Oceanside Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer

Oceanside Spinal Cord Injury Attorney

Spinal cord injuries can be devastating. They often continue to impact patients’ lives for years, and some even result in permanent disability or paralysis. If you’ve sustained a spinal cord injury, it doesn’t matter whether it was during a car accident or a slip-and-fall. Your next step will be the same: find an Oceanside spinal cord injury lawyer who can help.

Spinal cord injuries often occur as a result of accidents. When those accidents occur due to another person’s negligence, either directly, as in a car wreck, or indirectly, as in a slip-and-fall due to unmaintained pavement, they can result in compensation for the accident victim. The team at Kenneth M. Sigelman y Asociados has been successfully representing clients in spinal cord injury cases for years. We know just what it takes to maximize the chances of a successful claim.

Why Hire a Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer?

Filing a personal injury claim can be a complicated process, so you should hire a spinal cord injury lawyer as soon as possible after the accident occurs. An experienced attorney will know the spinal cord injury laws inside and out and have access to experts in the field, like professional witnesses who can testify as to the severity of your injuries.

Because spinal cord injuries are so serious, you’ll likely need to focus all of your energy on healing from your accident and finding ways to move on with your life. Hiring a lawyer will allow you to focus on what’s most important while we deal with the minutiae of your case, from filing paperwork on time to coming up with a courtroom strategy if it becomes necessary.

Two Types of Spinal Cord Injury

There are two categories of spinal cord injuries. Complete injuries describe cases where all or nearly all sensation and ability to control movement are lost below the affected area of the spinal cord. Incomplete injuries occur when the accident victim maintains some sensory or motor function below the injury site. Complete injuries are less common, comprising only 32% of all spinal cord injuries.

Both of these categories of injuries can cause a range of unpleasant symptoms, including:

• Loss of ability to control movement
• Loss of sensation, including hot or cold
• Loss of bladder and bowel control
• Intense stinging sensations
• Changes in sexual function
• Respiratory issues
• Brain injuries
• Pressure sores

In the most extreme cases, spinal cord injuries lead to paraplegia or quadriplegia, leaving accident victims disabled for the rest of their lives. No matter which category of spinal cord injury you’ve sustained, if it was caused by another person’s negligence, you deserve to be justly compensated for your suffering.

Common Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries

Thankfully, spinal cord injuries are relatively rare. Each year, 54 out of 1,000,000 Americans suffer from this form of injury. The most common causes of spinal cord injuries are car and motorcycle accidents, which make up 37% of cases. These often occur at dangerous intersections in Oceanside, like the intersection of El Cajon Boulevard and 36th Street.

Falls, often from height and onto hard surfaces, make up 31% of cases. Violence-related injuries cause 15% of spinal cord injuries, while sports accidents cause 8%.

Types of Spinal Cord Injury Claims

The type of claim you file will depend on the specifics of the circumstances surrounding your injury. There are three different types of spinal cord injury claims that are commonly filed:

• Negligence claims. File this type of claim if your spinal cord injury was caused by another person’s negligence, as is the case in many car accidents, slip-and-fall accidents, and falls from height.
• Defective product claims. File this type of claim if your injury was caused by a dangerous product like a faulty seatbelt or a poorly-designed safety harness.
• Intentional action. File this type of claim if your spinal cord injury occurred during an intentional assault. In these cases, you’ll likely file both criminal charges and an intentional tort claim.

FAQ

Q: What Is the Average Settlement for a Spinal Cord Injury?

UNA: There is no average settlement for a spinal cord injury because the details vary so significantly between cases. Factors that could influence the amount of compensation you receive include the severity of the injury, the medical and personal expenses you’ve incurred, and the permanence of any disability caused by the accident.

Q: What Should You Not Say to an Insurance Adjuster?

UNA: There are several things you should not say to an insurance adjuster. They include admission of fault, downplaying of your injuries, and speculating as to the cause of the accident. It’s also important that you avoid making these kinds of comments on your social media pages or to casual acquaintances, as they could also be used against you later in your personal injury case.

Q: How Hard Is It to Win a Spinal Cord Injury Case?

UNA: Winning a spinal cord injury case is quite difficult. You’ll need to build a case strong enough to withstand the scrutiny of powerful insurance companies’ legal teams. Your success will hinge on proving four elements of the case: a duty of care, the breach of that duty of care, a cause-and-effect link between that breach and your injury, and actual damages suffered as a result of your injury. Speak with a lawyer about how to get started.

Q: How Much Compensation Can You Get for a Spinal Cord Injury?

UNA: How much compensation you can get for a spinal cord injury depends on factors like the severity of the injury, how it was incurred, and whether it left you with a permanent disability. More severe, longer-lasting injuries typically lead to higher compensation because you will need to continue paying for medical care for a longer period.

Your Oceanside Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer

If you’ve sustained a spinal cord injury, finding a lawyer should be your second priority, right after seeking medical care. The team at Kenneth M. Sigelman & Associates has decades of experience in helping clients with spinal cord injuries seek the compensation they need to move on with their lives. Contáctenos to schedule a consultation today.