An injury to the spinal cord can change everything, and if your injury happened in the workplace, you should get compensation. Depending on the severity of the injury, damage to the spinal cord can cause lifelong disabilities and tremendous costs for victims and their families. At JML Law, our Downey spinal cord injury attorneys are ready to be by your side. Let us investigate everything that happened so we can secure the compensation you deserve.
How do spinal cord injuries happen
Our spinal cords run from our neck and down our back. Injuring them can lead to long-term health complications and disability. These injuries can affect all aspects of a person’s life. According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, there are around 300,000 people living with disabilities due to spinal cord injuries in the United States.
- There are around 18,000 new spinal cord injuries each year.
There are various ways that these injuries occur. The top causes include:
- Vehicle accidents (38.3%)
- falls (31.6%)
- violence (13.8%)
- sports and recreation incidents (8.2%)
- medical or surgical mistakes (4.6%)
- other (3.5%)
Vehicle accidents and falls are the contributing factors to workplace spinal cord injuries, but they are also caused by being caught between objects and falling objects.
What is the cost of treating these injuries
Spinal cord injuries vary widely in severity. A person could suffer from only temporary disabilities, or they could suffer from long-term consequences.
- Complete paralysis (quadriplegia) is the most severe spinal cord injury.
- A person could also suffer from lower-limb paralysis or partial paralysis of some or all limbs.
The first year of medical costs alone range from $359,000 to over $1.1 million, depending on the severity of the injury. Each follow-up year will see medical costs ranging from $43,000 to $191,000.
What about the other costs
Medical costs are not the only expense victims and their families pay due to these injuries. They must also cover costs for:
- Transportation to and from specialists
- Modifications to homes and vehicles
- Lost income or lost earning capacity
- Emotional and psychological damages
Spinal cord injury victims and their families should never be on the line for these costs when an injury happens at work. Workers’ compensation insurance should be there to help. Unfortunately, we know that is not always the case.
What will my attorney do to secure compensation
If you or someone you care about are suffering from a workplace spinal cord injury, you should not have to worry about compensation. However, you may need to seek legal assistance to ensure you are getting the benefits you deserve. At JML Law, we understand how devastating these injuries can be and will stop at nothing to ensure you receive the following:
- Coverage for past and future medical costs
- Lost wages and benefits if you cannot work
- Coverage for physical therapy or long-term care
- Pain and suffering damages
- Loss of personal enjoyment damages
- Punitive damages against any negligent party
When you need a Downey spinal cord injury lawyer, you can contact us by clicking here or calling us at 818-610-8800 for a free consultation today.
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