If you have suffered a spinal cord injury due to another’s negligence, our personal injury lawyers want to help you. With more than 150 years of combined legal experience, we will know the way forward for you and your family. We will work closely with you and pursue compensation for your past and future medical expenses, lost income, pain, suffering and other damages.
When you put your spinal cord injury case in the hands of The Sloan Firm, our skilled and compassionate legal team will fight for what is important to you, including our lawyers, investigators, paralegals and support staff. We will always see the person behind the injury.
Schedule a free consultation today and learn more about how we can help you. We can meet at our Longview office or a location that is more convenient for you, including our offices in Houston and Santa Fe, New Mexico.
What are Spinal Cord Injuries?
To understand the spinal cord injury in your case, you should know a few basic details about the spine’s anatomy. This anatomy primarily consists of the spinal cord, a network of nerves that run down the middle of your back from the base of the brain to slightly above the waist. These nerves send messages throughout the body that allow people to feel sensations and control their movements.
The spinal column is a set of 33 bones, or vertebrae, which protects the spinal cord. Between the vertebrae are gel-filled discs. These intervertebral discs keep the bones from rubbing together. Ligaments hold the vertebrae together. Muscles and tendons give support to the spinal column.
If you suffer any form of traumatic damage to the spinal cord or spinal column, it may cause a complete or incomplete loss of feeling and function in the parts of your body below the point of injury, or paralysis. The four main types of paralysis are:
There are four main categories of paralysis that spinal cord injury victims experience are:
- Quadriplegia (tetraplegia) – Paralysis below the neck, which typically affects all limbs and organs below the location of the injury
- Paraplegia – Paralysis below the waist, which causes total or partial loss of feeling and use in the legs and hips
- Monoplegia – Paralysis of one single area of the body such as one arm or one leg
- Hemiplegia – Paralysis of an arm and a leg on the same side of the body.
The Sloan Firm has a history of working with people who suffered paralysis in accidents caused by the negligence of others. We have also assisted clients who suffered other forms of spinal cord injury such as:
- Herniated disc – When an intervertebral disc sustains a tear or rupture, causing fluid to leak that puts pressure on nerves within the spinal cord.
- Bulging disc – When an intervertebral disc does not tear or rupture but, instead, bulges into the spinal canal, pinching nerves.
If you suffer any harm to your back, neck or head in an accident, you should seek medical care, see your doctor immediately. This is especially true if you experience symptoms such as pressure in those parts of the body or:
- Severe pain
- Loss of coordination or strength
- Tingling or numbness
- Loss of bowel and bladder control.
Costs of Spinal Cord Injury
Spinal cord injury can require extensive and costly medical treatment, including surgery, hospitalization, monitoring in an assisted living facility and ongoing physical therapy. Additionally, a person may need a wheelchair, ventilators and other assistive devices. The person may also need modification of their home and/or vehicle to accommodate their disability.
These are not one-time expenses. Instead, a person may face these costs well into the future. The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC) reports that average yearly expenses for people with spinal cord injury range from $500,000 to $1 million or more. Some people may face $4.5 million or more in medical expenses over the course of a lifetime.
Unfortunately, spinal cord injury can lead to complications that include:
- High blood pressure and blood clots
- Urinary tract infections
- Spasticity (or tightening of muscles)
- Pressure sores
- Depression and anxiety.
In addition to these direct costs, spinal cord injury can lead to indirect costs, including loss of income and diminishment of one’s ability to earn a living in the future. Due to the need to provide care and attention to those with spinal cord injury – in some cases, around the clock – family members face burdens as well.
Causes of Spinal Cord Injury
Unfortunately, many people in Longview, Houston, Santa Fe and other areas of East Texas and New Mexico suffer spinal cord injury in preventable accidents. Some of the leading causes of spinal cord injury include:
- Motor vehicle accidents (car, truck and motorcycle)
- Slip and falls due to property hazards
- Construction accidents, including falls from ladders, roofs, scaffolding and other heights
- Oil field and offshore accidents and railroad accidents, including those that involve heavy equipment
- Medical malpractice
- Sports and recreational accidents.
If you believe that another person’s negligence caused an accident that left you or a loved one with spinal cord injury, you should seek help from a lawyer immediately in order to protect your right to full and fair compensation.
Our Longview Spinal Cord Injury Lawyers Can Help You
If you or a family member has suffered paralysis or other spinal damage as a result of another’s negligence, The Sloan Firm will manage all aspects of your case and allow you to focus on your health and your family. We are ready to:
- Take time to listen to you and hear what happened to you
- Provide an honest assessment of your case and free advice about your legal options
- Thoroughly and independently investigate your accident and determine who should be held responsible
- Work with experts in accident reconstruction, medical treatment, occupational rehabilitation, financial planning and other relevant fields
- Take care of all communications with the insurance companies on your behalf and handle all other paperwork involved in your case
- Pursue a full and fair spinal cord injury settlement or argue your case in court if that’s what it takes
- Keep you informed about the status of your case, answer your questions and explain anything you do not understand.
You can count on us to always give your case the care and attention to detail that it deserves. At The Sloan Firm, what matters to you, matters to us.
Get Help from Our Longview Spinal Cord Injury Attorney Today
Our knowledgeable and compassionate team of professionals at The Sloan Firm will help you to pursue justice and all compensation you deserve after you have suffered a spinal cord injury which resulted through no fault of your own.
We serve clients throughout East Texas from our offices in Longview and Houston. We also feature an office in Santa Fe, New Mexico. We can provide advice and guidance to guide you through this difficult time. Contact us today to discuss your case in a free consultation.