Spinal cord injuries (SCIs) from car wrecks, falls, acts of violence, or other causes devastate the lives of victims and their families. SCIs almost always result in lifetime medical costs such as special equipment, live-in care, home and vehicle modifications, surgeries, and physical therapies. While we know a personal injury lawsuit won’t reverse what happened to you, it can help with the enormous costs associated with this type of injury. With help from Powers Injury Law, you may be able to recover for your pain and suffering, lost quality of life, and lost earning capacity as well.
About Spinal Cord Injuries
The spinal column houses a bundle of important nerves. Your spinal cord carries messages between your brain and body, controlling movement and feeling. Spinal cord injuries damage these nerves, resulting in full or partial loss of sensation and motor control. Depending on the location and severity of the injury, victims may be paralyzed in the lower portion of the body or in all four limbs. Victims with SCIs often suffer issues related to respiratory function, body temperature, bladder and bowel control, and sexual function.
There is currently no cure for SCIs, but some SCI victims can recover some or all lost feeling and movement with special therapies. In most cases, SCI victims suffer permanent disability and cannot return to the jobs they held prior to the incident. A personal injury lawsuit can give victims the money they need to pay bills, cover medical expenses, and move on from their injuries as much as possible. It can also cover intangible losses like enjoyment of life, as well as mental anguish and emotional trauma. After suffering an SCI, speaking to a lawyer can be the first step toward a life that makes sense again.
Spinal Cord Injury Liability
The spinal cord can suffer an injury in a variety of circumstances, from a fall down a flight of stairs to sports impact. Learning who may be liable for your SCI is necessary to pursue compensation through the Alabama civil courts. Powers Injury Law will investigate your incident and help you assign fault to one or more defendants. The legal basis for your SCI will differ depending on the situation:
- Most personal injury cases center around the legal theory of negligence. Negligence is one person’s breach of duty that results in someone else’s injury. SCI cases based on negligence could include vehicle wrecks, slips and falls, medical malpractice, sports injuries, and acts of violence.
- Defective products. A faulty seatbelt or airbag can easily cause an SCI by malfunctioning during a collision. Defective vehicle parts can fail to protect passengers as they should, contributing to the development of a serious spinal cord injury. These cases center on product liability and manufacturer error.
In some SCI cases, the defendant may try to use contributory negligence as a defense. This is especially common in cases involving assumption of risk. For example, if a person sustains an SCI while bungee jumping, the defense could argue that the individual took on this assumption of risk when he/she engaged in the dangerous activity. If the defendant was negligent in some way (e.g. the bungee jumping supervisor placed the harness around the plaintiff improperly) and this negligence caused the injury, the courts can still hold the defendant liable.
Protect Your Rights with Award-Winning Lawyers in Birmingham
Our firm offers caring, considerate, and compassionate professional partnerships with our clients, working for you and with you. With awards like B-Metro’s Top Lawyers for Personal Injury and a 9.8 rating in AVVO under our belt, Powers Injury Law is the firm you’ve been seeking to represent your spinal cord injury in Birmingham. Call (205) 582-2723 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation.
