Las Vegas, NV Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer
A serious spinal cord injury can be one of the most devastating results of an accident. Unfortunately, it is estimated that as many as 450,000 people across the US have suffered a debilitating spinal injury. Our Las Vegas, NV, neighbors who live with spinal cord injuries know all too well how their daily lives have been affected.
It may be especially challenging to cope with a spinal cord injury when it was caused by the negligence of someone else. Not only do you face time off work, medical expenses, and a potentially life-changing disability, but you know that your pain could have been avoided if the other party had been more careful.
After suffering a major injury, many Las Vegas spinal cord injury victims have benefitted from the help of an experienced and compassionate spinal cord injury lawyer. At Richard Harris Law Firm, our Las Vegas personal injury attorneys are prepared to take the time needed to learn about your case.
Our team can fight on your behalf to ensure you receive the compensation you deserve. Call or text our spinal cord injury lawyers today at (702) 745-8555 for a free consultation.
Causes of Spinal Cord Injury
While you may take every precaution to keep you and your family safe, it is an unfortunate reality that we cannot control the actions of others around us. Sadly, the poor choices of others often have negative effects on those around them. Life can change in an instant after a sudden spinal injury.
Spinal cord injury after a car accident
It comes as no surprise that car accidents seriously injure many on Nevada roads. These accidents are the leading cause of spinal cord injuries in young people in the US. Every year, residents and visitors suffer a Las Vegas personal injury when another driver engages in dangerous or negligent habits such as distracted driving, impaired driving, or speeding.
Spinal cord injury after a fall
Whether a fall happens on the ground due to a slippery surface, or it happens from a height, falls can cause serious injury. For Americans over the age of 65, falls are the leading cause of spinal cord injuries. Even what may seem to be a minor, harmless fall can have catastrophic consequences.
Spinal cord injury while playing sports
A fun game with friends can turn disastrous after a spinal cord injury. Contact sports such as football, rugby, or hockey increase the chances of damage to the spine, and certain extreme sports carry a higher risk of serious injury if something goes wrong.
If someone else’s negligence caused your personal injury, you may be able to file a claim to receive compensation for your injuries. A lawyer can investigate the accident to prove liability and recover fair compensation. A free consultation with a spinal cord injury attorney at Richard Harris Law Firm can give you legal advice and help you understand your legal rights and options.
What You Should Know About Spinal Cord Injuries
While some serious spinal cord injuries result in paralysis, that is not true of all of them. However, all forms of spine injuries are often viewed as serious injuries because the spinal cord is unable to repair itself, unlike other body parts. This makes permanent damage or disability more likely after suffering a spine injury.
Signs of a spinal cord injury
After a fall or an accident, look out for these signs of a spinal cord injury:
- Loss of sensation in the arms or legs
- Loss of bowel or bladder control
- Numbness or tingling in the arms or legs
- Pain or pressure in the neck, head, or back
- Difficulty breathing
Really, after any type of trauma to the head, neck, or back, you should visit a medical professional. It can be easy for any of us to overlook signs of a more serious injury, perhaps feeling that you are needlessly worrying. However, any of these signs should be taken seriously so diagnosis and treatment can be pursued as soon as possible.
Types of spinal cord injuries
A complete spinal cord injury results in a complete loss of feeling and function, while incomplete SCIs leave the victim with some feeling or movement. The spinal cord is protected by vertebrae that are divided into four sections from top to bottom: cervical (7 vertebrae), thoracic (12 vertebrae), lumbar (5 vertebrae), and sacrum (5 vertebrae)
As a general rule, the higher the injury occurs along the spine, the more serious the injury. Depending on the severity and location of the injury along the spine, these injuries can affect the rest of the body, including blood pressure or sexual function. In fact, spinal cord injury victims are also at further risk of a number of dangerous secondary conditions, such as deep vein thrombosis, pressure ulcers, and respiratory complications.
