Denver Spinal Cord Injury Attorneys

We Provide Fierce Representation after Life-Changing Accidents and Injuries

About 18,000 people suffer a spinal cord injury every year in the United States, and many of them have their lives permanently changed by it. Because the spinal cord is an essential part of your central nervous system, damage to it can be fatal. For those who survive, paralysis is common.

Losing the ability to voluntarily move can be one of the most traumatic and painful injuries a person can endure. As a truly catastrophic injury, spinal cord injuries can introduce legal complexities to patients as they file for compensation. You need an attorney on your side who has experience, skill, and connections with top-tier medical experts to help with your case.

The Gilbert Law Group® offers free consultations with our Denver spinal cord injury attorneys. Call us at (888) 711-5947 to learn how we can help you.

Understanding Injuries to the Spinal Cord

Most spinal injuries are fractures of the vertebra that surround your spinal cord. The bone fragments that result can pinch, sever, or otherwise damage the grey nerve matter of your spinal cord. Though the spinal cord itself can be hit or severed by an outside object, these types of injuries are much less common. The extent of the injury depends on what part of the spinal cord is affected and how deep the damage extends.

The American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) uses the categories “complete” and “incomplete” to describe the extent of an injury. You should know many neurologists believe these classifications are not necessarily fixed; diagnosing an injury in this way can be difficult. The label is a function of the amount of voluntary movement that a patient exhibits within a particular part of the body. The more movement, the less complete the injury.

Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries

More spinal cord injuries result from auto accidents than any other cause, with other common culprits being falls, sports accidents, violent assault, and physical labor. That means the majority of these injuries are caused by negligence on someone’s behalf. Those patients who suffered because of another’s actions should know they have the right to file for compensation.

If your accident can be attributed to someone else’s carelessness, call us to learn more about your legal options. We handle catastrophic injury claims stemming from:

• Car accidents
• Motorcycle accidents
• Bus accidents
• Truck accidents
• Train accidents
• Pedestrian accidents
• Recreational accidents, such as those on a trampoline

The above list does not cover all potential causes for spinal cord injury and legal action. If you are unsure whether you have a case, contact our team for a free consultation.

The Effects of Spinal Cord Injuries

Severe spinal cord injuries are devastating to a patient and their family alike. While people think of paralysis as the inability to voluntarily move one’s limbs and/or trunk, involuntary processes are affected as well. Spinal cord injuries may cause

• Inability to control one’s muscles
• Loss of sexual function
• Bowel and bladder control issues
• Muscle atrophy, stiffness, and degeneration
• Breathing difficulties
• De-regulation of the autonomic nervous system
• Quadriplegia
• Paraplegia

These injuries can result in serious, long-lasting medical conditions such as a reduced ability to regulate blood pressure and heart rate, osteoporosis, and chronic pain. The symptoms of a spinal cord injury will usually correspond to the area of the spine that is affected, according to ASIA, since different parts of the spinal cord affect different areas of the body. However, most victims will experience some sort of lasting disability.

Spinal Cord Injury Treatments

Treating spinal injuries is a hot topic for medical researchers because there are so many questions to be answered. While there are hopes for upcoming therapies, there is no cure for spinal cord damage. With rehabilitation, patients may be able to re-train their bodies to perform certain functions and regain a degree of independence.

However, treatment can be expensive and long-lasting—and no outcomes are guaranteed. The best thing you can do to secure your future is speak to an experienced injury lawyer to learn if you can make a claim for damages.

Compensation for Spinal Cord Injury Victims

To ensure you have access to the best treatments and resources to care for yourself, you should consider filing for compensation. Any injured party who was hurt by someone else’s negligence has the right to file for damages. Damages can be divided into two main types and exist to help you deal with both economic and non-economic losses like:

• Medical bills and ER treatments
• Costs of rehabilitative care
• Assisted living expenses
• Lost wages
• Pain and suffering
• Diminished quality of life
• Permanent loss of income (disability)

Typically, damages are compensatory, which means they are meant to make a victim whole after the accident. In extreme cases, the wrongdoer’s actions are so severe that the plaintiff will be awarded punitive damages. These funds are meant to punish the negligent party and discourage similar behavior in the future.

Contact us at (888) 711-5947 if you or a loved one is facing extensive challenges after a spinal cord injury. Our Denver attorneys offer free consultations.