Paralysis

Common Causes of Paralysis

Paralysis often occurs as a result of motor vehicle accidents. Truck accidents and car crashes involving high speeds are particularly likely to cause these catastrophic injuries. Motorcycle crashes are a frequent cause, too. Such accidents can cause the spine to twist in unnatural ways, or you may hit your head hard enough to break the connection between the brain and the rest of your body.

Falls, including slip-and-fall accidents that occur at ground level, can also result in brain or spinal cord injuries that cause paralysis. Workplace accidents, too, can be a cause, especially when dealing with heavy machinery or power tools.

Additionally, when a medical professional fails in their duty to offer the expected level of care, they can be negligent enough to cause these devastating injuries. Surgical errors, like cutting into healthy structures, can result in paralysis, as can delaying a diagnosis that allows a condition to progress and affect the brain or spinal cord.

Damages Available in Paralysis Claims

Because of how significantly these injuries can impact your daily life, personal injury claims involving paralysis need to address all of your future needs. This is done through the damages you receive.

Some of the most significant expenses you will have with these injuries revolve around medical care. All of the diagnostic tests, physical therapy, assistive devices, and medications you have received need to be covered by economic damages. This also includes any modifications that you’ve had to make to your home to accommodate your condition.

Paralysis will typically also mean needing some form of assistance for the rest of your life. You may need nursing care and occupational therapy to manage everyday life, for example. Damages have to address these needs.

Additionally, if you’ve developed paralysis, you may not be able to work. Your lost wages have to be compensated, as well as your loss of earning potential.

In Colorado, you can receive non-economic damages for this kind of injury, too. These damages address your pain and suffering and your inability to enjoy your life as you used to. You might not be able to offer your loved ones the companionship and support they deserve, either. Compensation for loss of consortium can address this.

In certain situations, punitive damages may also be available. Unlike compensatory damages, punitive damages focus on punishing the defendant so that they do not act in the same manner again. These are only offered when the defendant has acted in a particularly egregious manner.

Victim Advocates and Catastrophic Injury Support

At Bachus & Schanker, we know that suffering an injury like paralysis impacts every part of your life, not just legal claims. That’s why we work closely with our Victim’s Advocate team to provide clients with the comprehensive assistance they deserve.

These highly knowledgeable advocates offer trauma-informed and culturally sensitive support. They can pinpoint exactly what your family needs to breathe during this difficult time, helping you with all of the logistics of adjusting to living with paralysis.

For example, our advocates can help ensure that your home modifications are ADA-compliant. They can also work with landlords and housing providers and even address temporary or permanent relocation needs.

If you’re beginning the process of filing for disability benefits, our advocates can help you with all of the paperwork. They can also handle communicating with insurers and tackling employment transitions. Additionally, they can connect you with counseling, long-term support services, and life-coaching services.

When dealing with such serious injuries and the vast impact they can have on your life, you need wrap-around representation that helps you navigate more than just the legalities.

We are dedicated to shaping our clients’ futures for the better. With our Victim’s Advocate team and skilled attorneys in your corner, you can achieve both stability and recovery.

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