Spinal Cord Injury Attorney in Lafayette, LA

Experienced Personal Injury Attorneys Providing Committed Legal Representation to Clients Seeking Fair Compensation for Devastating Injuries

Over 10,000 people suffer spinal cord injuries across the United States every year. Depending on the severity of the injury to the spine, victims may suffer partial or complete paralysis, bladder and bowel dysfunction, chronic pain, and other types of permanent damage that significantly alter their way of life. If you or a loved one has suffered such injuries in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you need to take appropriate legal action to recover compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and other future expenses. Seeking a fair financial settlement that takes into account all costs and pain and suffering can often be challenging, especially without the dedicated services of an experienced personal injury lawyer.  

Our Lafayette law firm has extensive experience representing clients in various personal injury cases, including those who have suffered serious injuries such as severe trauma to the spinal column. As your legal representation, our firm will explore all options to hold negligent parties accountable for their actions, negotiate with insurance companies, and represent your interests both in and out of the courtroom in pursuit of a favorable outcome.

To learn more about how our spinal cord injury attorneys can assist you in these difficult days, contact our law offices to schedule your free initial consultation with our legal team today.

Are There Specific Louisiana Laws About Catastrophic Injuries?

The state of Louisiana lacks clear definitions of what constitutes catastrophic injuries within the context of its personal injury laws. However, whether an injury is considered catastrophic in nature can affect your personal injury claim, as the more severe injuries typically have higher demands for financial compensation.

In most cases, catastrophic injuries are considered to be the serious bodily harm that befalls a victim and permanently inhibits their mental or physical functioning.

Examples of what may be considered catastrophic injuries in a personal injury case can include the following:

• Serious spinal cord injuries that cause partial and complete paralysis, as well as other long-term dysfunction and suffering
• Forced amputations and loss of limbs
• Traumatic brain injuries, particularly those that severely limit mental capacity or motor function
• Severe and disfiguring burns, particularly those that cause extensive scarring to the face

In a catastrophic injury case, insurance companies and negligent parties will do everything they can to limit their liability for providing monetary damages to the injured victims. After all, with a more serious injury, there is typically a greater need for ongoing medical treatment, which can be very costly. For help securing the financial recovery you deserve, please contact our Louisiana law firm to schedule a free case review today.

How Are Spine Injuries Categorized? 

Spinal cord injuries are typically categorized by the extent of loss of movement for the victims. Examples of spine injury categories include paraplegic and quadriplegic.

The quadriplegic category refers to the loss of movement or bodily sensation in all four limbs. Serious injuries to the neck vertebrae generally cause this level of paralysis. The paraplegic category covers loss of movement or sensation in two limbs and usually affects people who are paralyzed on one side of their body. Paraplegic injuries are typically caused by damage to the vertebrae in the upper back.

What Are the Differences Between Complete and Incomplete Spinal Cord Injuries?

It’s essential to understand the difference between complete and incomplete injuries in your spinal cord injury case.

A complete spinal cord injury involves permanent compression or severing of the spinal cord. Complete injuries usually do not allow the brain to appropriately communicate with the body below where the injury occurred because of extreme nerve damage, which can cause paralysis and loss of sensation.

Victims with incomplete injuries are still able to at least partially communicate with the nerves below the area of the injury. Injured victims with incomplete spinal cord injuries may only feel sensation on one side of their body in some cases. The outcome of incomplete injuries will depend primarily on the health and well-being of the injured victim before the time of their injury.

What Are the Common Causes of Spinal Injuries?

Spinal cord injuries can occur in virtually all types of accidents and sometimes may even happen in incidents that appear to be relatively minor until further inspection of the victim.

Examples of the causes of spinal cord injuries include, but are not limited to, the following:

Car Accidents

A motor vehicle accident is one of the most common causes of bodily injuries for victims across Louisiana and nationwide. While some car accidents may result in only minor injuries, such as whiplash, which can fade away without requiring extensive medical care, other collisions can cause significant injuries to the drivers and pedestrians involved. Our law firm has extensive experience in representing clients in car accident cases, including those that cause cervical spinal injuries and other types of catastrophic injuries.

Medical Malpractice

We place our trust in doctors, nurses, and hospitals to care for our well-being and the health of our family members. When that trust is violated due to medical negligence, an experienced personal injury attorney can help you hold the at-fault parties accountable by taking legal action against them. Examples of medical malpractice that can cause serious spinal injuries include surgical errors, birth injuries, failure to diagnose, and more.

Acts of Violence

Assaults, domestic violence, abuse, gunshot wounds, and other sorts of violent crimes can cause significant injuries for the victims. Victims of violence can sustain catastrophic spinal injuries that limit their ability to live the lives they had previously imagined for themselves. While prosecutors seek to hold violent offenders accountable in criminal courts, we can help you seek compensation with a personal injury claim.

