Bakersfield Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer
The spinal cord is a sophisticated communication system in which nerves command motion, allowing you to move your body at will. The spinal cord is encased in a protective vertebral column, consisting of meninges, bones, discs, ligaments, and muscles, but even those are not enough if you are in a catastrophic accident. The damage may be irreparable, and if someone else is responsible, they should pay for your physical, emotional, and financial losses.
You may face financial instability while you cannot work, and medical and other bills mount with a catastrophic injury, making who you choose for legal help crucial. You want a Bakersfield spinal cord injury lawyer who is not intimidated by huge, corporate insurance companies, and will aggressively litigate if settlement offers are unacceptably low. Look no further than our experienced catastrophic injury attorneys.
Spinal Cord Injuries and Negligence
Society expects humans to refrain from acting recklessly and harming others. The standard of care is for a person to act as a reasonable person would act in a similar situation. When that standard is breached, and bad behavior causes an accident, those injured because of it have a claim against the negligent party for their losses. Some common spinal cord injuries caused by negligence include:
Trauma to the spinal cord can leave a person paralyzed below the point of impact. This can result in quadriplegia, when the body is paralyzed below the neck, and paraplegia, when the lower body is paralyzed. Our Bakersfield spinal cord injury attorneys assess a person’s need for compensation to cover medical and rehabilitative care, emotional distress, and living with impaired function or paralysis.
Damages After a Spinal Cord Injury
Once negligence is established, the jury will react to the evidence our attorneys present to determine compensation. Damage awards are economic if a dollar amount can be determined, and non-economic when that amount is determined subjectively. Economic damages include current and future medical care associated with accident injuries, lost wages, property damage, and additions to a home or vehicle that address the disability. Non-economic damages include emotional trauma from living with a permanent disability, loss of consortium, and loss of the enjoyment of life.
Punitive damages, meant to punish the defendant for especially egregious behavior according to California Civil Code § 3294, could also be awarded if our Bakersfield lawyer pleads them separately in a spinal cord injury case. The injured party must prove the defendant acted maliciously or fraudulently.
Damages When Both Parties are Responsible
When both parties harbor some guilt for an accident that injures one of them, California abides by the doctrine of pure comparative fault. The jury will determine each party’s percentage of fault for an accident, and the injured person’s damages award will coincide with the defendant’s percentage, even if the plaintiff is 99 percent responsible. Our attorneys could help you understand how sharing fault might affect an accident settlement.
Enlist a Bakersfield Spinal Cord Injury Attorney to Fight for You
Spinal cord injuries are catastrophic because they impact your ability to hold down gainful employment and continue the physical activities you once enjoyed. If you cannot work, you need a way to pay your bills, and we believe the aggressor in your accident should cover your losses.
If someone recklessly involves you in an accident that compromises your spinal cord, you have options. Our attorneys have developed the skills and the resources to act on those options. Our Bakersfield spinal cord injury lawyer will negotiate with insurance companies and take your case to a jury if a settlement offer is not enough. Call now to schedule your consultation.