A spinal cord injury is often severe and life-altering because the spinal cord is the nerve center of the body in many ways. With a small amount of damage, the consequences can be dire, like permanent paralysis. The physical and financial effects of a spinal cord injury warrant a spinal cord injury victim to demand significant financial compensation from the party that hurt them.
If you need an attorney after suffering a spinal cord injury, call Portner & Shure, P.A. right away at . Our Bel Air spinal cord injury lawyers would be honored to take your case all the way to court if need be.
What is the Spinal Cord?
The spinal cord is a bundle of nerves that runs from the skull, through the spine, and to the hips. The spinal column is comprised of a series of bones known as vertebrae, which are connected by pads of tissue known as discs. Harm to the spine, discs, or vertebrae can all be catastrophic.
Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries can be caused by all sorts of serious accidents.
Spinal cord injuries frequently result from:
- Motor vehicle collisions
- Severe falls
- Medical malpractice
- Athletic events
- Industrial accidents
Types of Spinal Cord Injuries
The severity of a spinal cord injury depends on the severity of the event that caused the injury.
The least severe injuries are a bulged or herniated disc. A bulged disc is when the tissue between the vertebra exceeds its normal size. A herniated disc is when the tissue between the vertebrae experiences a tear or rip. Both of these injury types can result in permanent pain.
The most severe injuries are injuries that result in paraplegia or quadriplegia. Paraplegia is the paralysis of the lower limbs while quadriplegia is the paralysis of all four limbs. Paralysis can also affect the organs and muscle groups, which can result in life-threatening complications. Paraplegics and quadriplegics often need day-to-day care to ensure their health and wellbeing.
Consequences of a Spinal Cord Injury
Due to the severe nature of a spinal cord injury, emergency medical care and possibly surgery are required. The recovery process is difficult, painful, and prolonged. Spinal cord injury victims usually need physical therapy, occupational therapy, and orthopedic treatment. Spinal cord injury victims who are unable to regain mobility require lifelong care and might not be able to hold gainful employment.
Damages in Spinal Cord Injury Cases
Maryland law allows a spinal cord injury victim to claim economic and noneconomic damages. Economic damages are meant to compensate an individual for their medical bills, lost wages, future lost wages, and the cost of future medical care, which can be massive in a spinal cord injury case. Noneconomic damages are meant to compensate a victim for the pain and suffering caused by an injury, which can also be significant in such a claim.
You Deserve More – That’s Portner & Shure
Due to the complex nature of a spinal cord injury case, many attorneys decline to represent spinal cord injury victims. Insurance companies retain aggressive defense attorneys to defend these types of cases, too. This is no matter for our Bel Air spinal cord injury lawyers of Portner & Shure, P.A., though. We routinely face off against high powered defense attorneys in court.
The insurance companies and defense attorneys know that we are not easily intimidated and often obtain favorable results for their clients. Our case results are evidenced by the numerous five-star reviews written by former clients and plenty of professional awards we have won throughout the last 30 years of practice!
