Jacksonville Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer

Spinal Cord Injury Attorneys in Jacksonville

Understanding The True Impact of Spine Injuries

Spine and spinal cord injuries can affect literally every area of one’s life. They can cause paralysis and may require ongoing care or costly assistive devices to help with mobility, communication and performing day-to-day activities. For these reasons, spinal cord injuries are often the most expensive injuries to treat. It may take hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars to compensate a victim for the cost of their care — for life.

As Jacksonville spinal cord injury attorneys, we at Spohrer Dodd Trial Attorneys understand what a difference complete compensation can make for a victim and their family. If you or someone you love has sustained any type of serious back, spine or spinal cord injury, we have the expertise and experience you need to seek justice. We can identify the at-fault party and pursue a settlement or award that will help you build a stable and fulfilling life for yourself and your family.

Contact our Jacksonville offices today at 904-309-6500. We help clients across Florida and the entire U.S.

Why Do I Need a Jacksonville Spinal Cord Injury Attorney?

A personal injury has the potential to disrupt your life in various ways for years to come, but some severe injuries present lifelong complications. Navigating a personal injury claim is much easier and more likely to succeed when you have legal counsel you can trust advising you. Instead of trying to meet your case’s procedural demands while managing your medical needs, you can have an experienced team of legal professionals manage your case proceedings on your behalf.

While there is no strict legal requirement to hire an attorney for a civil claim in Florida, you must understand the risks you face when attempting to independently handle a personal injury case. First, you will face various filing deadlines with the court, and you must be careful not to make any errors in your initial filings. Missing a deadline, forgetting a necessary form, or failing to secure appropriate evidence and documentation to support your claim can lead to delays or even losing your chance of securing compensation.

It’s natural to feel uncertain and desperate after any catastrophic injury, especially one likely to result in a permanent disability like a spinal cord injury. These injuries demand extensive immediate emergency care followed by ongoing rehabilitative treatment. The medical expenses from the injury and the victim’s inability to work create a tremendous financial strain on their household very quickly. Insurance may provide limited or no compensation depending on how, where, and why the injury happened.

Spohrer Dodd Trial Attorneys can handle your civil claim proceedings on your behalf so you can rest and recover with peace of mind. We understand how challenging it can be to grapple with the aftermath of a personal injury, especially one as serious and potentially life-changing as a spinal injury. Our team will carefully evaluate your spinal injury claim and help you determine the best legal options for recovering your damages. We have extensive experience representing clients in the Jacksonville, FL, area in complex personal injury cases, including those that involve permanent harm. Choosing the right attorney to represent you in this type of case can dramatically impact the quality of your final recovery.

Potential Causes Of Spinal Cord Injuries

Direct trauma to the spine or an unnatural twisting or pulling motion can cause spinal cord injuries. If the nerves are stretched, damaged or torn, partial or complete paralysis may result. Damage to the vertebrae or intervertebral discs can also affect mobility and can cause considerable pain.

The determining factor as to whether you have grounds for legal recourse after a spinal cord injury is if anyone else caused the injury. If you hurt your spine while working, your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance may offer some compensation, but you could also have grounds for a civil suit against the person who is at fault for your injury. To succeed with any type of civil claim following a spinal injury, you must be prepared to identify the defendant who caused your injury and prove the extent of the damage they have caused.

The following are potential causes of spinal cord injuries:

