Midland Spinal Injury Lawyer

Spinal cord injuries can happen for a variety of reasons, including car accidents, slip and fall accidents, workplace accidents, and playing sports. This type of injury is one of the most devastating types of injury because of the extreme pain and the potential loss of body function. Spinal cord injuries often cause long-term or permanent disabilities, so it is important that those who suffer this type of injury because of another’s negligence contact a Midland spinal cord injury lawyer as soon as possible.

Contact back injury lawyers in Midland at Hanna Allen, PLLC at (432) 220-3331 to schedule a free case evaluation if the actions or inactions of another person or entity caused your back and spinal cord injuries.

HOW BACK INJURY LAWYERS IN MIDLAND CAN HELP YOU

A Midland spinal cord injury attorney focuses on helping you recover the compensation you deserve. We are always available to respond to your questions. We know that insurance companies take advantage of those who do not know the laws and are vulnerable, so they can pay as little as they think they can get away with. Thus, we work on a contingency fee so that you can have proper representation during your case. This means you do not pay anything for our services unless and until we win compensation for you.

You can concentrate on your rehabilitation when you do not have to worry about negotiating with insurance companies or looking for evidence. Whether you suffered injuries in an oilfield accident or other workplace accident, a slip and fall, a vehicle accident, or a motorcycle accident, we can help you recover the compensation you deserve.

WHAT IS A SPINAL CORD INJURY?

The spinal cord is a bundle of nerves that resides in the backbone, which is made up of vertebrae and discs. The backbone protects the spinal cord. If you injure the backbone, you could damage the spinal cord. Depending on the type of injury, the damage could be temporary or permanent. If the nerve cells do not die or very few die, the injury is often temporary.

Doctors classify spine injuries as incomplete or complete. In an incomplete injury, the spinal cord can still send some messages to and from the brain, which means that you could have some function below the injury. With a complete injury, no messages can get through, which means you lose all function below the injury.

SYMPTOMS OF SPINAL CORD INJURIES

Depending on the severity of the injury and where it is located on the spinal cord, your symptoms could vary. If you suspect a spinal cord injury after an accident, seek medical attention immediately so that medical professionals can diagnose and treat the injury. Doctors might use magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computerized tomography (CT scans), and X-rays to help diagnose a spinal cord injury. They will also look at the symptoms you exhibit, which could include:

• Loss of movement below the injury
• Numbness and/or tingling in your feet and hands
• A change of sensation in your feet and hands
• Pain and/or pressure in your back, head or neck
• Change in sexual function
• Loss of control of your bladder and/or bowels
• Weakness in parts of the body below the injury
• Inability to move parts of the body below the injury
• Problems breathing
• Problems walking
• Your spine or head might be in an unnatural position.

You could also suffer paralysis, which does not always happen immediately after the accident. Depending on the amount of swelling and bleeding in the area, the paralysis could develop over time.

RECOVERING DAMAGES AFTER A SPINAL CORD INJURY ACCIDENT

After a spinal cord injury accident, you should contact a Midland spinal cord injury lawyer as soon as possible to help you recover the compensation you deserve. Insurance companies do not like to pay out, so they will look for any reason to deny your claim. Barring that, they will offer you the least amount possible, because every claim they pay cuts into their profits.

In Texas, you can recover compensatory damages and punitive damages. Compensatory damages include economic damages and non-economic damages. The court orders this type of compensation in an effort to make you whole again. While the money does not eliminate your injuries or bring a loved one back, it goes a long way toward reducing financial stress.

On the other hand, the court does not order punitive damages to make you whole – instead, it is a way to punish the defendant’s grossly negligent behavior. Since the court orders a defendant to pay punitive damages as a punishment, you must prove that the defendant’s actions or inactions were intentional or grossly negligent. It does take some extra steps to win punitive damages, but in cases where injuries are catastrophic, it is worth the extra effort. The back injury lawyers at Hanna Allen, PLLC know how to present a successful case for punitive damages after a spinal injury.

Economic Damages

Special damages, usually referred to as economic damages, have a monetary value and include:

Medical Expenses
Injury victims can recover the medical expenses they incur from the time of the accident through the time of settlement or a trial award. They can also recover compensation to cover upcoming medical expenses. Spinal cord injuries that last a lifetime require continuous medical care. Your attorneys and doctors – and, sometimes, expert witnesses – work together to determine an approximate cost of future medical care.

Medical expenses include:

• Appointments with doctors and other medical professionals, including surgical follow-up appointments.
• Surgeries.
• Therapies, including occupational, physical, cognitive, and psychological therapy. In many cases, spinal cord injury victims become depressed because they cannot do the things they used to do, including taking part in family activities or working to support them. Accident victims could also suffer from anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder, in addition to depression.
• Prescriptions.
• Ambulatory aids.
• Hand controls for vehicles.
• Upgrades to the home, including widening doorways, building ramps, and adding grab bars.

Personal Property

The defendant is also responsible for replacing any personal property destroyed in the accident, including a car, motorcycle, cell phones, or anything else of value on your person or in your vehicle that suffered destruction in the accident.

Wages

You could also recover current wages – the wages you lose from the time of the accident through the time you settle or win a trial award. If your injuries prevent you from working, you can also recover loss of future earning capacity. Whether you cannot work at all, can only do part-time work, or have to take a job that pays less than your current job, you can recover the difference between what you made before the accident and what you make after the accident.

Your Midland spinal cord injury lawyer will determine the amount you could have potentially earned from the time of the accident through the time you would normally retire to come up with a fair and reasonable amount.

Death-Related Expenses
If you lost a loved one because of spinal cord injuries, as an immediate family member or the personal representative of the decedent’s estate, you could recover expenses for a funeral and burial or cremation. You could also recover expenses for a probate court attorney and probate-related expenses.

Non-Economic Damages

Sometimes referred to as general damages, non-economic damages do not have an easily calculated monetary value and include:

• Pain and suffering, including emotional distress
• Loss of quality of life
• Loss of use of a body part
• Loss of use of a bodily function
• Loss of consortium if you can no longer have a physical relationship with your spouse
• Loss of companionship if you can no longer enjoy time with your family or participate in family activities and events
• Inconvenience
• Amputation, disfigurement and/or excessive scarring.

If you suffered injuries or lost a loved one because of the actions or inactions of another person or entity, contact a Midland spinal cord injury lawyer at Hanna Allen, PLLC for a free case evaluation by calling (432) 220-3331 today.

Contact A Midland Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer

Spinal cord injuries can last a lifetime. All of a sudden, the life you enjoyed is taken away because of another person’s negligence. If you suffered injuries or lost a loved one because of the actions or inactions of someone else, contact a Midland spinal cord injury lawyer at Hanna Allen, PLLC at (432) 220-3331 for a free case evaluation.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FOR SPINAL INJURY LAWYERS IIN MIDLAND