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Baton Rouge Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer
It only takes a second for someone’s life to change completely. No one understands this better than spinal cord injury victims. Every Baton Rouge spinal cord injury lawyer at The Law Offices of Ossie Brown represents individuals and their families following catastrophic injuries. We understand the importance of holding negligent parties accountable and helping our clients recover as much compensation as possible to cover the physical, emotional, and financial losses associated with a spinal cord injury. Every dollar earned in a personal injury lawsuit will count towards improving a victim’s quality of life after sustaining severe injuries.
Our personal injury attorneys take spinal cord injury cases on a contingency fee basis, so you won’t pay us anything unless your personal injury claim is successful. Call us today at 225-343-1111 for a free consultation.
What is a Spinal Cord Injury?
A severe spinal cord injury causes damage to the nerves that are protected within the bones that surround the spinal canal.
In many cases, a spinal cord injury is one of the most expensive types of injuries a person can have. Typically, spinal cord injuries occur due to trauma, medical malpractice, or disease.
This type of injury can happen to any person, young or old, at any time, and the vast majority of the time, a spinal cord injury will result in a lack of movement and/or feeling below the injury itself.
Depending on where the spinal cord injury occurs, a spinal cord injury victim will be considered a paraplegic or a quadriplegic. They will need to be treated at a medical facility that specializes in spinal injuries.
Types of Spinal Cord Injuries
Many people don’t understand the complexities surrounding spinal cord injuries until they or someone that they love sustains one. Spinal injuries can range from acute to deadly. Medical professionals categorize spinal cord injuries in two categories: complete spinal cord injury and incomplete spinal cord injury.
Complete Spinal Cord Injury
A complete injury means that the area of the body located below the spinal cord injury can no longer process what the brain is telling it to do. This means that victims of complete spinal cord damage will completely lose nerve and motor function, as well as all movement and sensation below the actual injury.
He or she will be totally paralyzed below the injured area. This is commonly referred to as paraplegia.
Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury
If a person has an incomplete spinal cord injury, their body can still read some of the nervous system’s signals that are transmitted from the spinal cord to the brain. This means that victims of incomplete spinal cord injuries will still have some degree of sensation and movement.
The amount of ability depends on the severity of the spinal damage.
Incomplete spinal injuries fall into one of five categories:
- Anterior cord syndrome
- Brown-Sequard syndrome
- Cauda equina syndrome
- Central cord syndrome
- Posterior cord syndrome
Common Causes of a Spinal Cord Injury
Almost 18,000 Americans suffer from spinal injuries every year. And, many spinal cord injuries have the ability to completely impair your life. At The Law Offices of Ossie Brown in Baton Rouge, LA, our personal injury attorneys have extensive experience litigating the different types of cases that stem from spine injuries, most commonly where defective products, motor vehicle accidents, and medical malpractice are to blame.
Some of the most common causes of spine injuries include:
Car Accidents
Car accidents are to blame for many spinal cord injury cases that we take at our injury law firm. A person doesn’t have to be in a major car accident to sustain spinal cord damage. Even a minor car accident can result in damage that’s related to airbag deployment injuries or whiplash injuries.
Slip and Fall Accidents
Anyone can sustain a spinal injury from a slip and fall accident. However, the most susceptible to spine injuries as a result of a fall are the elderly. Most of the time, for senior citizens, a spinal cord injury results in a drastic decline in overall health and wellbeing. If an elderly person falls during their stay at a nursing home or assisted living facility, the at-fault party may be liable for medical bills and other damages incurred.
Slip and fall accidents can also happen in more dangerous work environments, such as oilfield or construction industries.
Medical Malpractice
When a person visits a healthcare provider or has a surgery to remedy an injury or illness, they expect to get better, not worse. But, when a patient ends up sustaining worse damage due to negligent action or lack thereof, this is known as medical malpractice.
A medical professional can make a number of errors that could result in a spinal injury, including but not limited to:
- Contributing to a birth injury
- Delaying a necessary surgical procedure
- Failing to diagnose and/or treat a spinal infection, tumor, or stroke
- Failing to follow safety protocols, leading to a fall
- Making a surgical error during a neurosurgery or orthopedic surgery
- Making an error when administering a spinal anesthetic or spinal block
Other Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries
There are many other causes of back injuries. A few of these include:
- Motorcycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Defective products
- Bicycle accidents
- Sports injuries
- Boating accidents
Hiring a spinal cord injury lawyer with extensive experience in such injuries can help to ensure that you receive the financial compensation you deserve, regardless of the reason for your injury.
