Birmingham Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer

Common Types of Spinal Cord Injuries

Spinal cord injuries vary widely in their severity and consequences, but all of them are serious. Understanding the type of injury you’ve suffered plays a direct role in projecting long-term care needs and calculating the full value of your claim.

Spinal cord injuries are typically classified as either complete or incomplete. A complete injury results in total loss of motor function and sensation below the level of the injury. An incomplete injury means some function is retained, but even incomplete injuries can cause profound, lasting limitations.

Depending on the location and severity of the injury, victims may experience:

• Paraplegia: loss of function in the lower body, typically affecting both legs and lower trunk
• Quadriplegia (tetraplegia): loss of function in all four limbs and the torso, often accompanied by respiratory complications
• Partial or full loss of sensation, including the ability to feel pain, temperature, and pressure
• Loss of bladder and bowel control
• Impaired sexual function and reproductive health
• Chronic secondary complications, including pain syndromes, pressure wounds, respiratory infections, and cardiovascular issues

The long-term consequences of a spinal cord injury extend far beyond the injury itself. Many victims require lifelong medical management, adaptive equipment, and personal care support. Our personal injury lawyers work closely with medical experts to ensure that every element of your future care is accounted for in your claim.

Proving Liability in Spinal Injury Cases

Establishing liability in a spinal cord injury case requires a thorough, evidence-driven approach. Insurance companies do not act in your best interest. Our job is to make sure your voice and the full scope of your damages are heard. Our legal team works to:

• Establish negligence by proving the at-fault party had a duty of care, breached that duty, and directly caused your injury
• Gather and preserve critical evidence, including accident reports, police records, surveillance footage, and witness testimony
• Obtain and analyze medical records that document the nature and extent of your spinal cord injury, treatment history, and prognosis
• Retain qualified expert witnesses, including accident reconstruction specialists, spinal cord injury physicians, and life care planners, to support your claim
• Counter insurance company tactics designed to shift blame, minimize the severity of your injury, or dispute the necessity of future care

Calculating Long-Term Damages

One of the most critical functions of a spinal cord injury lawyer is ensuring that your damages are calculated accurately and comprehensively. Spinal cord injuries rarely come with a simple price tag. The costs build over years and decades. Our attorneys partner with life care planners and economic experts to build a damages model that accounts for every cost, now and in the future.

A thorough assessment of damages includes:

• Lifetime medical care, including hospitalization, surgeries, medications, and ongoing specialist treatment
• Inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, and psychological counseling
• Lost wages and diminished earning capacity, accounting for the career trajectory your injury has disrupted or ended
• Home modifications, such as wheelchair ramps, accessible bathrooms, and adaptive living accommodations
• Assistive devices and technology, including wheelchairs, mobility aids, ventilators, and communication devices
• Pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, emotional distress, and the non-economic impact of living with a life-altering disability
• Caregiver and personal assistance costs, whether provided by professional caregivers or family members who sacrifice income to provide care