• Auto accidents. Year after year, motor vehicle accidents continue to be a leading cause of accidental injuries and deaths throughout the United States. Florida enforces a “no-fault” rule for car accidents, requiring drivers to carry insurance with personal injury protection that they can use to recover from an accident. However, if the at-fault driver caused a catastrophic injury with damages exceeding available insurance, the victim can proceed with a personal injury suit against the driver who caused the crash.
• Work-related injuries. Most Florida employers are required to carry workers’ compensation insurance. If your spinal injury happened while you were working, a successful workers’ compensation claim could yield coverage for your medical expenses and ongoing disability benefits if you are left unable to work. However, filing a workers’ compensation claim can be more challenging than expected, and your damages may exceed what a workers’ compensation claim can offer. A Jacksonville spinal cord injury attorney can help you explore additional avenues of recovery after exhausting recovery options through workers’ compensation.
• Construction site accidents. Construction is an inherently dangerous industry responsible for many of the yearly work-related injuries and deaths reported in the United States. If you sustained a spinal injury while working construction, an experienced Jacksonville spinal cord injury attorney is the best resource in this situation, helping their client recover as much as possible through workers’ compensation before determining if the client has grounds for a personal injury suit as well.
• Falls from heights. Falls are some of the most commonly reported causes of all injuries in the United States annually. The damage from a fall typically depends on the height of the fall, how the victim hits the ground, whether they are wearing any type of safety equipment and their overall medical status. A fall can easily result in a life-changing spinal injury, and a good attorney can help you determine whether an employer, property owner, or any other party bears liability for your injury.
• Slip-and-fall accidents. A “slip and fall” may sound like a minor injury, and many people experience minor tripping injuries every day. However, slip and fall incidents may also result in internal organ injury, traumatic brain damage, or spinal cord injuries depending on how and where they occur.
• Acts of violence. Any act of violence that leads to serious physical harm to the victim is likely to lead to felony charges for the defendant. They may be sentenced to restitution to the victim as part of their criminal trial, but the victim is also likely to have grounds for a civil claim in pursuit of compensation for their damages.
• Aviation accidents. Accidents involving aircraft tend to involve catastrophic injuries and fatalities. Spohrer Dodd Trial Attorneys is uniquely capable of handling aviation accident claims, thanks to our firm’s extensive professional experience in these cases.
• Sports injuries. Many contact sports inherently pose risks of physical injuries, such as football, ice hockey, and rugby. Players may have some insurance coverage through their team organizations when spinal injuries occur, but this isn’t a guarantee for every athlete. It’s also possible for a specific party to bear liability for this type of injury, enabling the victim to pursue a personal injury claim.

This is not an exhaustive list of all the ways spinal cord injuries can happen in Florida. If you believe any other party is responsible for your injury, you could face lifelong financial strain and medical complications that you should not have to pay for yourself. An experienced Jacksonville spinal cord injury attorney is the ideal asset for anyone in this situation seeking full recovery from the damages they have sustained.

How to Build a Spine Injury Case in Jacksonville, Florida?

Spohrer Dodd Trial Attorneys helps Jacksonville, FL, clients understand their rights and options for recovery from serious personal injuries. A spinal cord injury is likely to generate very expensive initial medical costs and a wide range of ongoing expenses for the victim and their family. When insurance factors into your recovery efforts, do not rush to accept any settlements before speaking with an attorney. Even though your situation may seem dire, consulting an attorney and having them assist you with your insurance claims will significantly increase the chances of securing favorable settlements as quickly as possible.

Once you have exhausted your recovery options through workers’ compensation, auto insurance, or other insurance coverage, your attorney can help you determine whether you must pursue further legal action. Florida’s personal injury laws allow the victims of others’ negligence and misconduct to seek full compensation for all economic losses sustained from such actions. State law also permits the plaintiff in a personal injury suit to seek reasonable compensation for their pain and suffering.

Working with an experienced Jacksonville spinal cord injury attorney offers the best chance of maximizing your recovery from this type of life-changing injury. Whether you face a diminished earning capacity or have been left completely disabled from your spinal cord injury, if another party is responsible for your situation, we can help you ensure accountability and a suitable recovery from your damages.

