Baltimore, Maryland Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer

Lawsuits for Catastrophic, Life-Changing Accidents

People that suffer injuries to their spinal cords can have their lives forever changed. The spinal cord controls the rest of their body, so a slight amount of damage to it can be devastating. When the spinal cord is damaged, it can cause permanent injuries such as lifelong pain, partial paralysis, or total paralysis.

If you or a family member was recently involved in an accident that caused a spinal cord injury, do not allow yourself to be a victim of an insurance company that will downplay the severity of the injury or outright deny responsibility. A Baltimore, Maryland spinal cord injury attorney can help you rebuild your life. The attorneys at Portner & Shure, P.A. have spent more than 30 years obtaining compensation for victims of spinal cord injuries. Our multilingual staff has successfully represented clients from all sorts of local communities, including Maryland’s Korean, Vietnamese, Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), and Hispanic communities.

Let us use our experience to build you a winning case. For a free consultation, dial (410) 995-1515 or contact us online.

How Spinal Cord Injuries Occur

Spinal cord injuries often result from a severe accident.

Common causes of spinal cord injuries include:

• Motor vehicle collisions
• Bicycle collisions
• Automobile collisions
• Severe falls
• Sports accidents
• Industrial accidents

Spinal Cord Injuries

Spinal cord injury victims often suffer paralysis of the upper or lower body.

There are different types of paralysis which include:

• Paraplegia: This is paralysis of the lower limbs.
• Monoplegia: This is when a victim suffers paralysis of one limb.
• Hemiplegia: This is when a victim suffers paralysis to both limbs on one side of their body.
• Quadriplegia: This when a victim suffers paralysis to all four limbs and major organs.

When a victim suffers paralysis, in addition to the permanent loss of mobility, the victim also suffers a permanent loss of sensation. Paralysis usually requires spinal cord injury victims to use a wheelchair for the rest of their lives. Bulged or herniated disc injuries are less severe forms of spinal cord injuries that can still cause permanent pain.

Treating a Spinal Cord Injury

When a person suffers an injury to their spinal cord, they require extensive treatment. Emergency medical treatment and surgery are usually required. Spinal cord injury victims often require extensive rehabilitation, too, such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, and orthopedic treatment. This follow-up treatment is designed to improve a victim’s quality of life.

The cost of this treatment can be enormous. The financial burden of this treatment is exacerbated by the fact that spinal cord injury victims are unable to resume their prior employment in most cases.

Damages in Spinal Cord Injury Cases

Maryland law allows a personal injury victim to claim economic and non-economic damages. With regards to economic damages, a spinal cord injury victim can seek compensation for their medical bills, lost wages, future lost wages, and the cost of future medical care. For non-economic damages, a spinal cord injury victim can seek compensation for their pain and suffering. To claim these damages in court, extensive expert witness testimony is often required. A spinal cord injury victim should retain a Baltimore, Maryland spinal cord injury lawyer to pursue the maximum amount of financial compensation.

Litigation & Defense Tactics

Spinal cord injury cases are often legally and factually complex matters to litigate. Spinal cord injury cases often require expert witness testimony, as mentioned.

To counter those testimonies, insurance companies utilize several legal defenses. Insurers often invoke the defense of contributory negligence when denying a claim or defending a spinal cord injury case. Contributory negligence is a defense available under Maryland law that precludes a personal injury victim from recovering compensation if the defense produces evidence showing that the victim acted negligently and that their negligence contributed to their injuries.

Insurers also invoke the defense of assumption of risk. This defense precludes a victim from recovering compensation if evidence is produced showing that a victim had knowledge of a risk of harm, appreciated the risk, and voluntarily undertook an action despite the risk of danger. To overcome these defenses, spinal cord injury victims often use skilled representation by a Baltimore, Maryland spinal cord injury lawyer.

Why Hire Portner & Shure, P.A.?

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 spinal cord injury cases that scare away some firms, too.

The attorneys at Portner & Shure, P.A., routinely face off against heavy-hitting insurance defense attorneys in court. If you suffered a spinal cord injury, we can work with you to build a powerful case for why you should be compensated. All personal injury representation is performed on a contingency fee basis. Portner & Shure, P.A. receives no fee unless you win a settlement or judgment in court.

To schedule a free consultation regarding your spinal cord injury accident case, contact us online.