Houston Spine Injury Lawyer
There are approximately 17,000 new spinal injuries every year that are not immediately fatal. An injury to the spine is one of the most frightening and life-altering injuries you can experience. Even if you don’t experience paralysis, some injuries to the spine can incur a lifetime of unbearable pain, both physical and emotional.
The medical and rehabilitation expenses for back injuries can be higher than many other similarly devastating injuries. The reduced pay or loss of work can add weight to the already burdensome amount of stress. With the knowledgeable help from a Houston spine injury lawyer from Denena Points, PC, your path to financial compensation can possibly be made much easier.
Spinal Injury Causes
Vehicular collisions, falls, violence, sports, and medical procedures—in that order—are the leading causes of spinal injuries. These back injuries could involve blunt-force trauma, extreme torsion or flexing, or even punctures wounds from bullets or medical negligence.
No matter how your spine injury happened, getting help from a Houston spine injury lawyer from our law firm can save you more than just headaches. When someone else’s negligence was at fault for your injury, that person can and should be held accountable.
Types of Spine Injuries
There are several different types and levels of severity for spinal injuries that are categorized according to which vertebrae are damaged and how thoroughly:
- High Tetraplegia – Damage between C1 and C4
- Low Tetraplegia – Damage between C5 and C8
- Paraplegia – Damage below C8
These are further broken down into complete and incomplete spinal injuries. An incomplete spinal injury occurs when the spinal cord is only partially damaged, which may allow for some remaining sensations and incomplete control below the point of injury.
A complete spinal injury, on the other hand, is a total separation of the spinal cord, leaving no sensation or control. Therapy can sometimes allow the victim to regain some sensation, but the rehabilitation required is long and difficult. The cost of this rehabilitation and the emotional difficulty you must overcome will all be factored into your settlement by your Houston spine injury lawyer.
Symptoms of a Spine Injury
If you have a back injury high up on the spine, you will have far less functionality than you would if your injury were lower down. With a spinal injury, you can expect that your body below the injured area will have little to no feeling or control, a condition known as paralysis.
Paralysis includes the use of limbs you use consciously, such as hands and legs, but also bodily functions that are controlled subconsciously, like breathing and digestion. A Houston spine injury lawyer from our law firm can help explain which of your symptoms and problems can be used in court to hold the people at fault for your circumstances financially responsible.
Financial Compensation for a Back Injury
There are many physical and emotional hurdles you will face after your spine injury, but you can take something back from the responsible parties in the form of monetary support.
- Medical Bills and Related Expenses – The average first-year costs for spinal injury victims can range from $335,000 to over $1 million, and the average lifetime cost to a twenty-five-year-old victim starts at $1.5 million and can extend past $4.5 million.
- Lost Wages and Income – Your ability to continue working may be diminished or ended altogether, and your new job may pay a fraction of what you were originally making. Very few victims go back to work even a full year after a catastrophic spinal injury, making paying bills that much harder.
- Pain and Suffering – The emotional struggle to accept losing the use of your legs can be tremendously difficult on both you and your family. Divorce rates are also higher for people who were married when they were injured. Your enjoyment of life will likely decrease or change, but you have the right to be compensated for those losses.
Nothing can prepare someone for this massive a struggle, and without help from a Houston spine injury lawyer from our firm, you might not make it through the ordeal without insurmountable debt.