Compensation for Your Spinal Cord Injury in Florida

Most personal injury claims involve economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages are straightforward and include anything that can be proven with a receipt, bill, or invoice. The plaintiff incurred these direct expenses because of the defendant’s actions. The economic damages likely to be available in your personal injury case include:

• Medical treatment costs. If a defendant caused your spinal cord injury, they are responsible for all resulting medical expenses. This includes immediate emergency treatment costs and ongoing expenses the victim faces for managing their symptoms, rehabilitation, or everyday household tasks due to permanent disability.
• Lost income. Many spinal cord injuries will prevent victims from working for extended periods, and some victims will be completely unable to work because of these injuries. Whether you will eventually be able to return to work or find new employment you can manage with your medical condition, the defendant is liable for your lost wages and any damage done to your future earning potential.
• Property damage. If you sustained your spinal cord injury in a car accident or any other incident in which your personal property was damaged or destroyed, the defendant is responsible for these losses as well.

After accounting for immediate and long-term damages resulting from your spinal cord injury, you may be surprised to learn that your claim is worth more than you originally anticipated. Spohrer Dodd Trial Attorneys aims for maximum client recovery in every case we accept, especially in personal injury cases pertaining to permanent injuries. Along with your economic damages, we can also assist you in securing compensation for your pain and suffering.

Florida state law is flexible regarding pain and suffering compensation in personal injury claims. If a spinal injury occurs from medical malpractice, state law limits pain and suffering compensation in this type of claim to $500,000. However, there are no limits on non-economic damages for personal injury claims filed outside the scope of medical malpractice.

Pain and Suffering Compensation in Spinal Cord Injury Claims

Your Jacksonville spinal cord injury attorney will carefully review your medical records and the prognosis from your doctor so they can fully understand the scope and severity of your spinal cord injury. An attorney may argue in favor of ongoing “per diem” pain and suffering compensation for their client when they are expected to make a full recovery. This type of pain and suffering compensation awards a set amount every day until the client hits maximum medical improvement.

Spinal cord injuries almost always entail long-term or permanent harm, so your attorney is more likely to seek a more substantial lump sum payment of pain and suffering compensation to reflect your condition’s severity. To calculate appropriate pain and suffering, an attorney may multiply the total amount of their client’s economic damages by a factor that reflects the severity of the plaintiff’s long-term or permanent damages, anywhere from one to five or more times the plaintiff’s total economic damages. Because of this, many plaintiffs of catastrophic injury claims discover that pain and suffering form the bulk of their total compensation.

What to Expect From Your Jacksonville Spinal Cord Injury Attorney

Spohrer Dodd Trial Attorneys provides client-focused legal counsel in every civil case we accept. Our firm will learn the details of how your injury happened, help you identify the parties that may bear fault for the incident, and assist you in holding them accountable for your damages. Our goal is to help every client understand their legal options and maximize their recovery.

Time is a critical factor for any personal injury claim in Florida, especially one as serious as a spinal cord injury claim. For most personal injury claims, Florida allows a four-year statute of limitations in which the plaintiff may file a civil suit. Therefore, you should secure legal counsel as quickly as possible from an experienced and reliable attorney to start your case proceedings right away, however. Swift legal action ensures that the physical evidence you need is as fresh and accessible as possible. This will also help to ensure the reliability of any witness testimony that may factor into your case.

Our firm has years of experience in Florida personal injury law and will strive to help you secure a suitable settlement as quickly as possible. However, we are prepared to go to trial with your case and represent you in litigation if necessary to ensure your full recovery. Whatever your case entails, you can trust Spohrer Dodd Trial Attorneys to provide consistently responsive legal counsel throughout every phase of your case.

Talk To A Jacksonville Spine Injury Attorney At 904-309-6500

It can be difficult to know what to do after a serious spine injury. Fortunately, Spohrer Dodd Trial Attorneys offers a free consultation to talk about what occurred, what your case may be worth and how to move forward. We can offer honest information, so you have realistic expectations and a true understanding of what’s to come. Through it all, our Jacksonville injury lawyers will be there to support you.

Call 904-309-6500 or contact us online to arrange your free case evaluation.