Atlanta Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer
Atlanta Spinal Cord Injury Attorney Overview
- Spinal Cord Injury Statistics
- The Hardest Cases Need the Strongest Advocates
- Common Causes of Serious Back Injuries
- The Consequences of Spinal Cord Injuries
- Determining Liability After Sustaining a Back Injury in Georgia
- Compensation After Sustaining Spinal Cord Damage
- Why Work with a Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer in Atlanta?
- An Atlanta Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer Can Help
One second of someone else’s carelessness can cost you the ability to walk.
A spinal cord injury rarely heals clean. It rewrites how you move, how you work, and how you live. The bills that follow can add up to millions over a lifetime. If a car crash, a fall, or someone’s plain negligence put you in that position, you shouldn’t be the one paying for it.
That’s what an Atlanta spinal cord injury lawyer is for. At Bey & Associates, we build the case that holds the responsible party accountable and goes after the full compensation your recovery demands.
Here’s what you’re up against and how the law can help.
Spinal Cord Injury Statistics
The numbers are sobering. A serious spinal cord injury rarely heals all the way. Once the cord is damaged, that damage is usually permanent. Physical therapy can restore some feeling or movement in some patients, and many others build full lives with a wheelchair and the right equipment. Full recovery, though, is the rare exception.
The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham tracks the hard data. Its latest figures put new spinal cord injuries at roughly 18,000 a year in the United States, with an estimated 305,000-plus people living with one right now.
Among injuries recorded since 2015, the most common diagnosis is incomplete tetraplegia, at about 47 percent. Incomplete paraplegia and complete paraplegia each account for roughly 20 percent, and complete tetraplegia for about 12 percent.
Fewer than one percent of patients walk away with a full neurological recovery.
A few more numbers from the NSCISC fill in the picture:
- The average age at injury is about 44.
- Roughly 78 percent of victims are male.
- Vehicle crashes and falls are the leading causes.
The typical stay runs about 11 days in acute hospital care, plus another 36 days in rehabilitation.
Atlanta Personal Injury Practice Areas
Medical Malpractice
Every time we enter the doors to a hospital, doctor's office, or other medical facility, we expect safe, competent care. When that doesn't happen, you deserve answers.
Car Accidents
A car wreck can change your life in the blink of an eye. If you’ve been seriously injured because of another driver’s negligence, you need help now.
Truck Accidents
Large truck and commercial truck accidents are some of the most devastating accidents we see across the United States and in Georgia.
Wrongful Death
The unexpected loss of a loved one is one of the most traumatic experiences a family can go through. When the death should have been prevented, the loss devastating.
Work Injuries
If you’ve been seriously injured while on the job, you’re likely already aware that your employer doesn’t make providing for your family a simple task.
Nursing Home Abuse
Even if you’re confident you’ve found a safe environment for them, it’s important to remember that there are negligent care facilities that abuse their residents.
Common Causes of Serious Back Injuries
Our lawyers will investigate your case to find out what happened and why. We’ll look into the cause of your injury. Spine injuries can occur in accidents caused by negligence. Most are traumatic in nature and can lead to other debilitating conditions with lifelong consequences.
These are among the most common direct causes:
- Car Crashes. Being in a serious car accident can cause severe back and neck trauma, which can damage the sensitive spine. Rollover and rear-end crashes often produce the most severe spinal injuries because of the force of impact and the effect that impact has on the body.
- Falls. In hazardous conditions, an accident where an individual trips or slips and falls as a result is legally referred to as a slip-and-fall accident. These can lead to serious injuries. Falling can shock the system and knock things out of place. Anytime the neck or back sustains an injury, the spinal cord is inevitably placed at risk.
- Truck Wrecks. Truck accidents are inherently more dangerous than many other vehicle accidents because of their sheer size and weight. They can lead to serious neck and back injuries—especially if the victim’s vehicle is crushed.
- Motorcycle Accidents. Motorcyclists tend to suffer from devastating injuries when they experience a collision with another vehicle or spin out of control suddenly as a result of weather conditions or road debris. Motorcycle wrecks are particularly dangerous for the rider because of the exposure to the elements. Individuals who choose to operate their bikes without helmets put themselves at an even greater risk.
- Medical Malpractice. While most physicians are able to successfully complete procedures, a negligent doctor may make mistakes in the operating room that can lead to serious spine injuries.
- Violence. Acts of unnatural violence can lead to life-altering injuries. Shootings are the most common violent crimes that lead to spinal cord trauma.
- Workplace Accidents. Workplace machinery can seriously injure an employee if it malfunctions or is used negligently. It’s an employer’s responsibility to ensure all equipment is safe and all employees are trained to use it safely, so that devastating work accidents are prevented.
- Sports Accidents. Contact sports can be dangerous, especially when players are not properly protected. Football, hockey, and soccer players are particularly at risk because of the significant number of head injuries that players who participate in those sports are likely to sustain.
If you suffered a spinal cord injury because of the reckless actions of another and recognize the causes above, or your injury occurred for a different reason, you deserve to make your voice heard. An Atlanta back injury attorney from Bey & Associates, LLC will assess what happened to you and the validity of your claim and discuss the options you have to move forward.
