Did you suffer a preventable spinal injury in Lawrenceville, GA? If someone else’s negligence caused the accident that led to your injury, you have the right to seek financial compensation from them for your losses. While you focus on your recovery, let a Lawrenceville spinal injury lawyer from Butler Kahn pursue the compensation and justice you deserve.
At Butler Kahn, we focus exclusively on personal injury law. Our firm also purposely limits the number of cases we take on so we can provide the time, attention, and resources you need to demand a fair recovery for your spinal injury claim. Contact us for a free initial case evaluation to speak with a Lawrenceville spinal injury lawyer about filing a spinal injury claim.
What Types of Accidents Can Cause a Spinal Injury?
Examples of accidents that could lead to spinal injuries include:
- Car accidents, including Uber & Lyft accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Truck accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Boating accidents
- Premises liability accidents, including falls and swimming pool accidents
- Defective product accidents
Are There Different Categories of Spinal Cord Injuries?
Doctors categorize spinal cord injuries (SCIs) as either incomplete or complete injuries:
- Incomplete – With an incomplete spinal cord injury, the spinal cord is only partially severed, which allows some signals to continue traveling between the brain and the parts of the body below the level of the injury. Victims of incomplete SCIs sometimes have feeling and motor function below the injury site.
- Complete – The spinal cord is completely severed with a complete spinal cord injury. This cuts off all signals between the brain and the body below the injury, causing total paralysis from the injury site down.
What Are the Levels of Spinal Cord Injury?
Doctors also separate spinal cord injuries into different levels based on their location on the spinal cord:
- Sacral spinal cord injuries – The sacral region is the lowest level of the spinal column. Sacral spinal cord injuries usually affect the hips, the backs of the thighs, the buttocks, and the pelvic organs. Many victims with sacral spinal cord injuries can still walk.
- Lumbar spinal cord injuries – The lumbar region is the next part of the spinal column. Spinal cord injuries in the lumbar region affect the legs and pelvis. If a lumbar injury occurs low enough along the spine, the victim could keep some function in their legs.
- Thoracic spinal cord injuries – The thoracic region includes the upper middle portion of the spinal column. Injuries in this region affect the legs, pelvis, abdomen, chest, and arms.
- Cervical spinal cord injuries – The cervical region makes up the top portion of the spinal column. Cervical SCIs typically result in partial or total paralysis from the neck or shoulders down.
What Are Some Symptoms of a Spinal Cord Injury?
Symptoms that an accident victim might display following a spinal cord injury include:
- Odd positioning or twisting of the neck or back
- Loss of motor function
- Lost or altered sense of touch, heat, or cold
- Loss of bladder or bowel control
- Severe pain or pressure in the head, neck, or back
- Stinging or intense pain along the spinal column
- Weakness, lack of coordination, or paralysis
- Numbness or tingling in the hands and feet
- Difficulty keeping balance or walking
- Impaired breathing or difficulty clearing the lungs
- Exaggerated reflexes or spasms
- Changes in sexual function or sensitivity
What Is a Lawrenceville Spinal Injury Case Worth?
If you suffered a spinal cord injury in an accident in Lawrenceville, you could have the right to recover compensation for your ongoing and anticipated losses. The value of your spinal injury case could include money for your:
- Costs of medical treatment and rehabilitation, including hospitalizations, surgeries, prescription drugs, and physical or occupational therapies
- Costs of long-term care and support, including home health services, caregivers, housekeeping, and installation of accessibility accommodations
- Loss of income for the time you miss at work during your recovery
- Loss of future earning capacity and employment benefits if you cannot return to the work you did before the spinal cord injury
- Subjective losses, like physical pain and emotional distress
- Lost quality of life if disabilities prevent you from doing activities you previously enjoyed
What Should You Do If You Have Suffered a Spinal Injury?
Steps you should take to protect your legal rights after suffering a spinal injury include:
- Report the incident to the authorities and request copies of any accident reports.
- Seek immediate medical attention, follow your healthcare provider’s treatment plan, and request copies of your medical records.
- Keep copies of your bills, invoices, and receipts to document your expenses.
- Gather your pay stubs or income statements to calculate your lost earnings if you become temporarily or permanently unable to work.
- Start a journal to document your recovery, including the pain, physical limitations, and emotional distress you experience due to your injury and medical treatments.
- Contact a spinal injury lawyer for help with your injury claim.
How Is Liability Proven in a Spinal Injury Case?
Proving another party’s responsibility for the accident that caused your spinal injury could require several types of evidence. Examples of evidence that you could use to prove liability in your spinal injury case include:
- Police accident reports
- Business incident reports
- Surveillance or traffic camera footage of the accident
- Photos of accident scenes or visible injuries
- Testimony from eyewitnesses and experts
Does Georgia Have a Time Limit for Filing a Spinal Injury Claim?
Under Georgia law, you generally have just two years from the date of an injury to file a personal injury lawsuit. Courts can dismiss spinal injury claims filed after the two-year deadline. That’s why it’s essential to speak with a spinal cord injury lawyer as soon as possible after an accident to avoid missing the deadline and losing your right to sue.
Contact a Lawrenceville Spinal Injury Lawyer
If you are reading this page because you or a loved one have been involved in a spinal injury accident, we extend our sincerest sympathy and hope the information on this page has been helpful. If you’d like to talk with us about your situation, call us or contact us online for a free consultation. There is no charge to talk with us about your case.