According to the National Spinal Cord Institute Statistical Center, there are approximately 54 spinal cord injury cases per one million people across the United States. This equals about 17,900 new spinal cord injury cases each year. “New” spinal cord injury cases do not include those who die from a spinal cord injury at the accident scene. An average of 300,000 people across the United States live with a spinal cord injury. Most of those with a new spinal cord injury will require a minimum of eleven days in the hospital, then from thirty days to several months of rehabilitative therapies. Having an Arizona back injury attorney as your advocate throughout your injury can make a significant difference in your future.
Your spinal cord can be affected by common—yet severe—injuries often associated with slip and fall accidents and auto accidents. For many victims with spinal cord injuries, permanent changes to their sensations and strength below the injury site are just one detrimental impact of the accident. If you or someone you know has recently suffered a spinal cord injury and another person’s negligent actions caused it, you may be entitled to recover compensation for your injuries and damages with the help of a spinal cord injury attorney.
Brad Johnson Injury Law has experience in helping families and individuals recover financial compensation and get justice when they have been seriously injured. A spinal cord injury is any medical condition that causes damage to a portion of the spinal cord or the nerves located at the end of the spinal canal. The more of the patient’s body that is affected, the closer the spinal cord injury is to the brain. An individual’s ability to control their limbs or function every day after a spinal cord injury depends on the severity of the injury and where on the spinal cord the injury occurs.
Why Should You Hire a Spinal Cord Injury Attorney?
If you have received a spinal cord injury, it can be an overwhelming experience. Having highly experienced, knowledgeable spinal cord injury Brad Johnson can allow you the time you need to heal and learn how to live with your injury without worrying about the legal and financial aspects of your injury. Getting help from attorney Brad Johnson can give you peace of mind and confidence in the way your claim will be managed.
Brad will walk you through the steps of your claim, explaining anything you do not understand in a comprehensive yet easy-to-understand manner. Because treatments for spinal cord injuries can easily run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars, having the Brad Johnson Injury Law team on your side can significantly increase your compensation as a compelling case is built on your behalf. Brad Johnson Injury Law offers you:
- More than three decades of personal injury experience
- A client-centric, local law firm, rather than a large, impersonal regional/national law firm
- A highly individualized approach to your case
- More than 100 positive Google Reviews
- A firm that has solid core values
- 24/7 availability
- Free comprehensive consultations
- English and Spanish speaking staff
- A 25 percent fee vs. the typical 33.3 percent fee (more money in your pocket)
We don’t get paid at Brad Johnson Injury Law unless we win. This takes all the pressure away from you, allowing the time you need to receive medical care and adapt to your injuries.
What are the Different Types of Spinal Cord Injuries?
There are two primary types of spinal cord injuries; classified as incomplete or complete. An incomplete injury means that the individual may have some movement or feeling below the injury site; there are varying degrees of incomplete injuries. A complete injury refers to cases where the victim has no movement or feeling below the spinal cord injury.
A person with a spinal cord injury may need a variety of medical interventions daily or significant help from friends and family. Another type of spinal cord injury is paralysis, which is usually categorized as quadriplegia or paraplegia. All pelvic organs, hands, legs, the torso, and arms are affected by a quadriplegic injury, while only portions of the pelvic organs, torso, or legs are affected by a paraplegic spinal cord injury.
How Do Most Spinal Cord Injuries Occur?
Car and other motor vehicle accidents (motorcycle, truck, bicycle, pedestrian) are the leading cause of spinal cord injuries, accounting for about 38.2 percent of all new spinal cord injuries each year. Falls are the next most common cause of spinal cord injuries at about 32.3 percent. For those over the age of 65 that are in an accident that causes a spinal cord injury, the cause is most likely to be a fall.
Acts of violence account for about 14.3 percent of spinal cord injuries, usually from firearms, knives, and other weapons. Sports and recreational activities are responsible for between 8-10 percent of spinal cord injuries. Impact sports like football and diving in water that is too shallow are among the most common causes. Diseases like cancer, arthritis, osteoporosis, inflammation of the spinal cord, and surgical procedures that go wrong make up about 4 percent of all spinal cord injuries, with “other” making up the remainder.
While spinal cord injuries are generally the result of an accident, certain risk factors increase your chances of being diagnosed with a spinal cord injury, such as:
- Males are disproportionately affected by spinal cord injuries accounting for 78 percent of all such injuries.
- The average age of a person who is the victim of a spinal cord injury today is about 43, as compared to an average age of 29 in the 1970s.
- Risky behaviors such as playing sports without proper safety gear, driving recklessly, or diving in shallow water can lead to spinal cord injuries.
