Brooklyn Spinal Cord

A spinal cord injury is an potentially catastrophic injury that occurs when a traumatic event results in damage to cells within the spinal cord or nerves that are inside the spinal column. The most common types of spinal cord injury include the bruising of the spinal cord and compression of the spinal cord. Other types of injuries include lacerations, which involves the tearing of some nerve fibers and damage to the corticospinal tracts of the cervical region of the spinal cord. A severe spinal cord injury often causes paralysis. Other symptoms of a spinal cord injury include pain or sensitivity to stimuli, muscle spasms, and sexual dysfunction. In addition, victims who suffer spinal cord injuries are likely to develop secondary medical problems, such as bladder infections and respiratory problems. If you are in need of a personal injury lawyer because you sustained a spinal cord injury due to someone else's negligence, contact a Brooklyn spinal cord injury lawyer who will review your case and help you receive damages that will compensate you for your medical expenses and other losses you suffered as a result of the accident.

Common causes of spinal cord injuries

For those who are under the age of 65, the leading cause of spinal cord injuries is a vehicle accident such as a car accident, truck accident and motorcycle accident. For people who are 65 and older, falls cause most spinal cord injuries. Other causes include:

• Construction accidents
• Diving accidents
• Electric shock
• Bullet or stab wounds
• Sports injuries

Types of spinal cord injuries

There are two different kinds of spinal cord injuries, partial and complete. When an injury is complete, there is a complete loss of function below the point of injury. This could involve paralysis of all four limbs (quadriplegia) or two limbs (paraplegia). People who experience a partial injury may be able to move one limb or another, or have more feeling on one side of the body than the other. The consequences of these injuries are devastating, and can cause a myriad of complications such as breathing problems, low blood pressure, reduced body temperature and chronic pain.

Other types of injury to the spinal cord include:

• Compression fractures
• Bulging discs
• Herniated discs
• Severed spinal cord

Pursuing compensation

Spinal injuries can be not only physically challenging, but can also cause financial distress. Not only do you have to deal with the initial medical expense of surgery, you may also face an unending stream of expenses to deal with the after effects of a severe spinal cord injury. Statistics indicate that a minor injury to your spinal cord can cost in excess of $250,000 in the first year. If you were 25-years old at the time of the injury, the total expenses could well exceed $700,000 in your lifetime. More severe injuries can run into the millions. If your injury is work related, or you believe your injury was caused because of the negligence of another, it is important to speak to our legal team right away. You could be entitled to compensation for your injuries. Such compensation may include:

• Medical bills: A serious injury to your spine may result in substantial medical bills. Through a personal injury claim you may be able to recover expenses for medical treatment, your hospital stay, prescriptions, rehabilitation and visits to your doctors.
• Loss of income: If your injury is serious you may not be able to return to work for days, weeks, or even months. You will be entitled to recover compensation for the income you lost while recovering from your injuries. Loss of income includes not only loss of your paychecks. It also includes the value of sick or vacation days you had to use while recovering as well as in other type of compensation and benefits that you lost.
• Pain and suffering: You may also be able to recover compensation for the pain and suffering that you suffered as a result of the accident. Pain and suffering refers to not only physical pain, but also for emotional pain and loss of enjoyment of life. Whether you will be entitled to receive pain and suffering damages and the amount of such damages depends on the severity of your injuries. For example, if the spinal cord injury resulted in paralysis, you are more likely to receive a substantial pain and suffering award than if the injury did not result in paralysis.
• Wrongful death. In some cases a spinal cord injury eventually leads to death. If this happens the family of the victim may be able to pursue damages through a wrongful death lawsuit.

Contact the Law Offices of Stephen Bilkis & Associates

If you or a loved one was injured in an accident that resulted in a spinal cord injury, contact an experienced attorney who understands both the legal issues associated with personal injury cases as well as the medical issues associated with injuries to the spine. The staff at the Law Offices of Stephen Bilkis & Associates is experienced in handling personal injury and wrongful death cases stemming from auto, truck, motorcycle, boat, and construction accidents. Contact us at 800.696.9529 to schedule a free, no obligation consultation regarding your case. We represent clients in the following locations: the Bronx, Brooklyn, Long Island, Manhattan, Nassau County, Queens, Staten Island, Suffolk County and Westchester County.

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