Atlanta Spinal Cord Injury Lawyers Who Demand Justice
Our experienced attorneys can help you recover compensation
Spinal cord injuries (SCIs) result in paralysis or permanent nerve damage. The injured person will never be the same. These injuries affect not only the victim but also the entire family who often must change their day-to-day lives to help take care of the injured person.
The patient typically incurs massive costs from their injury and may need the help of an attorney to guide them through the legal process. At Fried Goldberg LLC, our experienced personal injury attorneys help secure compensation to help victims and their family overcome significant financial challenges.
Whether from a truck accident, car accident, slip and fall, or other cause, a spinal cord injury can be devastating and life-changing. Our firm has a national reputation for getting results in complex truck accident cases and other high-stakes injury matters. We hold negligent parties accountable and get results.
Spinal cord injury verdicts and settlements
We understand how important a damages award can be to help injured victims obtain a better quality of life. Therefore, we make every effort to fight for the highest compensation possible for our clients. Our record of verdicts and settlements speaks for itself, with noteworthy victories being:
- $10.5 Million – Truck Accident Paralysis Case
A tractor-trailer went onto the shoulder of a road and struck a police vehicle in Marion, Alabama. Our lawyers recovered $10.5 million on the victim’s behalf. - $7.425 Million – Paralysis Case
We obtained $7.425 million on behalf of a man who was paralyzed for five months before passing away after a collision in Georgia. - $5 Million – Paraplegia Case
Our team recovered $5 million for a client who was paralyzed from the waist down after a tractor-trailer struck him in Cobb County, Georgia.
Challenges of spinal cord injury victims
The lifelong battle that faces victims of SCIs is unimaginable to most people. While survivors would give anything to recover the normalcy of their lives before the injury, many experience extreme debt after the medical bills associated with just the initial recovery. Many people affected by a spinal cord injury struggle financially and emotionally. It can be difficult just to regain basic functionality and the equipment needed for that.
The central nervous system, including the brain and spine, remains an area of limited understanding for doctors and scientists. Although great advances have been made in the last fifty years in spinal cord research, there is still a vast amount that is unknown.
This means the future for victims of spinal cord injuries can be uncertain, yet hopeful. Although there are new procedures and devices entering the market often, innovative treatments are expensive, and there is often no guarantee they will work.
Spinal cord injury FAQ
- Can you fully recover from a spinal cord injury?
- Can someone with spinal cord injury walk again?
- How long will a spinal cord injury lawsuit take?
- What kind of damages can I recover in a lawsuit?
- How can an Atlanta spinal cord injury lawyer help?
Causes of spinal cord injuries
There are thousands of new cases of spinal cord injury every year in the United States. Spinal cord injuries can be complete, causing total paralysis (quadriplegia) or incomplete, causing partial paralysis (paraplegia).
Causes of spinal cord injury can range from gross negligence to no-fault accident. Common causes include:
- Car accidents
- Falls
- Violence (mostly gunshot wounds)
- Sports
- Medical/surgical
In particular, driving under the influence is a major cause of severe spinal cord injuries. This can include not only driving after alcohol consumption, but also driving while under the influence of other substances, such as prescription medications.
The cost of spinal cord injuries
The initial and ongoing financial costs associated with spinal cord injuries are enormous. After an accident, loss of income is to be clearly expected and many SCI patients suffer lifelong disabilities that prevent their return to the workforce. Both a loss of wages and loss of future earning capacity are factors in most cases.
Medical costs can be overwhelming in the first year alone and continue for years after that. After an accident, spinal injury patients must often spend time in expensive rehabilitation centers, learning how to adjust to the impairments of their injury. There are further long-term costs upon leaving the facility, including:
- Accommodation equipment, such as ramps for the house and vehicles
- Medical supplies or devices like wheelchairs
- In-home assistance (often full-time)
- Physical therapy
Since many of these are recurring lifetime expenses, you can imagine the total overall cost of a SCI for the patient and their family. Standard insurance may not cover all of them, which is why legal recourse is necessary. Working with an experienced spinal cord injury lawyer can help ensure proper compensation for injuries.
An Atlanta spinal cord injury lawyer can help you recover compensation
Many spinal cord injuries are the result of negligence in a vehicle crash. Others occur due to another person or entity’s irresponsible behavior in other settings. Due to the extensive costs associated with SCIs, as well as the physical and emotional losses, victims often choose to pursue a lawsuit against the negligent party. Reckless driving and disregard for workplace safety are two examples of negligent behavior that can lead to an SCI lawsuit.
Besides monetary compensation, filing a lawsuit can often lead to other changes, including:
- Adjustment of local road safety rules
- New legislation making products safer
- Improvement of workplace safety standards
Filing a lawsuit can sometimes uncover other instances of negligence or widespread safety violations. An example of this is when legal action reveals unsafe driver policies in a trucking company.
Contact us for a free consultation with an experienced attorney
Spinal cord injuries are among the most traumatic types of injuries and can lead to long-term changes in the person’s lifestyle. If you or a loved one has suffered a spinal cord injury because of someone’s negligence, an Atlanta spinal cord injury lawyer at Fried Goldberg can help you pursue compensation.
We understand the challenges and hardships that accompany these types of cases. Contact us today for a free consultation to discuss your legal rights and options.
Can you fully recover from a spinal cord injury?
In many spinal cord injury cases, a person might recover partial function as late as 18 months after the injury. In rare instances, certain functions can return years after the injury. However, only a small fraction of people who sustain an SCI ever regain all functions.
Can someone with a spinal cord injury walk again?
A spinal cord injury victim may lose their ability to walk. In certain instances, this can be either temporary or permanent. Regaining the ability to walk depends on many factors, including the severity of the injury and the location of the damage to the spinal cord.
As you can imagine, losing the ability to walk can affect a person’s entire life, including their ability to work. These types of considerations are calculated into the person’s damages award in a lawsuit. An experienced Atlanta spinal cord injury can help project and calculate the individual’s needs, so their damage award fully covers all their expenses.
How long will a spinal cord injury lawsuit take?
There is no set time length for a spinal cord injury lawsuit, as each case will be different. Generally speaking, spinal cord injury cases can take several months to a year or longer to complete. An experienced attorney can ensure all the filing requirements for your case are met, so your case doesn’t have any delays.
Be sure to contact a lawyer as soon as you can, as there may be filing deadlines associated with your injury claim.
What kind of damages can I recover in a lawsuit?
Damages for a spinal cord injury can cover:
- Medical and hospital costs
- Costs of treatments not typically covered by insurance
- Lost wages
- Loss of the ability to generate income
- Costs associated with lifestyle changes (like the installation of a wheelchair ramp at home)
- Pain and suffering costs
Note that expenses will depend on various factors, including the severity of the injury, as well as the person’s projected life expectancy. A skilled spinal cord injury attorney will be able to present evidence and formulate the best legal strategies to maximize the individual’s recovery.
How can an Atlanta spinal cord injury lawyer help?
The laws covering catastrophic injuries can be quite complex. A qualified personal injury attorney can help calculate damages, gather and prepare evidence, and interpret injury laws. A lawyer can then help you file a lawsuit and fight for financial compensation. At Fried Goldberg, we provide dedicated legal guidance and aggressive representation. We are here to fight for the justice you deserve for your losses.