Whether a person injures their spine in a fall, a dive, a car accident, or as a result of an assault or medical malpractice, a Georgia spinal cord injury case can be devastating. These injuries are usually permanent, limiting their freedom, career options, recreational opportunities, and relationships. On the other hand, if you are considering suing for such a situation, several factors are best discussed with a civil lawyer.
Approximately 300,000 Americans live with a spinal cord injury, according to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center. The median age when hurt is 43 years old. There are more than 17,800 new spinal cord injuries in the United States each year. Accidents on the road and accidents in the workplace are the most common causes, followed by violence, sports (including diving), and medical-surgical mishaps.
Since Georgia has many places of water and is no stranger to spinal cord injuries, we tend to see a lot of diving injuries as well. There was no mention made of possible litigation in this case. In determining whether the damage can be legally attributed to another person, company, or organization, our back injury lawyers will explain that the question is whether negligence on the part of that person, company, or organization resulted in the damage.
The accused must be shown to have breached a duty of care to the victim and, as a result, damaged the victim as a result of that breach.
According to the 2018 Central Registry, there were 570 spinal cord injuries treated at Georgia hospitals during the past year. Each year, approximately 11,000 new cases of spinal cord injuries are recorded in the United States.
Georgia Spinal Cord Injury Case Litigation Defendants:
A Georgia spinal cord injury case in which the defendant has typically been injured include:
- Vehicle drivers/owners (in traffic accident cases)
- Truckers or companies
- Business owners are negligent in maintaining a safe location. This could mean they failed to prevent dangerous criminal activity or remediate/warn about a slip or trip hazard. The shallow depth of the swimming pool or another body of water may also have been overlooked
- Nursing homes where staff were negligent or the conditions were unsafe
- Often, injured workers that are employed by companies cause accidents that result in spinal cord injuries
- A physician or hospital who has been negligent in the provision of health care resulting in spinal cord injury
- Products manufactured, sold, or distributed that cause accidents involving spinal cord injuries
According to a recent article, workers’ compensation can help you cover your full losses when you suffer a spinal cord injury at work. However, you may also be able to seek third-party litigation, which offers more potential to cover your full damages.
Georgia Spinal Cord Injury Costs:
Depending on where you live and how much you earn, the average annual health care expenses, cost of living, and so forth for spinal cord injuries vary greatly in Georgia. The following factors are involved:
- You are unable to move or have a neurological impairment, depending on the severity of your injury
- When the accident occurred; your age/health condition
- Education
- Your work history as it was before the accident
As an example, the National Spinal Cord Injury Coordinating Committee (NSCISC) estimates that, if you are 25 years old and have a spinal cord injury resulting in paraplegia (an injury down to the waist), your living costs would probably be around $2.5 million, with an estimated life expectancy of 65. People who are 50 and suffer the same injury would generally expect lifetime costs of $1.6 million with a life expectancy of 66 years. However, this amount does not include lost wages or non-monetary losses such as pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment, and loss of consortium that can be claimed in a civil case.
Most of our clients, who suffer serious spinal cord injuries, don’t immediately think about the legal options available to them or how they may be able to recover financially from such a serious injury. Their first concern is: when will I be able to walk again? As the reality of past and future medical care costs become clear, legal action becomes a last resort for the injured party, which is further complicated by limited earning capacity.
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We analyze each element of your case carefully and strive to secure full and fair compensation. By working with an experienced and dedicated legal team, you can be sure that no aspect of your Georgia spinal cord injury case is overlooked.
