Paralysis from a Car Accident
Paralysis from a Car Accident
According to the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, while strokes are the leading cause of paralysis, accidents that damage the spinal cord are the second most common cause of paralysis. Those paralysis accidents include car accidents. Further, paralysis adversely affects household income. Twenty-eight percent of households with a person who suffers from paralysis make less than $15,000 per year. The results of paralysis following a car accident are traumatic and life-altering.
Medical interventions and treatments following paralysis after a car accident can be very expensive. Many of those that suffer paralysis from a car accident will be unable to return to work and make a living for themselves and their family. Those with paralysis miss out on many of the normal joys of life—running and playing with their children, participating in sports, taking a walk after dinner, enjoying a family vacation unhindered, and much more.
While money will not set the matter right, compensation for these losses can make the future immeasurably easier. When a settlement covers lost wages, medical expenses, and pain and suffering, then finances related to the accident are one less thing to worry about. Attorneys at Noteboom—The Law Firm, aggressively represent those in Hurst—and throughout Texas—who have suffered paralysis through no fault of their own.
We have been helping people just like you since 1982. We understand every single aspect of getting our clients the very best settlement possible. We have compassion for your current situation and want to help you and your family have the future you deserve. We will protect your rights at every turn; since we only deal with serious injuries, we only take a select number of cases, allowing our attorneys to give those cases the attention they need and deserve.
How Can an Auto Accident Cause Paralysis?
With the number of car accidents that occur each day, it is virtually inevitable that most of us will be involved in a car accident at one point in our lives. According to the World Health Organization, from 20-50 million drivers are seriously injured or disabled in car accidents each year. One of the most severe consequences is paralysis after a car accident. Paralysis refers to a medical condition in which a person loses muscle function in a part of his or her body. Damage to the nerve cells prevents normal muscle function.
A car accident that creates enough force to damage vertebrae, ligaments, or disks in the spinal column or spinal cord can result in paralysis. Pressure or puncturing force during a car collision can cause a traumatic blow that compresses, crushes, or dislocates the spinal cord, resulting in a loss of muscle control and possible paralysis. In some cases, injury to an arm or leg during a car accident can also result in partial paralysis of the limb. This occurs when there is internal nerve damage that prevents the nervous system from sending messages to the affected limb.
What are the Five Types of Paralysis?
When just one area of the body is paralyzed but the rest of the body has normal movement, it is called monoplegia. Paralysis in monoplegia is generally limited to one arm or one leg and is usually a temporary condition following a stroke or brain injury, or impacted nerves. Hemiplegia occurs when both an arm and a leg on the same side of the body are paralyzed, usually the result of cerebral palsy. Like monoplegia, hemiplegia can be temporary. Paraplegia is paralysis below the waist, affecting the hips, legs, and lower bodily functions, including bladder and bowel control. Triplegia is paralysis in one arm and both legs, usually caused by stroke or cerebral palsy. Quadriplegia is paralysis from the neck down, affecting arms and legs and many bodily functions.
Paralysis can also be classified as partial, temporary, or permanent. Partial paralysis allows control over some muscles, but not all. In temporary paralysis, you are expected to regain partial or full movement over time, and permanent paralysis is irreversible—muscle control will never be regained.
Why Settlement & Litigation of My Paralysis Case is So Long?
What Type of Medical Care is Necessary Following an Accident Resulting in Paralysis?
Following paralysis after a car accident, medical staff must move quickly to stabilize the patient. The spine is usually braced immediately to stop it from moving and causing further damage to the spinal cord. To help lessen nerve damage as well as damage to nearby tissues, steroids, and other medications may be administered. After diagnosis and immediate treatment, recovery and rehabilitation will be addressed.
The type and severity of the spinal injury will determine what treatments are necessary, but will likely include medications, surgical procedures, physical therapy, and counseling to address the mental issues associated with paralysis. All of these treatments can send the financial cost of paralysis skyrocketing.
According to the Christopher and Dana Reeve Foundation, the first year of treatment for quadriplegia will exceed one million dollars, with each subsequent year costing approximately $184,000 in medical expenses. Paraplegia will cost $518,904 the first year and $68,739 each year thereafter. Incomplete motor function at any level will cost as much as $347,484 the first year and $42,206 for every year thereafter.
Virtually no individual can face this level of financial cost on their own—even paying your portion of these expenses up to a certain level could bankrupt you and your family. A highly experienced car accident attorney from Noteboom—The Law Firm, will fight for your future by ensuring the negligent party pays for your expenses related to the accident.
What are the Damages That Can Be Sought Following an Accident?
Following paralysis after a car accident, you may be entitled to compensation for pain, suffering, loss of income (current and future), medical expenses (current and future), and possibly punitive damages. A lawsuit must typically be brought within two years of your accident. Under Texas’ comparative fault laws, you will be entitled to compensation as long as you were less than fifty-one percent responsible for the accident that caused your paralysis.
Having an attorney that is familiar with the process is crucial. A Noteboom attorney will file a Petition to begin the process, then discovery will take place. We will thoroughly document evidence of your damages resulting from paralysis. If a fair settlement cannot be reached the case will proceed to trial.
How Can a Noteboom—The Law Firm Lawyer Help with Paralysis After a Car Accident?
The Noteboom attorneys assist those in Hurst as well as across Texas who have suffered paralysis due to the negligence of another. We will contact the defendant’s insurance provider so they will deal with us directly and will begin working with experts to establish your damages. We will guide you through the process and are in regular contact with you, answering all your questions.
Our wide array of resources includes an on-staff investigator, a mock courtroom for trial preparation, and the ability to front expert fees and court costs. Do not risk your future to a less experienced law firm. Contact Noteboom—The Law Firm, today.