Paralysis is a condition that leaves victims suffering physically and emotionally. The financial impact affects the entire family. Paralysis is caused by a severe injury to the spinal cord or due to a neurologic problem. In addition to not having the ability to move certain body parts, victims of paralysis experience a host of medical complications that can make matters much worse, including bedsores, incontinence, infection, and much more. Severe spinal cord injuries that lead to paralysis are often the result of either a construction accident or other accident in the workplace, as well as an auto accident or slip and fall accident. If you are suffering from a paralysis injury due to the negligence of another person or due to a workplace mishap, it is critical that you contact an experienced Long Island paralysis lawyer as soon as possible, as you have the legal right to pursue compensation for the losses you suffered.
Common causes of paralysisInjuries that lead to paralysis involve a spinal cord injury. Spinal cord injuries can occur in a serious car accident, in a construction accident, or from an act of violence such as a gunshot or stab wound to the spine. While workplace accidents that involve spinal cord injuries are typically construction accidents, a spinal cord injury can happen in any work place.
While injuries directly to the spinal cord are a leading cause of paralysis, paralysis can also be caused by an injury that affects the brain as well as localized nerve damage.
Types of paralysisDepending on the location of the spinal cord damage, brain injury or nerve damage, paralysis can affect a variety of parts of the body. Examples of different types of paralysis include quadriplegia, paraplegia, hemiplegia, dipelgia and monoplegia. Quadriplegia describes paralysis of all four extremities—both legs and both arms. Paraplegia describes paralysis of both legs. Hemiplegia involves paralysis on only one side of the body. Diplegia is paralysis of the same body part on both sides. Monoplegia is paralysis of one limb such as one arm or one leg.
Pursuing a claimWhile nothing can make up for emotional trauma that accompanies an injury so catastrophic that the victim is unable to move a part of his or her body, financial assistance will help the victim live a better quality of life. If your paralysis was caused in an accident due to another person's negligence, with the help of an experienced paralysis attorney in Long Island, you can demand that the negligent person pay you compensation to cover your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, property loss and other losses you suffered in the accident.
If the accident occurred at work, regardless of fault, you may be eligible for workers' compensation benefits including medical care and a cash benefit. If your paralysis is so severe such that you are not able to return to work at all, you may qualify for Social Security disability benefits.
HypotheticalJenna is a personal trainer. She has built a solid business over the years and has many satisfied clients. Jenna has an arrangement with a local gym that allows her to use their facilities and equipment to train her clients. One day when Jenna was preparing for a client. She adjusted a suspension system that was affixed to the wall. The system suddenly detached from the wall and fell on Jenna's back. Jenna was rushed the hospital. She soon learned that the heavy equipment that fell on her crushed a portion of her spinal cord, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down. Jenna contacted a paralysis attorney serving Long Island and filed a lawsuit against both the owner of the gym and the manufacturer of the equipment that fell on her. Jenna will have a good chance of prevailing in her lawsuit as the owner of the gym had a duty to ensure that the equipment remained in good working order.
The attorneys Law Offices of Stephen Bilkis & Associates can helpIf you or a loved one was seriously injured in an accident that resulted in paraplegia, quadriplegia or any other type of paralysis contact an experienced attorney who understands both the legal issues associated with personal injury cases as well as the medical issues associated with spinal cord and brain injuries. You may be entitled to receive compensation for your losses. 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.