If you’ve suffered a spinal cord injury in Daly City, you’re likely facing a significant and uncertain future. We understand that the road to recovery can be long and arduous, and the financial burden can be overwhelming. But you don’t have to face this challenging situation alone.
Our experienced Daly City spinal cord injury lawyers at Omega Law Group can be your advocates, guiding you through the legal process and fighting for the compensation you deserve. You can start by consulting with a Daly City personal injury lawyer who has a proven track record of handling spinal cord injury cases.
Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries in Daly City
Since spinal cord injuries can have devastating and long-lasting consequences, understanding their causes is important for prevention and legal accountability. You may be surprised to learn that many spinal cord injuries are preventable.
You’re likely to suffer a spinal cord injury in situations where your spine is subjected to severe trauma, such as in car accidents or falls from heights. Road hazards, like potholes or uneven road surfaces, can also cause accidents that lead to spinal cord injuries.
You may also be at risk of spinal cord injury if you engage in high-risk sports or activities, such as football, rugby, or gymnastics.
Types of Spinal Cord Injuries a Daly City Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer Can Help With
When you suffer a spinal cord injury, the severity and impact of the injury depend on the type of injury you’ve sustained. The type of injury determines the extent of damage to your spinal cord and the resulting impact on your body. There are several types of spinal cord injuries, such as:
- Spinal fractures: When you experience a spinal fracture, one or more of your vertebrae break or crack, which can put pressure on your spinal cord or even sever it. This type of injury can be devastating, leading to permanent paralysis or even death.
- Cord trauma: Cord trauma occurs when your spinal cord is damaged due to a direct blow or penetrating injury. This type of injury can cause bleeding, swelling, or even severing of the spinal cord, leading to severe and long-lasting consequences.
- Compression injuries: Compression injuries occur when your spinal cord is compressed or pinched due to a herniated disk, tumor, or other obstruction. This type of injury can cause numbness, weakness, or paralysis and may require surgical intervention to relieve the pressure.
Symptoms and Diagnosis You Should Be Aware Of
You may not immediately realize you’ve suffered a spinal cord injury, as symptoms can vary widely depending on the severity and location of the injury.
Typically, the first signs of a spinal cord injury appear immediately after the traumatic event, and the severity of the symptoms can vary widely depending on the location and extent of the injury. As you try to process what’s happening, it’s important to recognize the warning signs of a potential spinal cord injury.
You may experience:
- Loss of movement or sensation: You may have difficulty moving your arms or legs, or you may feel numbness, tingling, or paralysis in certain areas of your body.
- Spinal shock: This is a temporary condition that can cause a loss of reflexes, muscle tone, and sensation below the level of the injury.
- Emergency response: If you suspect a SCI, call 911 or seek immediate medical attention. The emergency response team will stabilize your spine and transport you to a hospital for further evaluation and treatment.
Proving Negligence in Spinal Cord Injury Cases
When you’re seeking compensation for a spinal cord injury, you’ll need to prove that the defendant’s negligence caused your injuries. By building a strong case around these points, you can hold the responsible parties accountable for their actions.
Establishing Breach of Duty
In pursuing a spinal cord injury claim, one step is establishing a breach of duty, which involves proving that the defendant’s actions or omissions deviated from the accepted standard of care. To establish a breach of duty, you’ll need to define the duty parameters, which outline the expected behavior or actions in a given situation. Our Daly City spinal cord injury lawyer can help with:
- Identifying the applicable standard of care: What are the legal standards that govern the defendant’s actions in this situation?
- Determining the scope of duty: What specific actions or omissions were required or prohibited in this situation?
- Comparing the defendant’s actions to the standard of care: Did the defendant’s actions or omissions fall short of the expected standard, resulting in your injuries?
Causation of Injuries
Proving negligence in a spinal cord injury case requires establishing a direct link between the defendant’s breach of duty and your resulting injuries. You must demonstrate that the defendant’s actions (or inactions) directly caused your spinal cord injury.
To establish causation, your Daly City spinal cord injury attorney will likely rely on expert testimony, accident reconstructions, and injury patterns to build a strong case. We will examine the circumstances surrounding the accident, including any witnesses, video footage, or physical evidence, to piece together what happened.
Damages and Liability
As you pursue a spinal cord injury case, it’s important to understand the significance of damages and liability in proving negligence. To hold the responsible party accountable, you must demonstrate how their actions or inactions led to your injuries.
In these cases, damages refer to the financial losses and non-economic harm you’ve suffered. This includes:
- Medical expenses: Past and future medical bills, rehabilitation costs, and other related expenses.
- Lost income: Wages you’ve lost due to your inability to work, as well as potential future earnings.
- Pain and suffering: Compensation for the physical and emotional distress caused by your injuries.
Proving liability is important to securing fair compensation. You’ll need to show that the defendant’s negligence led to your spinal cord injury and that their actions breached their duty of care.
Contact a Daly City Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer Today
You’ve suffered a spinal cord injury in Daly City, and now you’re facing a long, arduous road to recovery. Don’t handle the legal process alone. With a seasoned Daly City spinal cord injury lawyer from Omega Law Group, you’ll have a fierce advocate fighting for your rights and maximum compensation. We’ll handle the legal tasks so you can focus on healing.
Contact us today for a free consultation.