A sudden accident that changes the course of your life can occur at any time. At work, school, on your commute, or when on an everyday errand, a hidden danger or risk to your safety can result in serious injuries and lasting consequences. One of the most severe injuries a survivor of a catastrophic accident can sustain is a spinal cord injury.
Spinal cord injuries can have devastating effects on a victim. These are often painful injuries that can require multiple surgeries and other medical procedures to attempt to help a victim recover some function and ability after an accident.
Unlike moderate to minor injuries that a victim can often recover from with patience, time, and treatment, many spinal cord injuries result in permanent disability and damage to the body that may never fully heal. If you have suffered an injury due to another party’s negligence, a Pacific West Injury Law spinal cord injury lawyer in Henderson can help get you the money you need.
Contact a spinal cord injury lawyer in Henderson for help pursuing compensation.
How Can An Attorney Help You After A Spinal Cord Injury?
After a spinal cord injury, you must consider the expenses and losses you will face due to your injury. In many instances, your first choice will be to pursue an injury claim through an insurance company if applicable to your accident. Even if your first option is to seek compensation through an insurer, you should only proceed with a spinal cord injury lawyer at your side.
An attorney will help ensure that your rights are protected throughout the process and can increase the chance that you will resolve your case successfully through the negotiation of a settlement or, if necessary, will file a lawsuit against the at-fault party or insurance company.
With an attorney, you can avoid unnecessary delays, errors during the filing of an insurance claim, or complications that can prevent you from recovering the compensation you deserve.
Damages That May Be Available To You After A Spinal Cord Injury In Henderson
Victims of a spinal cord accident must face the severity of their injuries, as well as the emotional and mental trauma related to the impact of those injuries on their life. A spinal cord injury will change every aspect of your life and will affect how and if you can move and feel certain areas of your body after an accident.
Reports by the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC) indicate that nearly 18,000 people will suffer some form of spinal cord injury in the United States each year. Spinal cord injuries can range from partial paralysis and limitations in the movement of the body or limbs to complete paralysis and loss of movement and sensation below the location of the injury.
The severity of your spinal cord injury will influence the damages that may be available to you in a personal injury claim or lawsuit. The reality is that all spinal cord injuries are serious, and every spinal cord injury affects an individual’s ability to move and feel. Damages in a spinal cord injury case can include:
- Medical costs
- Lost wages
- Pain and suffering
- Loss to your quality of life
- Loss to your enjoyment of life
- Future loss of income and potential earnings or growth
- Costs for medical expenses in the future
- Permanent disability
- Scarring and disfigurement
Your Henderson spinal cord injury attorney will work with you to calculate your economic and non-economic damages to help you understand how much your claim could be worth.
Can I Collect Punitive Damages?
Punitive damages are only available in a small percentage of spinal cord injury lawsuits. You may be able to collect punitive damages if the liable party acted in a criminally negligent manner or with the intent of causing harm.
Punitive damages are meant as a punishment for the liable party and a means of discouraging similar behavior in the future. An experienced spinal cord accident attorney can help identify if punitive damages may apply to your case.
How Much Will It Cost To Hire A Spinal Cord Attorney?
Many injury victims—especially those with severe injuries in a spinal cord accident—may initially hesitate to contact a personal injury attorney due to the assumption that they cannot afford the costs. However, many Henderson spinal cord injury attorneys do not charge an upfront fee or hourly rate for a victim of an accident due to negligence.
Furthermore, many personal injury attorney agreements specify that an attorney in a personal injury case will work on a contingency fee basis. A contingency fee means that an attorney will only be paid for representation in your case once you recover compensation in a claim or lawsuit. If you receive no compensation, the attorney will not pursue payment from you.
A contingency fee is a percentage of the recovery that will be paid to your legal team only if you receive a settlement or court-ordered payout. The amount that will go to your attorney depends on the fee agreement, which you will sign when you hire your lawyer. You should carefully read over all fee agreements and ask any questions you may have before hiring an attorney.
Should I Take A Settlement Offer From An Insurance Company?
While most spinal cord injury lawsuits end in a settlement, that does not mean that the first settlement offer you receive is going to be favorable. In fact, insurance companies will often make an initial settlement offer before you have a chance to speak with an attorney in hope that you will take the deal and forfeit your right to pursue further compensation.
While the amount being offered can sometimes feel like a lot of money, you need to consider the potential long-term costs of your injury. You can safely assume that whatever is being offered is a fraction of the true value of your claim.
By hiring a spinal cord injury lawyer in Henderson, you can force the insurance company to work with them when negotiating a settlement deal. Insurers have a lot of tricks to attempt to deny or devalue your claim. However, an experienced spinal cord injury attorney is aware of these tactics and can level the playing field.
Proving Responsibility For Your Injuries
Liability for spinal cord injuries can depend on many factors. However, ultimately, the individual or parties that can be responsible for your damages will be those who have been negligent. Negligence is the basis for a victim to seek compensation under personal injury law.
Any party who can be proven to meet the elements of negligence for your injuries can be responsible for the losses and damages to you that arise from those injuries.
How Long Do You Have To File A Claim Or Lawsuit For Your injuries In Henderson?
The law in Nevada sets limitations on the time that an injury victim has to file a lawsuit in court for the injuries they sustained in an accident. Under the personal injury statute of limitations (NRS § 11.190), Nevada allows a plaintiff only two years from the date of an accident to pursue legal action against the party or parties potentially responsible.
If a victim fails to file suit within the allowable time frame, they will likely be barred from recovering damages However, special circumstances could allow you to pursue compensation even after the two-year mark has passed.
Alternatively, you could find that the specifics of your case further limit the amount of time you have to file. You could be faced with mere months to file a claim rather than years. An experienced spinal cord injury attorney can help identify if your case is affected by alterations to the statute of limitations and ensure that all deadlines are met.
Call A Henderson Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer Today For A Free Case Evaluation
After a spinal cord injury to you or a loved one, you may be unsure about how to move forward. Do not delay your case or prolong the decision to seek monetary damages for the losses you have sustained. Contact a Henderson spinal cord injury lawyer at Pacific West Injury Law for a free case review.