- Having another disorder that affects your joints or bones, like osteoporosis
What Are Some of the Primary Symptoms of Moderate to Severe Spinal Cord Injuries?
You must receive immediate medical attention to avoid causing further damage to your spinal cord. The immediate symptoms of a spinal cord injury can include the following:
- You are unable to move a limb or part of your body
- Your ability to feel heat, cold, or touch is significantly altered
- You are experiencing a loss of movement
- Spasms or exaggerated reflex activities are occurring
- You are experiencing a loss of bladder control or a loss of bowel control
- Breathing is difficult
- Coughing or clearing secretions in your lungs are difficult
- You feel an intense stinging sensation due to damaged spinal cord nerve fibers
- You feel significant or extreme pain in your back, head, or neck
- You are having difficulty walking, or your balance is off
- You feel weak or uncoordinated in any part of your body
- You feel intense pressure in your back, head, or neck
- Your neck or back seem twisted or oddly positioned
If you experience any of these symptoms following an accident, this is a medical emergency, and you should immediately go to the nearest hospital. While it may seem odd, a spinal cord injury is not always immediately obvious, with numbness or paralysis either immediate or coming on gradually. The time between your accident and treatment can make a massive difference in the extent and severity of your complications and the time it takes you to reach full or partial recovery.
How are Spinal Cord Injuries and Paralysis Diagnosed?
A physician must carefully evaluate you, ordering diagnostic tests to determine whether or not a spinal cord injury exists and the severity of one if present. Some of the potential diagnoses include:
- Ischemia: Decreased blood flow to the spinal cord
- Contusion: Bruising of the spinal cord
- Fractures: Broken bones (vertebrae)
- Dislocation: Displaced or misaligned vertebrae
Doctors will often use CT scans and MRIs or X-rays to evaluate the diagnosis of a spinal cord injury patient. The doctor may also examine you directly after the swelling has gone down. Unfortunately, there are no “cures” for spinal cord injuries. Although medications on the market can control muscle spasticity and pain, if you have been diagnosed with a spinal cord injury, you may deal with the repercussions of that injury for the remainder of your life. If you have suffered paralysis from a partial or full spinal cord injury, you could be entitled to recover compensation for your lost wages, medical bills, and pain and suffering.
A Glendale, Arizona spinal cord injury attorney should be retained immediately to ensure your rights and your future are properly protected. The Brad Johnson Injury Law team has many years of experience in evaluating these complicated medical cases and helping to prepare a compelling presentation for recovery of compensation in court. When your spinal cord injury was caused by another person’s and/or company’s negligence or carelessness, attorney Brad Johnson can help you get the compensation you need for medical expenses and other damages. At Brad Johnson Injury Law, we have been handling spinal cord injury claims for years, and we know that it can be overwhelming to follow your treatment plan while also worrying about your legal rights and finances.
What Compensation Could You Be Entitled to Receive Following Your Back or Spinal Cord Injury?
According to the National Spinal Cord Institute Statistical Center, as of 2020, the first year following a low tetraplegia spinal cord injury is about $840,676 and $123,938 each year thereafter, with an estimated lifetime cost between two and three million, depending on your age at the time of the injury. A high tetraplegia injury averages $1,163,425 for the first year’s medical care, $202,032 each year thereafter, with an estimated lifetime cost between three and six million dollars. A paraplegia injury averages $567,011 in medical costs the first year $75,112 each year thereafter, with an estimated lifetime cost between one and a half million and two and a half million.
As you might imagine, few people can bear such high medical costs. Most health insurance companies have a “cap,” meaning they will only pay up to a certain amount. Because of the extremely high costs associated with a spinal cord injury, you must have a knowledgeable Glendale spinal cord injury lawyer who will fight for the highest settlement possible, and who knows how to figure out your actual future costs. You are entitled to medical expenses, past, present, and future, related to your spinal cord injury. You are entitled to lost wages and future
Spinal Cord Injury Attorney Brad Johnson Can Help
Following a spinal cord injury, your life may feel as though it will never be the same. It is important that your best interests are being looked after during this period when you are unable to deal with legal and financial issues. At Brad Johnson Injury Law, we provide quality legal services to those injured in accidents. We want to make the legal process as simple and human as possible. We have the strength and experience of a large law firm and the heart and attention of a small one.
Brad Johnson operates his law firm with honesty and integrity and a “how can we help you” attitude. You are not just another case to us—we genuinely care about helping you and are driven by compassion, accountability, and transparency. We vow to keep you fully informed as the legal process unfolds and help you obtain the medical treatments you need to heal. Contact Brad Johnson Injury Law today for a 100% free consultation.