The spinal cord runs from the brain stem down through the centers of all the spine’s vertebrae, connecting the brain to every other part of the body via the central nervous system. Unfortunately, the central role the spinal cord plays in all of the body’s sensory and motor functions means that any damage the spinal cord sustains through any external trauma can have severe — and all too often permanent — consequences.
Money alone cannot always erase every physical, financial, and personal loss that this sort of injury can cause, but demanding fair civil restitution with a skilled catastrophic injury attorney’s help can be crucial to maximizing your quality of life despite the trauma you have sustained. Phillips Law Group has been handling cases like this on behalf of local Phoenix-area residents for more than 30 years, and once retained, a Gilbert spinal cord injury lawyer from our team will do anything and everything necessary to get you paid fairly, even if that means taking your case all the way to a civil courtroom.
Spinal cord injuries can stem from various types of accidents, with high-speed auto accidents, slips or trips and falls, and accidents during athletic competitions being three of the most common sources. What all these different incidents have in common is that they can involve someone sustaining a heavy blow directly to their back or neck, which results in the spinal cord being bruised, twisted, or torn, sometimes without the vertebrae around the spinal cord sustaining any damage.
As any experienced Gilbert spinal cord accident attorney knows, the exact location and “completeness” of a spinal cord injury both have significant impacts on how harmful the injury ultimately is. Generally, injuries closer to or in the neck cause more widespread paralysis than injuries closer to the tailbone. Complete injuries that involve the spinal cord being severed at the injury site always cause permanent and total paralysis below that area. In contrast, incomplete injuries may give an injured person some prospects for long-term recovery or cause only partial paralysis.
Importantly, the fact that spinal cord injuries often have especially catastrophic consequences compared to other types of harm does not change the burden of proof an injured person must meet in order to hold someone else financially liable for causing their losses. More specifically, the basic legal principles of “negligence” still require spinal cord injury victims to show that they were hurt primarily because of a specific reckless or careless action someone else committed in violation of a “duty of care” they had to act responsibly.
Additionally, it may be necessary to contest allegations that a spinal cord injury victim was partially at fault for causing their own injury through negligence. An injured person’s share of “comparative fault” could result in their final damage award value being reduced or denied altogether. This is one of many legal obstacles that a skilled lawyer can provide vital help navigating following a spinal cord injury in Gilbert.
No one deserves to experience any permanent trauma solely because of another person’s misconduct, and certainly not the kind of trauma that leaves you unable to walk or even take care of yourself on a daily basis. However, if you have been harmed this severely and believe someone else is to blame for it, it may be crucial to protect your long-term best interests for you to take prompt and proactive legal action against them.
With that in mind, contacting a qualified Gilbert spinal cord injury lawyer should be a top priority after any accident resulting in damage to the spine or neck. Contact us Phillips Law Group today to discuss your options with a member of our team and schedule your free, no-obligation consultation.
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