Spinal cord injuries have a profound and lasting impact on those injured and their loved ones. Life for anyone involved will seldom look the same as it once did following such a devastating injury, made worse by knowing that the suffering is due to another person’s negligence and could have been avoided. These injuries take a huge toll on victims and their families physically, emotionally, occupationally, and financially. Additionally, despite how fast medicine is evolving, there is no telling with absolute certainty what the future holds for victims of spinal cord injuries.
While nothing could begin to undo the pain and hardship you have experienced following a spinal cord injury, there is an avenue for legal recourse to address your losses. While financial compensation won’t do much to make the day-to-day struggles of adapting following a spinal cord injury easier, it can ease the financial burden that the injury has undoubtedly caused and can set you and your family up for the best possible future.
What You Should Do After a Spinal Injury
Moreover, bringing forth a personal injury claim not only helps offset the medical bills, lost wages, and financial losses, but it also allows victims of spinal cord injuries to hold any and all parties at fault accountable for their actions. Pursuing a case allows victims and their families to see justice for what was taken from them.
How MI ABOGADO® Can Help With Your Spinal Cord Injury
If you or a loved one suffered a spinal cord injury due to someone else’s negligence, trust the experienced advocates at MI ABOGADO®. Based in Los Angeles but serving clients across the great state of California, our team is ready to start fighting tirelessly for you, your health, your family, and your future. We have represented nearly 300,000 clients like you, with a 96% success rate.
We understand that, following a spinal cord injury, the last thing that victims and their families need is to be financially burdened to seek justice. That’s why we take spinal cord injury claims on a contingency fee basis, asking for no fees upfront. In short, we don’t get paid until we help you see the maximum possible settlement for your losses.
What is a Spinal Cord Injury?
At the center of the central nervous system, the spinal cord is a delicate structure that is responsible for an incredible amount of our day-to-day functioning. The spinal cord has many roles in the body, including controlling movement, reflexes, and bodily functions, and serving as the conduit for almost all of the communication between the brain and the rest of the body. Not only is the spinal cord the avenue by which our brain tells our body to move, but it maintains autonomic functions, meaning the things our body does without conscious effort such as breathing, blood pressure, heart rate, and digestion. Given the importance of the spinal cord in maintaining just about every aspect of daily life, there’s no surprise that the impact of a spinal cord injury can be vast and catastrophic.
How Does a Spinal Injury Happen?
The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center estimates that almost 18,000 spinal cord injuries occur each year, with around 300,000 Americans living with spinal cord injuries. These injuries are far from uncommon.
A spinal cord injury occurs when there is damage to the spinal cord or damage to the tissue and bones surrounding it, known as the vertebrae.
Depending on the degree of damage to the spinal cord, these injuries are classified as incomplete or complete.
- Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: the spinal cord is able to communicate some messages between the brain and the body. This means that the injured party may have some sensation and muscle control below where the injury occurred.
- Complete Spinal Cord Injury: cuts off all communication between the brain and the body below the injury, allowing for no sensation or voluntary movement.
Generally, spinal cord injuries can result in two types of paralysis.
- Quadriplegia (also known as tetraplegia) affects all four limbs and most of the body
- Paraplegia generally only affects the lower body and legs
- Herniated discs and certain fractures and dislocations are also classified as spinal cord injuries even if they don’t result in significant paralysis.
Common Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries can be caused in countless ways, but they can often be attributed to a party’s negligence. Some of the leading causes of spinal cord injuries include:
- Car, truck, motorcycle, and similar transport accidents
- Bicycle and pedestrian accidents
- Sports and recreational injuries
- Workplace accidents, especially on construction sites
- Slip and fall accidents
- Medical malpractice
- Violence and crime
What Damages Are Available in Spinal Cord Injury Claims?
Every spinal cord injury is unique, just as the circumstances surrounding the injury are. Because of that, it’s difficult to estimate to a high degree of certainty what kinds of damages will be awarded and their potential amounts. The amount one can expect to recover depends greatly on the cause of the injury, the severity of the injury, the age and prior health of the victim, their occupation and earning potential, and the like.
Some commonly awarded damages in spinal cord injury cases include:
- Medical bills
- Physical therapy
- Rehabilitation costs
- In-home care expenses
- Home adaptation and modification expenses
- Medical equipment
- Ongoing medical treatment
- Property damage
- Lost wages
- Lost future income
- Diminished earning potential
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress and mental anguish
- Permanent disability and disfigurement
- Loss of enjoyment of life
How Long Does It Take For A Spinal Injury Case To Settle?
In the state of California, insurance companies follow specific timelines when it comes to settling insurance claims. From the moment a claim is filed, there are set timeframes in place:
- Acknowledgment of Claim– Insurance companies must acknowledge a claim within 15 days of its submission. During this time, policyholders will receive essential instructions and paperwork, which often includes proof of loss forms. These forms serve as a sworn statement from the policyholder, detailing the extent of the damage or injuries
- Claim Decision– After receiving completed proof of loss forms, insurance companies have 40 days to make a decision on the claim
- Final Payment– If the claim is approved, the insurance company has 30 days to make the final settlement payment
It’s important to note that various factors can influence the precise duration of the settlement process. Cases involving severe injuries or multiple parties can extend the settlement timeline. Effective communication between the insured individual, the insurance company, and the insurance adjuster is crucial in expediting the process. Understanding these timelines can help both policyholders and insurers navigate the claims settlement process in California efficiently.
How California Personal Injury Law Firm MI ABOGADO Can Help You Get Justice
MI ABOGADO® has served over a quarter of a million clients like you, with 96% seeing justice for their losses. We have recovered millions of dollars from our clients. Through that experience, the team at MI ABOGADO® understands the magnitude of the loss that victims of spinal cord injuries and their families have suffered. The last thing you need to do, when recovering from such a devastating injury and adjusting to your new normal, is to deal with aggressive lawyers and uncooperative insurance companies.
That’s why MI ABOGADO® makes it our mission to take care of the rest, leaving you to dedicate your valuable time and energy to what truly matters: your health, your family, and your future. Our comprehensive services begin on the very day you become our client, where we will put our vast network of trusted California medical professionals to work, making sure you are receiving the highest quality care. Once your physical recovery is in good hands, we begin fighting aggressively for the maximum financial recovery.
MI ABOGADO® believes that bigger isn’t always better – better service is better. Founding Attorney Javaheri worked for a big law firm and was astonished by how clients were treated by the people they were putting their trust in. Their concerns were pushed off to customer service professionals and their case was pushed off to inexperienced associates and paralegals. That’s why he founded MI ABOGADO®, where he does things differently, limiting the number of active cases he takes to ensure that he is personally available to every client who trusts MI ABOGADO® with their case.
Contact Our Experienced Los Angeles Spinal Cord Injury Attorney Today
MI ABOGADO® serves clients across the state of California from our office in Los Angeles. We have implemented sophisticated technology and have an expansive network of trusted medical professionals across the state, allowing us to serve clients from San Diego to San Jose.
A spinal cord injury has a devastating and enduring impact on the injured party and their loved ones. Knowing that, MI ABOGADO® is proud to say that we don’t take any fees from our clients upfront. You shouldn’t have to be burdened with outlandish upfront fees while simply trying to get justice for your injuries. We don’t get paid until you receive your rightful settlement, and that’s MI ABOGADO®’s guarantee.
We offer free, confidential, and no-obligation consultations and second opinions. Contact us today so we can get started fighting for you.