There are plenty of qualified attorneys in St. Tammany Parish who handle spinal cord injury cases. You are doing your research, which means something has happened. Something serious enough to consider legal counsel. No one reads lawyer websites until they need one.
This page explains what spinal cord injuries are, what causes them, who may be liable, and how these cases proceed in Louisiana. Morris & Dewett has handled serious injury cases across Louisiana for over 25 years. Read it. Compare us to others. Make the decision that is right for your situation.
What Is a Spinal Cord Injury?
A spinal cord injury (SCI) is any type of damage to the spinal cord that results from disease, degeneration, or trauma. About 9 in 10 SCIs are caused by trauma, according to the World Health Organization.
The severity and effects of a spinal cord injury depend on where the damage occurs and whether the injury is complete or incomplete. Complete injuries result in a total loss of function below the injury site. Incomplete injuries allow for some remaining function. The higher the injury along the spine, the broader the impact on the body.
Spinal Cord Injury Statistics
The latest data from the WHO documents how frequently these injuries occur and how significant their long-term costs are. Lifetime medical expenses for a person with a high-level SCI can reach several million dollars. Lost income and ongoing care add substantially to that figure.
What Are the Leading Causes of Spinal Cord Injury?
Most traumatic spinal cord injuries result from preventable accidents. According to the WHO and data from the National Spinal Cord Statistical Center, the most common causes are motor vehicle crashes and falls.
Motor Vehicle Accidents and Spinal Cord Injury
Vehicle crashes cause more than 38% of all spinal cord injuries. This includes car accidents, bus accidents, motorcycle wrecks, truck crashes, pedestrian accidents, and bicycle accidents.
SCIs can occur from the force of a collision or when a person is thrown from or struck by a vehicle. Many of these crashes and the resulting injuries could have been prevented had the at-fault driver or another responsible party acted with reasonable care.
Falls and SCIs
About 1 in 3 spinal cord injuries results from a fall. These include slip and fall accidents, trip and falls, and falls from elevation such as ladders or scaffolding.
Property owners, landlords, and managers have a legal duty to maintain safe conditions. When they fail to address hazards or warn visitors of known dangers, and a fall results in a spinal cord injury, they may be liable.
Other Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries
Beyond vehicle crashes and falls, other traumatic events can cause spinal cord injury. These include violence (most often gunshot wounds), sports injuries, accidents caused by defective products, and injuries from medical or surgical procedures.
Who Can I Sue After a Spinal Cord Injury?
Whether you can bring a claim depends on several factors. One is timing. Louisiana's prescriptive period (the deadline to file a personal injury lawsuit) is one year from the date of injury. Once that deadline passes, most claims are no longer available.
If the prescriptive period has not expired, you may be able to pursue a claim against whoever caused the accident. That includes negligent drivers, property owners, product manufacturers, employers, and others depending on the circumstances.
Under Louisiana's comparative fault rules, partial fault on your part does not automatically bar a claim. A lawyer can evaluate whether you have a viable case and how fault may be allocated.
When Should I Contact a Covington Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer?
Contact an attorney as soon as possible after the injury. Delay creates real risks. Evidence can disappear. Witnesses become harder to locate. Insurance companies may use the time to build their defense before you have representation.
An attorney can start protecting your rights from the beginning, document what happened while the record is fresh, and ensure your claim is filed before the prescriptive period closes.
How Do Spinal Cord Injury Cases Work?
The process depends on what type of incident caused the injury. A car accident case, a workplace accident case, and a defective product case each proceed differently. Each can also involve multiple at-fault parties.
In general, most cases follow a similar path. The investigation begins with insurance companies reviewing the facts and gathering evidence. If the parties agree on liability, negotiations and settlement discussions follow. If liability or damages are disputed, the case may proceed to court. A Covington spinal cord injury lawyer can explain how your specific case is likely to unfold.
How Much Are Spinal Cord Injury Settlements and Compensation?
Compensation depends on the specific facts of your case, including the severity of the injury and the full range of losses you have incurred. In successful cases, damages may cover medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, future care costs, and other documented losses.
A financial recovery cannot reverse a spinal cord injury. It can, however, address the concrete costs and give you the resources to manage long-term care and recovery. View our case results to see examples of what we have recovered for clients.