Few types of injuries are more severe and debilitating than those affecting the spinal cord. Any damage done to this string of nerves—which virtually every signal sent between the brain and the rest of the central nervous signal passes along at some point—is often permanent with no chance for long-term recovery, and its effect usually includes total paralysis below the site of the injury.
While financial recovery cannot always erase the physical damage done to someone who sustains harm of this nature, working with a seasoned catastrophic injury attorney to demand fair compensation can still be key to maximizing quality of life for a victim of spinal cord trauma. If someone else’s negligence led directly to you suffering permanent spine damage, talking with a Bartlett spinal cord injury lawyer about your legal options should be a priority.
There are two main factors that determine how serious a spinal cord injury is and how dramatic an effect it will have on an injured person’s life: how “complete” the damage done is, and where on the spine the injury actually occurred. “Complete” spinal cord injuries involve the spinal cord being totally and irreversibly severed, resulting in universal loss of sensory and motor function in the entire body below the injury site. On the other hand, “incomplete” spinal cord injuries, while still extremely severe, sometimes give injured individuals prospects for long-term recovery since they only involve the spinal cord being bruised, twisted, or torn slightly.
As alluded to above, the location of an injury along the spine determines how much of the body is affected by partial or total paralysis. Injuries to the lower part of the spine closer to the tailbone may result in partial paralysis below the waist or—at worst, paraplegia in the lower limbs—while injuries closer to or inside the neck may cause quadriplegia of all four limbs and the entire torso. A skilled Bartlett spinal cord accident attorney could provide vital assistance when building a case around any type of spinal cord trauma caused by another person’s misconduct.
Because spinal cord injuries are usually permanent in nature, a comprehensive civil claim should seek restitution for both past and future, economic and non-economic forms of harm, including:
Importantly, though, Tennessee Code §29-39-102 sets caps on how much any single personal injury plaintiff may recover for non-economic forms of harm stemming from someone else’s negligence, as a spinal cord injury lawyer in Bartlett could further explain. Since spinal cord injuries resulting in paraplegia or quadriplegia are specifically designated as a “catastrophic loss or injury” under this statute, the applicable cap is $1,000,000 as opposed to the $750,000 cap imposed on most other personal injury claims.
Financial recovery alone may seem like a poor way to make up for a lifelong loss of bodily function caused by spinal cord trauma. However, holding a negligent person liable for your injury in this way could be key to minimizing numerous financial and personal losses your condition may cause.
A Bartlett spinal cord injury lawyer could go over your options and legal rights in detail during a confidential consultation. Call the Reaves Law Firm, PLLC today to schedule yours.
