington, Ashburn, Burke, Centreville, Dale City, Fair Oaks, Leesburg, Manassas, McLean, Oakton, Reston, Springfield, and Woodbridge, as well as Fairfax County, Arlington County, Fauquier County, Loudoun County, and Prince William County.
Results listed are not a guarantee or indication of future case results.
