The spinal cord is a critical bundle of nerves transmitting messages back and forth between the brain and the body below. When an injury disrupts this pathway, the messages can no longer travel past the point of the spinal cord injury. If the injury was preventable if only another party had taken reasonable care, it’s even more devastating; however, the El Paso courts allow a spinal cord injury victim to seek financial compensation for their injury-related losses from the at-fault party if the injury resulted from someone else’s careless, reckless, or wrongful actions.
Call our experienced El Paso personal injury lawyers at 915-250-0700 to learn about your legal rights and options.
Why You Should Choose Our Spinal Cord Injury Attorneys
A spinal cord injury is one of the most life-altering, catastrophic injuries an injury victim can suffer. Cal Mundell Injury Law understands the deep devastation of a grave injury and the ripple effect on the victim’s family. Your El Paso spinal cord injury attorney will provide the following advantages:
- Representation by a lawyer who once worked defending large insurance companies, giving him keen insight into both sides of the claim process
- A history of exceptional results and satisfied clients to lend a powerful voice to your claim
- A personalized strategy to obtain the most favorable result possible by an attorney named a Texas Rising Star by the prestigious publication Super Lawyers
With a free case consultation and contingency-based payment, Cal Mundell Injury Law Firm handles your case at no upfront cost to you. Instead, you only pay legal fees after your attorney recovers your compensation through a settlement or court award.
What Are the Most Common Causes of Spinal Cord Injury In El Paso?
The bony vertebrae in the spinal column serve as the body’s structural support and as protection for the crucial nerves in the spinal cord. Unfortunately, despite this protection, a powerful blow, twist, or shattered bone can cause the nerves in the spinal cord to tear, shear, or suffer damage from inflammation and internal bleeding. The most common causes of spinal cord injuries in El Paso and elsewhere include the following:
- Car accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Falls from heights
- Recreational activity injuries, such as those from diving, skiing, snowboarding, skating, scooters, or horseback riding
- Workplace injuries
- Contact sports injuries
- Trampoline park injuries
When a person suffers an injury to the spinal cord, the nerves do not regenerate. Instead, most spinal cord injury victims must use adaptive equipment for mobility.
Understanding the Impacts of an El Paso Spinal Cord Injury
A spinal cord injury prevents messages from transmitting between the brain and the body below. The severity of the injury victim’s symptoms depends on the height of the injury in the spinal column. For instance:
- Cervical injuries occurring to the spinal cord below the head and in the upper portion of the neck have the most severe long-term impacts, with facial paralysis and loss of sensation below the head or neck, known as quadriplegia or tetraplegia, with a dependence on full-time medical assistance and equipment to sustain life
- Thoracic injuries occur at the upper or mid-back level, typically allowing the victim to retain movement and sensation in their shoulders, arms, and sometimes in a portion of the abdomen
- Lumbar spinal cord injuries impact the lower body, often with paralysis of the hips, pelvic region, and legs (paraplegia), requiring a wheelchair or other assistive medical equipment for mobility
- Sacral spinal cord injuries affect the spinal cord at the tailbone, often allowing some sensation and movement in the legs
All spinal cord injuries are traumatic and require the injury victim to rely on some level of mobility equipment and assistive care. However, injury victims with lower spinal cord injuries may regain their self-sufficiency with mobility equipment, such as a wheelchair.
Understanding Additional Long-Term Effects of a Spinal Cord Injury In El Paso
Depending on the severity of the injury, it can be difficult or impossible to return to the workplace and accomplish routine daily tasks without assistance. Unfortunately, the victims of spinal cord injuries often suffer long-term adverse impacts on their health, including the following conditions:
- Respiratory illnesses
- Catheter-related urinary tract infections
- Pressure sores
- Frequent fractures
Autonomic dysreflexia is also an after-effect of spinal cord injuries. This is a life-threatening, shock-like condition that occurs as the body warns the paralyzed person of an injury or illness in a portion of the body that lacks sensation. Symptoms of autonomic dysreflexia include elevated blood pressure, severe headache, sweating, flushing or blotchy skin, and decreased heart rate requiring emergency medical care.
Liability In an El Paso Spinal Cord Injury Claim
Proving liability for a spinal cord injury requires the injury victim to prove that their injury resulted from someone else’s careless, reckless, or wrongful actions—all examples of legal negligence. Common liable parties in El Paso spinal cord injury cases include the following:
- Drivers
- Property owners
- Employers or contractors
- The owners of sports teams or sports or recreational facilities
Proving liability for an injury victim’s damages requires showing evidence that the at-fault party owed a duty of reasonable care to the injury victim, that they breached this duty through negligence, that the breach of duty caused the injury, and that the injury victim suffered significant damages from the injury.
In a personal injury case, the word “damages” refers to the economic and non-economic consequences of an injury.
What Damages Can I Recover In a Spinal Cord Injury Case In El Paso?
A spinal cord injury is expensive, life-altering, and both physically and emotionally painful. Although a successful claim cannot erase the injury or repair the harm, it opens doors to the best medical care and assistance a spinal cord injury victim requires and eases financial concerns. Common damages recovered in spinal cord injury claims include the following:
- Reimbursement for medical expenses
- Anticipated expenses for future medical care
- Adaptive equipment costs for mobility equipment and adaptations to the home and vehicle
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Lost earnings
- Reduced earning capacity
- Compensation for pain and suffering
- Catastrophic injury damages, like loss of enjoyment of life, loss of consortium, and disability
In many cases, additional compensation is available for therapy costs as a victim may deal with the emotional damages of spinal cord injuries like PTSD, depression, sleep disorders, and anxiety.
Call Our Spinal Cord Injury Lawyers in El Paso Today
No one should have to add a complex legal process to their plate while they are also dealing with the life-altering consequences of a spinal cord injury. Instead, reach out to Cal Mundell Injury Law for experienced representation in this crucial compensation claim so you can focus on maximizing your physical and emotional recovery while your attorney focuses on your financial recovery. For a free consultation, please contact us at 915-250-0700.