Free consultation (800) 362-7427

Los Angeles Spinal Cord Injury Attorney

If you or a loved one has suffered a spinal cord injury in an accident, a local Los Angeles spinal cord injury attorney from our firm can help. We have decades of combined experience helping injured people throughout Southern California obtain justice and fair compensation for their losses. A negligent party may owe you financial recompense for your economic and noneconomic damages. Let us review your case for free at our local law office today. Call us at (800) 362-7427 to schedule a meeting.

Why Choose Rose, Klein & Marias LLP for Your Spinal Cord Injury Case?

  • Our firm has committed to obtaining maximum compensation for each of our clients in personal injury and workers’ compensation cases since 1936.
  • Our firm has dozens of attorneys with experience handling claims of all types, including car accidents, workplace accidents, and defective products.
  • Our firm makes it easy to speak and meet with attorneys in person at 10 office locations throughout Southern California.
  • Our lawyers have collectively obtained over $5 billion in positive results for past clients since the firm’s establishment.
  • Our Los Angeles spinal cord injury attorneys are proud to accept spinal cord injury cases on a contingency fee basis for the benefit of our clients.

How Can a Los Angeles Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer Help?

Many spinal cord injuries inflict permanent, irreparable damage on the victim, such as paraplegia or quadriplegia. Even minor spine injuries can cause chronic pain, temporary disabilities, and lost wages. Serious injury claims deserve professional representation. Otherwise, an insurance company is likely to convince the client to settle for less than the injury is worth. Protect your rights against an insurance provider or another defendant with help from a Los Angeles catastrophic injury attorney experienced in spinal cord injury claims. We do not charge any fees unless we are successful in obtaining you a compensation award.

Types of Compensation Available to Spinal Cord Injury Victims

A spinal cord injury can have a profound and lasting effect on the life of the victim. Financial compensation for a spine injury may help the victim move forward by reimbursing him or her for various losses.  

In California, both economic and noneconomic damages can be available in a spinal cord injury case, including: 

  • Past and future medical expenses
  • Physical therapy and rehabilitation
  • Medications and medical devices
  • Disability accommodations
  • Lost wages
  • Lost future capacity to earn
  • Property damage
  • Pain and suffering
  • Psychological or emotional damage
  • Loss of enjoyment of life
  • Punitive damages, in rare cases

The specific types of damages available to a plaintiff – as well as the value of the overall claim – will depend on the circumstances. Case values are based on factors unique to each situation, such as the severity of the injury, the victim’s age at the time of the accident and the insurance coverage available.

Average Settlement for a Spinal Injury Case

The settlement received by a claimant in a spinal injury case in Los Angeles will depend on the specific facts. Settlement values are calculated according to factors such as the severity of the spinal cord injury, the number of defendants, the amount of insurance available and comparative fault.

No “average” amount could accurately gauge how much your spinal cord injury case is worth since settlement values can vary widely. Victims can receive tens of thousands to millions of dollars, depending on the circumstances. You must discuss your unique case with one of our attorneys for a case valuation you can trust.

Proving Negligence for a Spinal Cord Injury

Negligence is a legal concept that means someone has fallen short or failed to fulfill the duty of reasonable care. If someone is expected to act in a way that a reasonably prudent person would in the same or similar circumstances, but fails to do so, he or she can be held responsible for related injuries to another person.

In a spinal cord injury case in Los Angeles, the injured victim (plaintiff) has the burden of proving that the accused party (defendant) was negligent. The civil justice system requires proof based on a “preponderance of the evidence,” meaning enough to show that the defendant is more likely to be responsible for the victim’s injury than not.

Proving negligence requires evidence of four elements: 1) a duty of care was owed, 2) the defendant breached the duty of care, 3) the breach was a substantial factor in causing the spine injury, and 4) the victim suffered compensable damages. The use of expert witnesses, accident reports, medical records and photographs can be critical in proving negligence in a spinal cord injury case.

Time Limits to File a Spine Injury Claim in Los Angeles

The clock is ticking on your right to file a spinal cord injury claim in Los Angeles. If you wait too long and miss your deadline, the courts will most likely refuse to hear your case. Even if it is successfully filed, the defendant can use the expired statute of limitations as a defense against liability for your spine injury.

In California, the time limit on most personal injury cases is two years from the date of the injury or reasonable discovery. If a spinal cord injury is caused by medical malpractice, individuals have three years to file a claim. If the spine injury results in wrongful death, the victim’s family has two years from the date of death (not the date of the accident) to file. 

