Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer

Personal Attention for Personal Injury Victims

Spinal Injury Attorney

A spinal cord injury is catastrophic and can happen to anyone at any given point in time. Sadly, this type of injury is commonplace as a result of a car accident, motorcycle accident, or other types of traumatic incidents relating to personal injury. 

Dolman Law Group has successfully handled numerous spinal cord injury cases and represented victims of paraplegia and quadriplegia. We are a nationally recognized personal injury law firm that other law firms often refer to their most significant, and complicated cases.

Our spinal cord injury lawyers at Dolman Law Group will stand by you every step of the way. We are an experienced and award-winning personal injury law firm and are well qualified with the necessary financial resources to handle a cord injury case.

Spinal Cord Injury Compensation

Our spinal injury attorneys will fight for the following types of compensation and financial recovery:

• Medical expenses
• Pain and suffering
• Health care
• Rehabilitation
• Wheelchairs and similar devices
• Home modifications

How a Spinal Cord Injury Impacts Your Body

An injury to the spinal cord can also result in damage to the fiber tracts that carry signals to and from the brain. In fact, if the damage to the spinal cord is severe; the spinal nerves below the injury may still get signals but they will not be able to communicate with the brain.  

A severely injured spinal cord can result in permanent loss of sensation and strength below the site of injury. If you or a loved one is a victim of a spinal cord injury due to the negligence exhibited by an individual or corporation, you do not have to deal with it alone.

What Accidents Could Result in a Spinal Cord Injury?

Spinal cord injuries can occur from a wide variety of cases, such as:

Car Accidents

Car accidents account for many spinal cord injury (SCI) cases. Although many of us take driving for granted, the truth is that it is a dangerous activity that has many risks. And it doesn’t take a devastating accident to inflict an SCI on a driver or a rider—even seemingly minor collisions can result in spinal cord damage, such as that related to whiplash or airbag deployment. 

Florida is a “no-fault” state, meaning that the insurance claim process involves each driver’s own personal insurance paying for their medical bills and other economic losses. However, if a driver is negligent and causes another person’s injuries (e.g., drunk or careless drivers), they may be liable in a legal case for additional damages, including those related to life quality and pain and suffering. 

Slip and Falls

While anyone can incur an SCI from a fall, unfortunately, the elderly are the most susceptible. Moreover, a fall that occurs during the senior years can have devastating effects on that individual’s health and well-being. For example, if an SCI occurs due to a fall in a nursing home or other facility, that party may be legally liable for medical expenses and other damages incurred.

Medical Malpractice

Sometimes a person visits a health provider or has surgery or a procedure for an injury or illness and somehow sustains worse damage due to negligence or mistakes. A doctor can make any number of errors that could result in an SCI, including the following:

• Failing to follow proper safety measures, leading to a fall
• Failing to diagnose or treat a spinal infection
• Failing to diagnose or treat a stroke or tumor
• Making an error during neurosurgery or orthopedic surgery
• Making an error in administering a spinal anesthetic or block
• Delaying surgical procedure
• Contributing to a birth injury

Assault and Violence

If a person injures you intentionally or due to gross negligence, you may be entitled to compensation if you file a legal claim. Such injuries include those sustained during fights, sexual assaults, gun or weapon violence, etc.

There are many other ways that an SCI can occur, including motorcycle and pedestrian accidents, boating accidents, sports injuries, defective products, premises liability, and more. Hiring a personal injury lawyer specializing in SCI cases can help you navigate the complex legal process and work to ensure you receive the compensation for losses you deserve regardless of the reason for the injury.

Spinal cord injuries can dramatically impair your lifestyle. Our spinal injury attorneys are experienced with the different types of lawsuits that can stem from a spinal cord injury, most notably where negligence or defective products are involved. An acute spinal cord injury is often an unexpected event that can result from an accident, no matter how minor the impact.

Types of Spinal Cord Injuries

An acute spinal cord injury is often an unexpected event that can result from an accident, no matter how minor the impact. There are many different ways your spinal cord can be injured, such as:

Complete Spinal Cord Injury

A complete spinal cord injury means the area below the injury can no longer communicate with the brain. Thus, the injury victim will completely lose motor and nerve function, as well as sensation and movement below the injury. There will be total paralysis below the injured area. This results in paraplegia.

