Flint Spine Injury Lawyer

Some injuries may heal completely over time, but spinal cord injuries may never heal, and in the worst cases, victims are permanently disabled. They may need assistance with the most basic of tasks and they may struggle to earn a living.

If you or your loved one has suffered a spinal cord injury and are concerned about your future, physically, financially and emotionally, schedule a free consultation with one of our Flint spine injury lawyers. Our dedicated attorneys may be able to recover compensation to help you manage the damages you have suffered. We have recovered tens of millions in compensation for our clients. This includes millions for workers who suffered back injuries, like a $399,000 award for a delivery driver who suffered a back injury.

The consultation does not place any obligations on you to file a lawsuit if we find you have a valid case. We are also not paid unless our clients are paid at the end of the legal process through an insurance settlement or courtroom verdict.

What is a Spinal Cord Injury Case Worth?

This is something you can ask us about in your free consultation. We need to review the details of your injury, such as where your spine was damaged, your specific diagnosis, treatment you are receiving, your current mobility issues and other factors like the effect your injury may have on your career and relationships with loved ones. These and other factors all play into the value of a spinal cord injury claim.

Damages you may be able to claim if you file legal action may include:

• Physical pain you experience on a daily basis
• Emotional suffering
• Surgery to treat your injury
• Prescription medication to manage symptoms from your injury (muscle spasticity, pain, increased heart rate and depression)
• Rehabilitation
• Physical therapy
• Lost companionship, if the injury affects your relationship with your spouse, include a sexual relationship
• Occupational therapy
• Lost enjoyment of life, if you can no longer take part in hobbies or leisure activities you enjoyed before your injury
• Lost wages for time you missed at work because you were receiving medical treatment or were under work restrictions
• Assistive devices, such as wheelchairs, powerchairs, forearm crutches, etc.

Our firm is prepared to bring in industry experts to help us determine the extent of your injuries and how they may affect you in the future, including how your earning capacity may be negatively affected.

We are also prepared to go to court if we are unable to negotiate a settlement. We are dedicated to pursuing maximum compensation for your damages.

Do I Have a Valid Case for Financial Compensation?

In many cases, our attorneys must prove your spinal cord injury was a result of another person or entity’s reckless or intentional actions. This is also known as negligence.

Our Flint spine injury lawyers must gather evidence to prove the four parts of negligence:

Existence of Duty of Care

We must prove the at-fault party had a duty to act as a reasonable person would in a similar situation to help prevent you from suffering harm. A common example of a duty of care is the legal obligation for drivers to follow the rules of the road.

Breach of Duty of Care

The duty of care was not upheld by the at-fault party. Sometimes the duty of care is breached because of specific actions the other party took, such as drunk driving. Other times, the at-fault party failed to act, such as a driver not looking up because he or she was distracted.

Causal Link to Injury

There must a cause-and-effect relationship between your injury and the breach of duty of care. The breach must have caused your injury. In the example of a car accident, we would need to prove the driver was negligent, this caused the accident, and the way the crash happened directly led to your injury.

Damages Suffered

You suffered damages that affect you physically, financially or emotionally. This mainly refers to out-of-pocket costs for your treatment. You may also be able to pursue compensation for pain and suffering.

Call today for a free legal consultation.

There are few injuries as devastating as a spinal cord injury. Treatment and management of these injuries can be extremely expensive over the course of your life. Victims may not realize how quickly the expenses can add up.

During this stressful time, it is important that you be able to focus on your treatment and deal with the changes to your life caused by your injury. If you hire an experienced lawyer, he or she can manage the different parts of the legal process and keep you informed every step of the way.

This includes handling insurance companies that may be contacting you asking for a statement or more information about your injuries. They are looking for statements or evidence to use against you to justify making a lowball settlement offer.

However, our Flint spinal cord injury lawyers know how insurance companies work, and we know how to defend the value of a claim. We are also fully prepared to go to court if the insurance company does not offer fair compensation.

To learn more about how we assist accident victims with pursuing compensation, call today to schedule a free consultation. We want you to be able to focus on healing, while we investigate and build a strong argument on your behalf.

How Much Time Do You Have to File Legal Action?

In general, personal injury claims, including those involving spinal cord injuries, must be filed within three years of the injury occurring. If you do not file before those three years are up, the case may be dismissed in court.

While this is the standard timeline, there may be exceptions for certain situations, such as claims against the government. Medical malpractice claims have a deadline of two years from the date of the accident.

The clock is probably already running on your ability to file a claim, so it is important to contact a lawyer as soon as possible. We are prepared to determine the deadline that applies in your situation and file a claim before time runs out, if we validate your claim.

Protecting Your Claim After the Injury Occurs

Immediate medical treatment is critical after any spinal cord injury. The quicker doctors can diagnose and start treatment, the better your diagnosis might be. By immobilizing the spinal cord, a severe injury may be prevented, or at least minimized to some degree. Follow the doctor’s orders on treatment and recovery.

Your treatment will be documented in your medical records, and when these records show you went to the hospital quickly, it can help bolster your claim for compensation. Getting immediate treatment helps to show a connection between the accident and resulting diagnosis.

File an accident report with the police or the property owner to document what happened. Having an accident report makes it harder for insurance companies and at-fault parties to dispute your injury.

When possible, injury victims should photograph the scene and their injuries, as this helps to show what happened. If you leave the scene without taking pictures, it may be cleaned up and you may have a harder time proving what happened. However, only spend the time taking pictures if it is safe. Your first priority is your health.

Classifying Spinal Cord Injuries

Some of the most serious spinal cord injuries are the result of one specific incident when the spinal cord sustained blunt trauma and was damaged in some way. These are known as acute injuries.

If you fractured vertebrae, it may be either complete or incomplete. A complete break causes a loss of feeling below the break, meaning the loss of movement and control of certain organs, such as the bowels and bladder. Examples of complete injuries are quadriplegia and paraplegia. The higher up the spinal cord the break occurs, the more severe the impairment suffered by the victim.

An incomplete injury can be unpredictable, as far as what impairments the victim suffers. They may have some amount of feeling or movement below the site of the injury.

Acute injuries also include sprains to muscles or tendons around the spine and bulging or ruptured discs.

Overuse injuries refer to those that occur over time, instead of from one incident. For example, factory workers may suffer stiffness or spasms in their back because they bend over or lift things on a regular basis. These injuries can be incredibly painful and may affect people for a long period of time.

Call Today to Set Up a Free Case Review With a Flint Spine Injury Attorney

You may have a case for compensation for your damages. It is important to contact us as soon as possible because the clock is running, and you have limited time to take legal action.

There is no cost or obligation to meet with us and discuss how your injury occurred, the damages you have suffered, and potential options moving forward. Even if you have a case, it is up to you whether you move forward. We are not paid unless you get paid.

For more than 30 years, the legal team at Jay Trucks and Associates has been representing injury victims throughout Michigan and has a record of success in recovering compensation. We have been able to obtain more than $500 million in compensation.