While there are some exceptions to the rule, these are the general statutes of limitations that apply to spinal cord injury cases in Los Angeles. It is important to contact an attorney at Rose, Klein & Marias LLP without delay to avoid missing your filing deadline.

Types of Spinal Cord Injuries

When a patient presents the signs of a neck, back or spinal injury to a physician, medical tests will be done to diagnose the injury. Spinal cord injuries have many different medical classifications based on the type, severity and location of the injury. 

Examples include:

  • Spinal concussions
  • Contusions
  • Vertebral fractures
  • Spinal compression
  • Severed spinal cord
  • Paralysis (paraplegia or quadriplegia)
  • Disk injuries
  • Nerve damage
  • Whiplash and other neck injuries

There are complete and incomplete spinal cord injuries. A complete spinal injury means the victim will experience a total loss of motor function and sensory function below the point of injury on the spine. An incomplete injury means the victim will only experience partial loss of these functions.

Symptoms of Spinal Cord Injury

When an accident victim sustains damage to the spinal cord, symptoms may be immediate or take a few hours – or even days – to arise. In the most severe cases, a victim may immediately notice signs of paralysis, such as numbness or the inability to move part of the body. In other cases, victims may experience symptoms such as:

  • Pain in the back
  • Pressure in the head, neck or back
  • A tingling feeling somewhere in the body
  • Trouble walking or finding balance
  • Challenges with fine motor skills
  • Muscle spasms
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Circulatory problems
  • Loss of bowel or bladder control
  • Sexual dysfunction

The spinal cord is divided into five regions. From top to bottom, they are: cervical spine, thoracic spine, lumbar spine, sacral spine and coccyx. The effects a victim experiences with a spine injury can depend on the location of the damage, as the body is typically affected from the level of injury down.

How Much Does a Spinal Cord Injury Cost?

Spinal cord injuries can be extremely costly to the victim and his or her family. The amount of medical care and ongoing rehabilitation required to treat a spine injury can result in thousands of dollars in health care costs alone.

The Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center estimates that the annual amount spent by someone living with high tetraplegia in health care costs and living expenses is around $1.4 million for the first year and $238,000 every subsequent year. The average lifetime cost is over $6 million for someone who was injured at the age of 25 and $3.3 million at the age of 50.

Even a back injury that does not result in paralysis or permanent damage can cost thousands of dollars in hospital bills, lost wages, and more. It is critical not to underestimate the value of your spinal cord injury claim in Los Angeles.

Common Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries

Spinal disks, vertebrae, and nerves comprise the main parts of the spinal cord. If any component of the spine suffers harm in an accident, the victim could experience lifelong effects. Severe spinal cord injuries can disrupt sensation and motor function below the point of injury. One of the first tasks toward obtaining justice and compensation for your serious spine injury is identifying who or what caused the injury:

If you are unsure as to the exact cause of your spinal cord injury, a skilled Los Angeles spinal cord injury attorney from Rose, Klein & Marias LLP could be of assistance. We can review your accident in-depth and investigate who may be responsible. Our lawyers and other professionals have years of experience handling serious injury cases and identifying at-fault parties. An experienced Los Angeles personal injury lawyer at our firm can guide you through each phase of the personal injury process.

Suffered a Spinal Cord Injury at Work? We Can Help

Many spine injuries in Los Angeles happen at work. Lifting something the wrong way, repetitive motion injuries, serious falls, or getting caught in or between equipment could damage the spine. If you suffered a spine injury at work, you may have two different outlets for financial recovery. The first is a Los Angeles workers’ compensation claim. This could result in payments for your medical bills and two-thirds gross weekly wages without you needing to prove negligence or liability.

If someone else did cause your spine injury, however, the second option may be better: a personal injury lawsuit. An injury claim could end in greater compensation for your losses. Before you accept a workers’ compensation settlement and forfeit your right to file a claim against your employer, talk to a Los Angeles spinal cord injury lawyer about your other options. Our attorneys can help you with both types of claims.

Free Consultation With a Spinal Cord Injury Attorney in Los Angeles, CA

Our law firm has brain injury attorneys available for free consultations in Los Angeles and elsewhere in Southern California. We can review your legal options with you, listen to your story and help you hold the at-fault party responsible for causing your life-changing spinal cord injury. Schedule your free, confidential case review with a Los Angeles spinal cord injury lawyer today by calling (800) 362-7427 or filling out our intake form online.