Incomplete Spinal Cord Injuries

Some amount of signals can still be sent via the spinal cord to the brain When some degree of movement and sensation function remains after injury. The amount of movement is wholly dependent on the severity of the spinal cord injury. This type of injury can be one of five categories:

• Anterior cord syndrome
• Central cord syndrome
• Posterior cord syndrome
• Brown-Sequard syndrome
• Cauda equina syndrome

Spinal Contusions/Nerve Damage

This is the most common type of spinal cord injury; it is usually temporary and has a quick recovery process.

Symptoms of a Spinal Cord Injury

• Loss of feeling in the arms, chest, or legs
• Loss of movement
• Spasms and grossly exaggerated reflexes
• Loss of bladder and bowel control
• Muscle weakness or complete loss of function
• Difficulty breathing that may require a ventilator
• Loss or disruption of sexual function
• Consistent burning pain due to nerve damage

Treatment of a Spinal Cord Injury

The first step of treating spinal cord injury is to check the victim’s breathing. An injury to the spinal cord in the upper neck can interrupt breathing which may require the need of a ventilator or breathing tube. 

The next step is the immobilization of the victim by using a backboard of the cervical collar to prevent any movement to the spine, which may cause further damage to the spine. Emergency medical technicians will then limit medical care to the formation of a correct diagnosis. 

After a diagnosis is achieved, medical care could consist of a very high dosage of steroids. The goal here is to lessen swelling and inflammation, which can mitigate some of the damage to the spinal cord.

Spinal Cord Surgery – To Relieve Pressure & Stabilize the Spine

Spinal cord injury victims will then be placed into traction or a cervical halo to prevent further injury by stabilizing the spine. The next step in spinal cord injury medical care is immediate surgery. 

The purpose of spinal cord surgery is to relieve pressure on the spinal cord by removing fractures vertebral segments that could be compressing the cord. The second goal of surgery on the spinal cord is to stabilize the spine via the use of rods, plates, and screws. 

The purpose is to hold all vertebral segments together until the bones have healed. After surgery, physical and occupational therapy is commenced to restore as much function as possible.

Who Could Be Liable for an SCI?

The following are some examples of parties, who can cause SCIs due to misconduct or negligence:

• A negligent driver or employer of a driver causing a traffic accident
• A surgeon who injuries the spinal cord during a procedure or operation
• A doctor who fails to enact immediate medical intervention when an x-ray or radiology imaging of a patient finds an infection, clots, or injury of the spinal cord
• A landlord doesn’t repair a hazardous condition in a building that causes a person to fall or get injured
• An emergency department physician misdiagnosing a broken back, resulting in paralysis when the person is moved improperly

What if Your Injury Happens at Work?

Will I be able to continue working and provide for my family if I suffer from a spinal cord injury while at work? Through what is known as workers’ compensation, you will be provided benefits for things such as lost wages and medical bills you might incur.

While the use of workers’ compensation does not allow you to sue your employer, it does allow you to sue any third-party who might have caused your injury through their negligence.

Spinal Cord Injury Damages You Could Recover

Any settlement or judgment our spinal cord injury lawyers can obtain for you after an accident will help cover many expenses, including:

• Medical expenses– Medical bills that were a result of the injury from this accident, such as doctor and hospital bills, medication, as well as future medical expenses if needed
• Lost wages– From work you may have missed or if you’re not able to work
• Pain and suffering– Victims will receive compensation for long-lasting emotional and physical pain.
• Rehabilitation– For during and after the accident
• Wheelchairs and similar devices if needed
• Home modifications if needed

Why Hire a Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer?

Spinal cord injuries are some of the most severe injuries a person can suffer. As a result, the damages suffered because of spinal cord injuries are particularly intense. Seeking compensation for these spinal cord injury damages can potentially be very difficult and complicated. So, hiring a personal injury attorney is useful. 

A lawyer experienced with cases involving spinal cord injuries can provide the skills and resources necessary to help you deal with the many curveballs cases like these can throw and get the compensation you need for spinal cord damages.