The Consequences of Spinal Cord Injuries
The spinal cord is responsible for relaying brain signals and messages throughout our bodies. It’s what allows us to do everything from walking to moving our limbs, standing, sitting, exercising, and enjoying a mobile life. This part of the body is also exceptionally fragile, as we discussed. It’s protected by our spinal column and each individual vertebra. When the spine is injured in an accident, the sensitive cord inside can easily become damaged.
The most common symptoms of a serious spine injury are related to complete or partial paralysis. After an accident like a car crash, symptoms may appear in a delayed manner.
A simple backache can turn into a condition much more severe. When the spinal cord is damaged, a victim may not feel pain at all. This is why it’s vital for accident victims to receive immediate medical attention regardless of the severity of their symptoms.
These injuries are generally categorized as either complete or incomplete. Complete means that the individual has no sensation or voluntary movement of those limbs, while incomplete means that some level of functionality may still be present. Victims of incomplete spine injuries can sometimes move one side of the body but not the other, or feel limbs they cannot move.
Spinal cord injuries are also typically categorized by the area of the body that is affected. Paraplegia describes the function of the lower half of the body, including the legs, while tetraplegia describes the function of all four limbs, including the full torso. Other terms that sometimes get used to describe injuries include paraparesis (partial paralysis of lower limbs), quadriparesis (partial paralysis of all four limbs), and quadriplegia (complete paralysis of all four limbs).
After feelings of paralysis, these are the most common symptoms associated with severe back injuries:
- Numbness or tingling in the external limbs.
- Extreme pain in the neck, head, or back.
- Difficulty with walking and balancing.
- Unusual lumps on the head or spine.
- Nerve pain.
- Difficulty breathing.
- Difficulty with bladder or bowel function.
Determining Liability After Sustaining a Back Injury in Georgia
Any person, party, or entity whose negligent or intentional misconduct caused the damage can be held responsible for their actions and the victim’s suffering. These types of cases often stem from negligence or defective products. Negligence implies an action or inaction that led directly to the injury. This could have happened because someone was driving while intoxicated, or they were looking at their cell phone while behind the wheel. If someone falls, it could be because of an unsafe railing or a hazardous worksite, such as construction.
Determining who was liable for your accident will take careful investigation and assessment of the facts.
If you were involved in a vehicle accident, our firm can consult with accident reconstruction specialists to piece together how the accident occurred. Other incidents that resulted in your injury can be investigated by looking at the accident scene, reading police reports, speaking to eyewitnesses, and reviewing evidence from the scene.
However, it’s possible that your accident occurred, and the liable party wasn’t present at the scene when it did. If your accident was caused by a defective product, the person who appeared to cause your accident may not have been at fault at all.
When defective products are to blame, it’s likely a manufacturing or design flaw is the culprit.
This would mean the company that made or sold the product may be held liable for your injuries.
When you’re holding a manufacturing company liable for their negligent actions, they may have representation insisting they weren’t at fault. While it can be intimidating to go up against a manufacturing company, your Atlanta spinal cord injury lawyer will help you every step of the way. We won’t be intimidated and will do everything we can to build you a strong case so you get the compensation you deserve.
In order to receive a financial award that can assist with all the costs associated with a devastating spine injury, your lawyer will need to prove certain elements were present.
We’ll thoroughly investigate the accident and gather evidence to show how the other party owed you a duty of care. This could be another driver owing you a duty of care by driving safely, or a property owner maintaining their premises. Then, we’ll prove they acted negligently and caused your accident. We’ll use the evidence we gathered to show the correlation between the accident and your injuries and other losses, and demand justice on your behalf.
Our law firm has the knowledge required to put together a compelling case that will show how you were wronged and deserve compensation. We’re prepared to work diligently on your case so you can get the recovery you need.
Compensation After Sustaining Spinal Cord Damage
There are a number of factors that can come into play when determining how much compensation a spinal cord injury victim is owed after their accident.
When evaluating the injury, medical professionals will make note of the following:
- The expected duration associated with the injury and its consequences.
- The end result of the complications often revolves around some form of paralysis.
- Life Expectancy. This is how the injury jeopardizes the victim’s overall health.
- This includes predicated instances of infection or other problems the injury could cause in the future.
- Mental Harm. A spinal cord injury can cause a profound emotional effect on the victim, including depression, stress, and anxiety.
Once the injury is evaluated, compensation can be determined. Victims are likely to receive compensation for the following types of damages:
- Medical bills.
- Future cost of care.
- Lost wages.
- Loss of earning capacity.
- Physical pain and suffering.
- Mental anguish.
- Loss of consortium and companionship.
Spinal cord injuries can result in a number of future health complications. When determining a fair compensation amount, the injuries you sustained, the recovery process, and the additional consequences of the injury must all be taken into account.
If you’ve missed work or aren’t able to return to your job, our lawyers will look into the days of pay you missed or the earnings you would have made had you been able to return to your job.
The abrupt change to your life can cause a lot of stress and mental anguish as you’re figuring out how to adjust your life to this injury.
The best way to ensure your compensation is full and fair is to have an Atlanta spinal cord injury attorney at your side. Bey & Associates, LLC will fight for your rights to ensure you receive fair compensation that aids with your recovery and adjustments.
Find the Help You Need Near You
With locations from coast to coast, it’s easy to get support in your area. Choose your location, reach out, and we’ll take it from there.