What to do after a spinal cord injury
It is important to remember that the effects of a spinal cord injury might not be evident right away after an accident and can take time to show up. If you worry that you or someone you know has suffered a spinal cord injury, it is important to seek medical attention as soon as possible.
While waiting for medical treatment, make sure to follow this advice:
- Do not try to move the injured person
- Keep his or her neck stable
- If the person is vomiting, roll him or her onto one side without moving the head and neck (with the help of another person)
Following these steps immediately after an accident can help prevent further damage while waiting for medical help to arrive.
Spinal cord injury treatments
Emergency medical care might include surgery to reduce inflammation or remove objects that are compressing the spine. In the weeks and months that follow the injury, ongoing treatment and rehabilitation such as physical therapy are often invaluable. These can help the injured person regain abilities and increase quality of life.
Damages You Could Get Back After a Spinal Cord Injury
Suffering a spine injury often leaves the victim with lifelong effects – physical, financial, and psychological. Of course, we understand that it is impossible to completely erase the effects of the accident. On the other hand, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries, and working with a spinal cord injury attorney at Richard Harris Law Firm can help you recover your damages.
After carefully researching your spinal cord injury case, your personal injury lawyer can determine the fair amount of compensation you can receive, both for your financial and non-economic damages.
Lost wages
Immediately after a Las Vegas spinal cord injury, you may need to take an extended amount of time off work to recover and receive medical treatment. Or your injuries may be severe enough that they limit your ability to return to work at all.
The spinal cord injury lawyers at Richard Harris Law Firm can thoroughly investigate your case to make sure you receive compensation for your lost wages and even future earning capacity after your accident.
Medical expenses
Any type of medical treatment can be costly. Spinal cord injuries in particular often require extensive treatment and rehabilitation, which can cause medical bills to pile up.
These medical costs may include:
- Ambulatory care
- Surgical costs
- Medication
- Home care and rehabilitation costs
When someone else is at fault for your injuries, you shouldn’t be responsible for the cost of essential medical care. Your attorney can fight for your current and future medical bills to be covered as part of your settlement.
Spinal cord injuries often require the victim to install specialized equipment for increased accessibility for their homes and vehicles. These costs can be recovered as part of your compensation as well.
Reduced quality of life
Spinal cord injuries can have a lifelong effect on your quality of life. The emotional and psychological damages and pain and suffering of a permanent disability do not have a dollar value and can be difficult to calculate. Even though these non-economic damages are hard to quantify, they are real – and you deserve compensation for these losses as well.
How Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help
After suffering a serious injury, you hope that making an insurance claim would be all you need to do in order to get the compensation you deserve. Unfortunately, the insurance company may look for ways to deny claims or otherwise offer a small settlement. These sorts of corporations often pressure victims into accepting a settlement as soon as possible after an accident before the extent of their injuries becomes clear.
It is important to remember that insurance companies are a business and look for ways to save money. Your typical large insurance company has extensive resources and entire teams of experts fighting for their interests – you also need a legal team on your side who can fight for your legal rights.
You Can Have Our Spinal Cord Injury Attorneys On Your Side
After suffering a Las Vegas spinal cord injury, you shouldn’t have to pay the price of someone else’s negligent actions. At Richard Harris Law Firm, we care for our clients’ needs. That means taking the time needed to understand your unique spinal cord injury case and give it the attention it deserves.
Furthermore, there’s no risk to you when we take on your case. As all our personal injury cases are taken on a contingency fee basis, we don’t charge you for our services unless we are successful in securing you a payout.
Suffering a serious injury is a traumatic experience that can leave victims feeling stressed and overwhelmed. You don’t need to add the legal process and communication with insurance companies to your plate after an injury. When you work with the spinal cord injury attorneys at our firm, you can be confident that your case is in good hands so you can focus on your recovery and on your family.
Our experienced and compassionate legal team at Richard Harris Law Firm is here to help.Contact us 24/7 for a free consultation to learn how we can support you and help your family move forward after a spinal injury.
