Indiana Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer
Spinal cord injuries can vary in severity and long-term impact. An Indiana spinal cord injury lawyer from Stein Law can help you receive the compensation you deserve after an accident.
Spinal cord injuries can be among some of the most dreaded injuries to develop after a violent accident. Your spine is a crucial part of your central nervous system, sending messages from the brain to the rest of your body.
A spinal cord injury can impact your ability to work, enjoy your quality of life, and care for yourself. If you developed a spinal cord injury after an accident that was not your fault, a personal injury lawyer in New Albany can help you win a financial settlement from those responsible.
How Much Can You Get for a Spine Injury in Indiana?
Spine injuries can vary in severity and in long-term impact. They may be able to be repaired with surgery, physical therapy, or other medical treatments. In some cases, they may have lasting effects.
Because of this, the amount of financial compensation you may be granted can vary greatly. Average spinal cord injury victims can pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical expenses, if not millions, so compensation can sometimes be rather steep.
There are two types of damages to consider: economic and non-economic. Economic damages are designed to help you recover financially after an injury. They can cover things like:
- Medical bills
- Lost wages
- Disability
Non-economic damages are awarded for the emotional pain or distress you may have suffered due to the accident. When it comes to a spinal cord injury, this may include:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Loss of society and companionship
- Loss of enjoyment of life
Your Indiana spine injury lawyer at Stein Law will work to settle your case without going to trial. The case will likely go to trial if a reasonable settlement cannot be reached. Although this may be stressful, it can lead to fuller financial recovery.
Can You Work With a Spinal Cord Injury?
You may be able to work with a spinal cord injury, but it depends on your work and the severity of the injury. For instance, if your work involves heavy lifting or intense physical activity, you may need to take time off while you recover. In less physical jobs, you may be able to return to work right away.
In most cases with an incomplete spinal cord injury, you will be able to return to work at some point in the future. If you have to take time off work while you recover, the lost wages could impact your standard of living.
A complete spinal cord injury, on the other hand, can result in a loss of movement or paralysis, which could make you unable to return to work at all. In these cases, you may need to find another job or receive disability compensation. This is the kind of financial recovery your Indiana spinal cord injury lawyer will help you to receive.
How Are Spinal Cord Injury Cases Approached?
If your spinal cord is injured as the result of a car accident that was someone else’s fault, your first step should be to hire an Indiana spine injury lawyer at Stein Law to help you understand your rights and seek financial recovery.
Your attorney will need to prove three things for you to be awarded compensation:
- That the accident resulted from another party, whether through neglectful or malicious activity or inactivity
- That your spinal cord injury was the result of that accident
- That your spinal cord injury impacted your life in the ways you claim
You will need to hold onto the accident report, medical records and invoices, pay stubs to represent lost wages, and any evidence of your spinal cord injury. If you pursue non-economic damages, you will need to undergo a mental health evaluation and see a counselor or therapist as evidence of the emotional impact the accident has had on you.
In most situations, personal injury cases are settled without ever going to trial. In a settlement, both parties agree to dismiss charges and remove any liability in exchange for a payment from the defendant to the plaintiff. Car, truck, bicycle, and motorcycle collisions will often be settled with the insurance company rather than the defendant.
Stein Law will handle negotiations with the insurance company adjusters to protect your rights throughout the settlement. They may offer a settlement that you can accept or reject. We may encourage you to take the case to trial if the offer is unreasonable and cannot be negotiated. At that point, the case will be heard by a judge who will determine the compensation to award.
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Our Offices
Floyd County Office
Downtown New Albany
812-948-6000
810 E. Market St.
New Albany, IN 47150
Clark County Office
Bolt & Tie Building
812-948-6002
1400 Main St. Suite 154
Clarksville, IN 47129
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Is There a Time Limit to File a Spinal Cord Injury Lawsuit in Indiana?
The statute of limitations for all personal injury cases in Indiana is two years. This means you will have two years from the date of the accident to file your spinal cord injury lawsuit. If you fail to file the case within this time, it will most likely be dismissed without being heard.
Types of Spinal Cord Injuries
There are two main categories of spinal cord injuries that determine the severity of the injury: incomplete or complete. With an incomplete spinal injury, the spinal cord can still send messages from the brain to the rest of the body. In a complete injury, something is cut off in the path of sending signals through the nervous system, often resulting in a lack of movement or function.
Otherwise, spinal cord injuries are categorized by the location of the injury. These four classifications are:
- Cervical — neck
- Thoracic — upper back
- Lumbar — lower back
- Sacral — end of the spinal column near the pelvis
While some spinal cord injuries may have mild symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, or pain that can be treated, others can have serious consequences such as paralysis. Paralysis can occur at the time of the injury or after if bleeding continues from the spinal cord injury.
Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke has found that motor vehicle accidents and catastrophic falls are the leading causes of spinal cord injuries. These are typically brought on by a violent impact along the vertebrae.
Falls are the most common cause of spinal cord injuries for those over 65 years of age. Violent assaults or accidents while playing sports are also common causes of spinal cord injuries.
Why Stein Law Is the Right Choice for You
Stein Law has over 75 years of combined experience practicing personal injury law in Indiana. Rather than offering a flat or hourly rate, we charge on a contingency fee basis. That means that we don’t get paid until you get paid. You don’t have to pay attorney’s fees or costs until your case is won.
Throughout our long experience working with personal injury and wrongful death cases in Indiana, we focus on helping our injured clients get back on their feet after a traumatic accident. We cover a variety of personal injury cases, from car accidents to medical malpractice and beyond.
Need help getting financial recovery after a spinal cord injury changes your life? Stein Law has you covered. We will help you understand your rights in this trying time and defend them, whether in a settlement mediation or in court.
Contact Stein Law today to learn more about what we can do for you or to schedule a consultation.