Workplace Accidents

Some forms of employment are more dangerous than others. Workers within the fields of construction, maritime employment, the oil industry, and other industries face higher risks of suffering from spinal cord injuries at their places of employment. Workplace injury cases can be complicated, so we encourage you to contact our law firm for legal assistance.

Sports and Recreation

Recreational activities and athletic sports can fuel the soul and make individuals feel powerful and confident. However, recreational and sports injuries can be especially severe, sometimes resulting in significant damage to the spine. If you or a loved one has suffered a spinal cord injury and a recreational or sports-related incident, please get in touch with our law office to schedule your free case evaluation.

Other examples of common causes of spine injuries include the following:

• Motorcycle and bicycle accidents
• Commercial truck accidents
• Nursing home abuse and neglect
• Unsafe property conditions, particularly those that cause slip and fall injuries
• Defective and dangerous products
• And more

What Are Some of the Symptoms that Spinal Cord Injury Victims Experience?

Suffering a severe back or neck injury that permanently damages the spine can cause more than pain; it can also significantly affect the victim’s lifestyle and cause other ailments and dysfunctions.

Some of the common symptoms of severe spinal cord injuries include the following:

• Reduced or total loss of movement
• Partial and complete paralysis
• Chronic pain and intense stinging sensations
• The loss of sensation, including the inability to feel touch
• Numbness or tingling in the extremities
• Spasms and exaggerated reflexes
• Loss of bladder and bowel control
• Sexual dysfunction
• Difficulty breathing or clearing secretions from your lungs 
• Loss of fertility
• And more

What Should Injured Victims Do After Suffering Spinal Cord Damage?

Spinal cord injury victims must take appropriate precautions in the aftermath of suffering their injuries.

Your first concern should be to seek medical care from experienced doctors and other medical professionals who can appropriately assess the damage to your spine and provide treatment options. If you do not seek immediate medical attention after an injury to your spine, your injuries could worsen, and the insurance companies may even use your delayed response as a means of devaluing your claim.

It’s crucial that victims carefully follow their doctor’s advice to the letter. Your doctors may order physical therapy, surgery, and prescribed medications. It’s also essential that you attend all follow-up appointments with your medical providers.

Rehabilitation plays a vital role for those with spinal cord injuries. Various physical and occupational therapy programs can help you in the aftermath of suffering a spinal cord injury. Additionally, we encourage you to seek emotional support from friends, loved ones, and mental health professionals to assist you during the difficult time following your injury.

In many cases, it may be necessary to make significant lifestyle adjustments, as well as install modifications into your home and vehicles to accommodate new disabilities. These measures and future medical expenses can be costly, however, so it is recommended that you seek the legal assistance of an experienced attorney who can help you recover fair compensation for your injuries and losses.

What Sort of Financial Recovery is Possible with a Successful Spinal Cord Injury Lawsuit?

With a successful personal injury lawsuit, it may be possible to recover damages to compensate you for financial losses as well as non-financial damages, such as pain and suffering.

Potential financial recovery can include the following:

• Past, present, and future medical bills. In many spinal cord injury cases, the need for medical treatment is lifelong, so it is necessary that your financial settlement reflects the need for these ongoing medical expenses
• Many spinal cord injury victims are unable to return to work or at least perform the same duties they were previously capable of. With a successful lawsuit, you may be able to recover lost wages and lost income, and compensation for lost earning capacity compensation
• Like other catastrophic injuries, spinal cord injuries can significantly affect an individual’s lifestyle and the quality of their life. If you have suffered a diminished enjoyment of life, it may be possible to recover compensation to address this
• Compensation may be available for pain and suffering, emotional distress, mental anguish, and psychological trauma
• Our attorneys can help you pursue compensation for a loss of companionship or consortium when your injuries affect a physical relationship with your spouse or domestic partner

Various factors can influence the total value of spinal cord injury claims. To learn more about the potential value of your claim, please contact our law firm to discuss your questions and concerns.

Contact Our Law Firm to Speak with Our Lafayette Spinal Cord Injury Lawyers About Your Case in a Free Consultation

Those who have suffered serious spinal cord injuries must remember that there is a strict time limit for filing personal injury lawsuits in Louisiana. To ensure that your claim is within the statute of limitations, we encourage you to get in touch with our Lafayette personal injury attorneys to discuss your spinal cord injury case in a free consultation.

To learn more about the benefits of hiring the legal support of our experienced spinal cord injury lawyers, please contact our Lafayette-based law office today.

You may reach us at 337-242-7604.