How to Prove Negligence in a Spinal Cord Injury Case
In order to have a valid spinal cord injury lawsuit, your personal injury attorney must prove that a third party was liable for your spine injury. Establishing liability is part of connecting your back injury to causation.
In order to prove negligence in your personal injury claim and recover compensation, your attorney must first prove that the at-fault party owed you a duty of care. This simply means that one party should act with a reasonable level of caution.
From here, your personal injury lawyer will need to show that the defendant breached this duty; this is the act of negligence. They must then show that the act of negligence was the reason your back injury occurred.
Spinal Cord Injury Damages
In order to have the best chances of receiving maximum compensation in your spinal cord injury lawsuit, you’ll want to work with an established personal injury law firm with the financial means to float your injury claim and to take on a team of legal professionals.
Regardless of how your back injury occurred, any type of spine injury is expensive in nature. The negligent party’s insurance company knows the costs associated with a severe injury like this and will throw a seemingly unending amount of resources to lower your payout or settlement amount.
In most personal injury cases, damages will fall into two categories: economic damages and non economic damages.
Economic damages have a set monetary value.
These damages can include current medical expenses including:
- Medical bills
- Medication costs
- Mobility aids
- Rehabilitation costs
- Home modification costs
This can also include job-related expenses, such as:
- Lost wages
- Lost or reduced earning capacity
- Occupational retraining
- Missed opportunity for promotions
Non economic damages include damages that aren’t as easily calculated. These can include pain and suffering, disfigurement, or loss of quality of life.
In the most catastrophic of circumstances, the estate of the deceased can receive loss of companionship as well as funeral and burial costs in addition to the aforementioned damages.
When a person sustains a spine or back injury, the result is often permanent. A severe back injury can result in herniated discs or paralysis.
These types of injuries may have a significant impact on your bladder control and/or bowel control, sexual function, and overall ability to provide for yourself and your family.
Additionally, without a successful personal injury case, medical costs associated with ongoing medical care won’t be financially possible for most victims.
The Baton Rouge spinal cord injury lawyers at The Law Offices of Ossie Brown have the experience and dedication required to fight for maximum compensation on your behalf. We can review your records and determine the value of past, present and future losses associated with your back injury.
Louisiana Statute of Limitations for a Spinal Cord Injury
Injury cases in Louisiana have a statute of limitations of only one year. This means that back injury victims only have one year from the day they were injured to file an injury claim for their injuries.
Spinal injuries can change over time, so it’s important that you work with a Baton Rouge personal injury attorney who understands the importance of preserving evidence for your trial.
Additionally, insurance companies may not take your claim seriously unless our lawyer makes it obvious that they are prepared to go to trial.
Spinal Cord Injury FAQ
According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, there are 17,810 new spinal injury cases each year. These cases don’t include victims that died due to back injuries or that passed away at the accident scene.
According to the National Library of Medicine, an estimated 16-74% of patients with a spine injury have a concomitant traumatic brain injury. This combination can often cause difficulties implementing rehabilitation strategies and/or drug therapies.
Yes, an injury on the spinal column can certainly cause paralysis. If the injury is located higher on the spine, it can cause total paralysis and affect all limbs. This is called tetraplegia or quadriplegia. And, if the injury is lower on the spinal column, it can cause the legs and lower body to be paralyzed. This is called paraplegia.
Call a Baton Rouge Spinal Cord Injury Attorney at The Law Offices of Ossie Brown Today
The Law Offices of Ossie Brown is an award-winning personal injury law firm in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Our back injury and catastrophic injury firm has handled thousands of personal injury claims and has the substantial financial resources that are needed to handle even the most complex spinal cord and back injury cases. At The Law Offices of Ossie Brown, our personal injury attorneys have years, if not decades of legal practice under their belts to help our clients navigate this difficult experience. However, time limitations do apply, and the sooner you take legal action, the better your chances are of obtaining a favorable outcome. Call our office today at 225-343-1111 for a free case evaluation.Free Consultation
Let us review your case at no cost to you. We want to take the time to get to know you and understand your legal goals and objectives.
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The attorneys at The Law Offices of Ossie Brown are skilled in several practice areas and ready to discuss your case. Contact us today to schedule your free consultation.
