Injured Breadwinners Affect Families
There are several ways in which the cervical vertebrae and/or spinal nerves in the region can be traumatically injured, including:
- Car, motorcycle, and pedestrian accidents
- Falls, especially from a height (e.g. while working construction or horseback riding)
- Diving accidents
- Contact sports collisions
- Blunt force trauma (e.g. by having a heavy object fall on you)
When any of these accidents occur due to the negligence of an individual or entity, our legal team may be able to win you substantial damages for your cervical injury. Examples of such negligence include a slippery floor with no warning sign posted, merchandise precariously stacked, or a ladder with a manufacturing defect.
Symptoms of Cervical Injury
A cervical injury that impacts a vertebra is likely to affect nerves in or around the spinal column as well. Depending upon whether a sensory or motor nerve is damaged, symptoms may include:
- Loss of sensation (e.g. touch or ability to feel heat or cold)
- Tingling, numbness, or a stinging sensation
- Difficulty with balance and walking
- Slurred speech
- Weakness or loss of mobility or even complete paralysis
- Loss of bowel or bladder control
- Uncontrollable spasms
- Sexual dysfunction
- Difficulty breathing or coughing
Diagnosing Cervical Injuries
The appearance of your neck and back, either of which may look abnormally positioned and your specific symptoms, will give your doctor clues to the precise location and severity of the injury. In addition to giving you a thorough physical exam, she or he will have X-rays and an MRI scan administered to check for injured bones and/or damaged soft tissue. Neurological tests may also be administered.
Treatment
First responders know how important it is to keep patients with potential cervical injuries lying flat and to move them only by “log rolling” them onto a backboard. Depending on how the injury is diagnosed, the patient will have to rest, wear a neck brace, and receive corticosteroids to keep inflammation to a minimum. If a herniated disc or nerve compression is diagnosed, surgical intervention may be necessary.
In serious cases involving neurological damage, patients may end up with quadriparesis — one or more episodes of numbness, tingling, or pronounced weakness of arms and legs on both sides. In worst-case scenarios, catastrophic cervical injuries may cause partial or complete paralysis.
Our experienced cervical injury attorneys know what information needs to be collected, which people have to be interviewed or consulted, and how to construct a strategy most likely to bring your case to a successful conclusion. While you take the time you need to rest, recover, and cope with the trauma you have just been through, we will:
- Investigate the site of the accident
- Interview witnesses
- Examine all pertinent medical data and police reports
- Handle all communications with insurance adjusters and opposing attorneys
- Look into the possibility that the defendant has a history of similar negligence
- Consult with relevant experts who may testify on your behalf
Above all, we will take the time to answer any questions you may have and will always treat you with sensitivity and respect. We will fight vigorously to defend your right to just compensation. Because we understand the challenges of being out of work as your medical expenses and related costs mount, we will charge you no attorneys’ fees until we win your case.
Types of Damages We Will Make Every Effort to Win for You and Your Family
The two primary types of damages we will work to obtain are economic and non-economic. The former is designed to compensate you for actual monetary expenses, the latter to compensate you for intangible, but meaningful losses.
Economic Damages reimburse you for:
- Medical, rehabilitation, and pharmaceutical costs
- Lost income, present, and future
- Property damage or loss
- Long-term nursing care
- Alterations to your home to make it accessible
- Loss of household services you are now unable to provide
Noneconomic Damages, on the other hand, recognize losses difficult to evaluate, such as:
- Pain and suffering
- Permanent disability
- Permanent scarring or other disfigurements
- Loss of consortium
- Loss of enjoyment of life
If a cervical injury has resulted in the wrongful death of a close family member, Compass Law Group offers you more than empathy. We will battle, in and out of the courtroom, to get you the amount of money you require for final medical costs, funeral costs, and the loss of your loved one’s financial and emotional support. Though we know that we cannot fill the enormous hole in your family fabric, we will do all we can to win you a sense that justice has been done.
Punitive Damages may also be awarded if the court is convinced that your cervical injury resulted from egregious recklessness (like drunk driving) or malicious intent. Punitive damages serve the dual purpose of punishing the defendant and discouraging similar misconduct.
Contact Compass Law Group Where Your Cause Is Our Cause
The sooner you reach out to our accomplished attorneys, the sooner you will discover the benefits of working with true professionals. Contact us today to prove to yourself that our impressive credentials and glowing testimonials are well-earned.
