The two most common causes of spinal cord injuries are car crashes (31.5 percent) and falls (25.3 percent), according to a 2013 study in the medical journal Topics in Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation. Negligence can cause both these types of accidents. If another party’s negligence caused your or your loved one’s spinal cord injury, you may be able to hold the responsible party financially liable for your injuries and other damages.
If you are considering filing a spinal cord injury lawsuit in Fort Lauderdale, work with a personal injury lawyer to help exercise your rights to recover compensation for your current and future care costs, among other damages. At Montero Law, our spinal cord injury attorneys are ready to help you win the compensation you deserve. Call our office today at 954-767-6500 to schedule a free, no-obligation case evaluation.
How do I hold the responsible party liable for my spinal cord injuries?
To win a spinal cord injury claim, you need to prove another party acted negligently and caused your injuries. Proving negligence requires collecting evidence that demonstrates:
- The defendant owed the victim a duty of care (e.g., duty to drive in a reasonable manner so as not to cause an accident).
- The defendant failed to uphold this duty (e.g., ran a red light) and caused an accident (e.g., struck the victim’s vehicle).
- The spinal cord injury victim suffered damages as a result of the accident (e.g., needs medical treatment, must change jobs, pain and suffering, etc.).
Here is another example: All licensed drivers have a duty to follow traffic laws and drive in a reasonable manner so they do not cause accidents. If the driver who caused the crash was texting, he violates this duty of care and is negligent. If he crosses the center line and strikes the victim’s vehicle, then he causes the victim’s injuries. The victim then suffers paralysis from the waist down, requires surgery and ongoing medical care, must switch careers (which requires job retraining), and experiences considerable pain and suffering. The victim has grounds to file a lawsuit and, upon establishing these factors, recover compensation for damages.
We help you file a successful spinal cord injury lawsuit by getting the police report about your accident, working with accident reconstruction specialists, and collecting other evidence pertaining to the wreck that helps us establish fault and causation. We also request your medical records, which describe your injuries and link them to the crash.
If your spinal cord injury occurred because of a slip and fall, the property owner or leaseholder is often liable. For example, if your slip and fall injury happened in a restaurant, we can collect any eyewitness testimony, photographs, or video surveillance that establishes you slipped in a spilled liquid that restaurant employees failed to clean up in a reasonable amount of time.
Work with a lawyer at Montero Law for help collecting the documentation needed to prove liability as well as the full value of your damages.
Do you know the full, long-term damages associated with your spinal cord injury?
Spinal cord injuries are often devastating, drastically changing the course of the victim’s life and impacting every member of their family. Before you settle your lawsuit, make sure you fully understand your prognosis and how the injury will affect you medically, physically, emotionally, and financially now and in the future. After all, the lifetime costs of a spinal cord injury can easily eclipse several million dollars depending on the severity of the injury.
We thoroughly gather and evaluate your medical records to better understand the full effects of your injuries. We aim to determine what treatment and care you will require in the future, how your injury will affect your ability to work, and what other effects the injury will have on you and your family, such as whether you will need to renovate your home or vehicle to accommodate your injury.
With this clearer picture of the long-term effects and costs of your injury, we can better estimate the value of your case and pursue a fair settlement from the defendant and insurance company. If we cannot reach a fair settlement that covers all of your damages, we are prepared to take the case to trial to argue for a fair judgment.
Do I need a lawyer for my spinal cord lawsuit?
There is no law requiring you hire an attorney to file a lawsuit. But there are several benefits to doing so, especially when your case involves a serious injury like a spinal cord injury. We encourage you to meet with a spinal cord injury attorney to discuss your accident, injuries, and recovery. We offer free initial consultations, giving us a chance to learn more about you and your story. We provide a thorough analysis of your case, helping you understand who is liable for your injuries.
If you decide to pursue legal action, we work with you on a contingency fee basis to help you recover the money you need to pay for current and future medical care, as well as other costs. You do not pay us unless you receive a settlement or judgment in your case. We know a serious trauma like a spinal cord injury can cause major financial disruptions for you and your family.
If you are considering filing a spinal cord injury lawsuit to recover the losses and expenses you and your family suffered because of your injuries, we are here to help. Call us today at 954-767-6500 to schedule a consultation to discuss your Fort Lauderdale accident with a lawyer from Montero Law.