A spine injury lawyer specializes in providing legal services to those who have suffered a spine injury due to the negligence of others. The sad truth is, in many instances, spine injuries are an entirely avoidable or preventable accident—medical mishaps, slip and falls, car or truck accidents, sports injuries, workplace accidents, or construction accidents. Such accidents are typically a result of carelessness or negligence by one or more parties, in which case, you have every right to pursue a legal claim with the aid of a spine injury lawyer or law firm specializing in spine injury law.
Though a spine injury lawsuit is a type of personal injury claim, they are considered more complicated from a legal and medical standpoint due to the complex issues of fault, medical diagnosis, and ongoing and future treatment. A damaged spine can leave victims with varying levels of paralysis. They may suffer a partial or total bodily movement, function, or sensation loss. This can affect the ability to walk, perform what were once routine daily activities, and even the ability to breathe. Those injured will require degrees of, if not extensive, medical care, alterations to their home, and a number of medical devices and equipment to help navigate life post-injury, and need to be factored in a legal claim.
If you’re a victim of a spine injury, you would be best served by seeking legal counsel with an experienced spine injury lawyer or law firm specializing in spine injury law. A spine injury lawyer can help assess your legal options and guide you through the legal process of pursuing a claim. With so much at stake, finding the right lawyer can be challenging, if not overwhelming. There are several things worth considering when choosing a spine injury lawyer.
4 Things to Consider When Choosing a Spine Injury Lawyer
Experience
To be certain, experience in representing victims of spine injuries is a must when selecting a personal injury lawyer to represent you. You would be well-advised to find an attorney or law firm that has represented clients who have sustained injuries similar to your own. Even if an attorney has had a successful practice with decades of legal experience in personal injury law, there is no substitute for experience in litigating spine injury cases. As mentioned above, spine injury law is highly specialized and complex and requires a law firm with expertise in that area of the law.
An Understanding of Spine Injuries
Due to the complexity of the law, and especially as it relates to the nuances of spine injury litigation, your attorney should have a medical understanding of spine injuries and the consequences of such injuries. This doesn’t mean your spine injury lawyer is qualified to give you medical advice. He or she is not, and they will tell you so. However, your lawyer should have adequate knowledge of spine injuries to negotiate the settlement you deserve with an insurance company or to litigate the same in court. Your lawyer must have a thorough understanding of the prognoses, diagnostic criteria, standard care, and an accurate estimate of the entire costs associated with your injury, in the immediate and over the long term.
Connected to the Spine Injury Community
Being connected to spine injury communities will enable your lawyer to make intelligent and decisive decisions on your behalf. That knowledge may come from a number of sources but, at a minimum, your attorney should be drawing on the expertise of the greater spine injury community—medical specialists in the field, hospitals and clinics that treat spinal cord injuries, physiotherapists that specialize in spinal cord injury rehabilitation, and so forth. Simply put, being part of an established spinal cord injury community provides your lawyer with a dedicated team of experts to consult with or testify on your behalf.
Track Record of Success
Depending on the degree of injury, over time, the financial costs associated with spinal cord injuries can run into millions of dollars. Therefore, it’s important for you and the outcome of the case that your attorney has a record of success in helping their clients get the financial compensation they deserve for their injuries. You will want your attorney to have negotiation skills to deal effectively with insurance companies and that all negligent parties are sued. The lawyer you select must be able to explain to you what is at stake financially and has a record of recovering the needed compensation for you and your family to be able to adjust toward a new normal without financial anxiety. This means that your spinal injury lawyer can calculate the value of your spine injury settlement. Value refers to not only economic loss but non-economic damages—emotional and physical loss with your spouse, loss of function, loss of relationships, and the mental and psychological issues that arise from your injury.
Get a Free Case Evaluation
Spine injuries can be debilitating and devastate the lives of ordinary people. If you have sustained a spinal cord injury due to negligence, the Maine personal injury lawyers at Hardy Wolf & Downing are dedicated to helping you through this trying time. Our team of experienced spine injury lawyers will work with you to ensure you receive the full compensation you deserve for your injury. Contact Hardy Wolf & Downing today for a free consultation.