Los Angeles Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer

The lifetime costs of a Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) could exceed $5 million. These costs include medical bills and related medical costs, such as renovations to living spaces. Furthermore, these victims have significantly fewer economic opportunities, although numerous laws, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, purportedly protect these victims.

Frequently, the noneconomic costs are exponentially higher. Physically disabled individuals miss out on many of the small moments in life. These small moments, like taking a child to a park, are priceless. Furthermore, once the moment passes, it never comes back. SCIs also cause everyday noneconomic losses, such as ongoing stress.

The combination of these ongoing economic and noneconomic losses means that many Spinal Cord Injury victims have very bleak futures. A Los Angeles spinal cord injury lawyer gives these victims and their families brighter futures. Attorneys obtain the financial compensation these victims need and deserve. Perhaps more importantly, a California personal injury lawyer holds negligent parties responsible for the serious injuries they cause.

What Causes Spinal Cord Injuries?

Vehicle collisions, both low-speed and high-speed crashes, are the leading cause of spinal cord injuries in California.

Low-speed car wrecks knock the delicate spine out of alignment. When this part of the central nervous system is disrupted, the injury cascades throughout the body.

Whiplash is a good example. This injury often affects the cervical spine. The violent motion of a car crash, even a low-speed crash, causes the neck to jostle back and forth and to and fro. Thus, motion usually damages critical nerves in the cervical spine. 

Whiplash is one of the hardest SCIs to diagnose. Initial symptoms, such as neck soreness, are very common accident shock symptoms. Furthermore, whiplash and other soft tissue injuries aren’t visible on most diagnostic test results, such as X-rays. So, doctors dismiss the symptoms, and there’s no evidence that the victim sustained a more serious injury.

Initial neck soreness soon transforms into a persistent pain that radiates down the arms. Unless a doctor takes decisive action at that point, the pain and loss of use could become permanent.

High-speed car crashes often cause spinal fractures. Most vehicle safety restraint systems, like seatbelts and airbags, are designed to reduce head injuries. The spine is vulnerable to serious injury.

The bones in the spine are almost like eggshells that contain vital fluid. Even a hairline crack causes injuries like bulging discs and pinched nerves. A more serious fracture could instantly cause permanent paralysis. These victims have no time to adjust to the loss of use. They must re-learn to do almost everything on the fly.

How a Los Angeles Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer Builds Your Case

Medical evidence is often difficult to develop in these cases because of the diagnostic issues mentioned above. 

So, a Los Angeles spinal cord injury lawyer often partners with board-certified physicians who accurately diagnose and properly treat these injuries. As a bonus, these doctors accurately predict the need for future medical expenses. In an SCI case, future medical costs often dwarf immediate medical costs.

Medical evidence establishes the nature and extent of the injury. An attorney must also prove how the victim sustained that injury.

Car crash evidence usually includes the police accident report and witness statements. Evidence problems often plague this case development stage as well.

The police accident report is a good illustration. Emergency responders usually submit their reports while SCI victims are in the hospital, in considerable pain, and under sedation. As a result, the report doesn’t accurately reflect the victim’s side of the story.

A professional partnership with an accident reconstruction engineer usually addresses this deficiency. These professionals put bits of evidence together and accurately determine how the crash occurred.

Resolving Your Case

All this groundwork is useless unless an attorney closes the deal. Usually, this closing means negotiating a favorable out-of-court settlement.

A settlement is a process, not a result. This process begins when an attorney assesses a claim’s settlement value, like a new car’s sticker price. The settlement value, the sum of economic and fair noneconomic damages in a case, is the starting point for settlement negotiations.

Such negotiations always involve some give and take. New car price negotiations are usually all giving and no taking. If attorneys do their homework, as outlined above, settlement negotiations are more level.

That’s especially true once a professional mediator gets involved. A mediator ensures that each side negotiates in good faith. This responsibility means that insurance companies must make fair settlement offers, not low-ball offers.

Contact our experienced spinal cord injury lawyers today!

The SCI mediation success rate is about 90 percent in California because of the duty to negotiate in good faith. Spinal Cord Injuries cause lifelong physical and emotional injuries. For a free consultation with an experienced personal injury lawyer in Los Angeles, CA contact the Law Offices of Eslamboly Hakim. We do not charge upfront legal fees in personal injury matters.