Since the damages are often very high in spinal cord injury lawsuits, insurance companies will pull out all the stops to fight a case. Lacking an attorney in this situation can put you in a very difficult place where the insurance company has all the power.

Failure to understand the common conventions and procedures of these cases can lead to mistakes that can harm your case and reduce the compensation you can potentially receive. An experienced lawyer can level the playing field and ensure that you are not taken advantage of, and your case is taken seriously. 

They can provide you with the insight and tools necessary to give your case the best chance possible at securing fair compensation to cover spinal cord injury damages.

Collect Evidence of Your Spinal Cord Injury

Collecting any evidence you can at the scene of the accident will be extremely important when it comes to the success of your claim. The more evidence you have, the better, however, anything is better than nothing. Below are a few examples of beneficial evidence:

• Photographs of the incident or accident scene (such as damaged vehicles or a wet floor)
• Traffic or security camera footage
• Vehicle plate number
• Photograph of the driver’s license
• Witness testimony

We Fight for Spinal Cord Injury Victims

We aggressively fight for our clients to make sure they are compensated for the agony they had to endure. Spinal cord damage is the type of injury that affects you for a lifetime. Almost 12,000 people living in the United States suffer from injuries to the spinal cord each year.

The pain and suffering from a spinal cord injury is often permanent. Significant spinal cord injuries may result in herniated discs, which require surgery, or even paralysis to either the lower body or above the waist.

After suffering from an accident resulting in a spinal cord injury, the last thing that should be on your mind is trying to navigate your medical expenses and legal process on your own. We are here to help. It is important to make sure the attorney you hire is experienced with a spinal cord injury. 

At Dolman Law Group, we have years of legal practice under our belt to best help you through this difficult juncture. Time limitations do apply; the sooner you file your claim, the better. Spinal cord injury claims often result in a complex litigation process. Thus, it is vital to know all the facts. Let us review your case and provide you with a free consultation and case evaluation.

Dolman Law Group’s Florida Personal Injury Lawyers

Dolman Law Group is a nationally recognized and award-winning injury law firm.  Our attorneys have over 115 plus years of experience as personal injury lawyers and litigating cases in Florida courtrooms. 

Our serious and catastrophic injury law firm has handled over 10,000 personal injury cases and claims as of March 1, 2021. We maintain offices on both coasts with locations in Tampa, Clearwater, St. Petersburg, New Port Richey, Bradenton, North Miami Beach, Doral, Aventura, Fort Lauderdale, and Boca Raton.

Matthew Dolman – Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer

Matthew Dolman has served as lead counsel in over 1000 Florida lawsuits and has specifically litigated hundreds of claims in Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Tampa, New Port Richey, Miami, and Fort Lauderdale. He is a lifetime member of the Million Dollar and Multi-Million Dollar Advocates Forum for settlement or verdicts in excess of $1 Million and $2 Million, respectively. He has been selected on multiple occasions as a “Florida Legal Elite” by fellow Florida attorneys. Less than 1.5% of practicing lawyers have achieved said honor. Similarly, he has been selected by his colleagues as a “Florida Super Lawyer,” which is another prominent distinction.

Stanley Gipe – Florida Spinal Cord Injury Attorney

Stanley Gipe is a Florida Bar Board Certified Civil Trial Lawyer, which qualifies him as an expert in trial practice. Stan has served as the first chair in an ever-growing number of jury trials. He heads the firm’s litigation department and maintains involvement in every last lawsuit our firm files. Even when he is not lead counsel, Stan will assist in setting up case strategy and how we will thematically present the case at mediation and trial when necessary.

Dolman Law Group has the substantial financial resources and experience to handle the most significant and complicated catastrophic injury cases. We have successfully handled lawsuits against corporate giants like Target, Walt Disney World, Walmart, Bloomin Brands (owner of Outback Steakhouse and Bonefish Grill), Publix, and practically every auto insurance company.

We have experience handling many types of spinal cord injury cases and lawsuits. These are injuries and cases that not every law firm has experience handling. For a free case evaluation and consultation, call us today.