Attorney Referrals

Michigan Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer

What can a Michigan spinal cord injury lawyer do for you? When a catastrophic injury involves damages to the spinal cord, our personal injury law firm will help your family throughout the process of the personal injury claim. Our legal team understands the significance of the injuries to the spine, from the lost income to the medical bills, and just the ultimate loss one suffers from another’s negligence. If you need a experienced and qualified Michigan personal injury lawyer, call Lipton Law today at 248-557-1688 to schedule your free consultation.

Back and Spinal Cord Injury Lawyers in Southfield, Michigan

michigan spinal cord injury lawyer

When a family member suffers from a spinal cord injury, having the adequate support and care needed from the insurance company is critical. The amount of medical attention, medical care, and other medical bills that can arise from a spinal cord injury can place almost anyone in a financial bind.

In most personal injury cases, the victim is provided a range of benefits depending on when, where, and how the injury occurs. Spinal cord injuries, in particular, require a greater need for immediate medical care and support. In many cases, the injuries that one sustains from the spinal cord accident are considered catastrophic injuries.

Our Southfield, Michigan personal injury lawyers are dedicated to helping your family. The Lipton Law attorneys have years of law school and trial experience that have benefitted families. If you need a Michigan personal injury lawyer for car accidents causing spinal cord injuries, medical malpractice cases due to medical negligence, product liability, or even a workplace accident that leads to back or spinal cord injuries. In any case, our resilient attorneys are ready to speak with you.

What Is a Spinal Cord Injury?

A spinal cord injury refers to damage to the spinal cord and nerves within the spinal canal, disks, vertebrae, and other ligaments. These catastrophic injuries often result from high-impact accidents like car accidents or motor vehicle collisions. When nerve fibers within the spinal column become damaged, the area directly below the injury itself will often be impaired.

In less severe spinal cord injuries, an individual may suffer partial problems to the central nervous system. For example, one may have partial movement loss or a lack of sensory function for some time. However, severe injuries to the spinal cord can lead to far-worse health problems.

For instance, if the affected area of the injury happens to be an individual’s neck area, a person may have issues with arm mobility and breathing problems. If the accident has affected the chest or lower back region, this can cause problems to one’s legs, torso, and bladder and even impact one’s sexual function and bowel control.

Degree of Spinal Cord Injuries

All injuries have classifications for the degree of the injury sustained and the damages caused by it. In this case, spinal cord injuries can be viewed as the inability to control one’s limbs. With a complete spinal cord injury, an injured person could lose the ability and feeling to control movement below the injury. On the other hand, an incomplete spinal cord injury has a higher chance of some remaining motor or sensory function.

The worst degree of spinal cord injuries is called quadriplegia, meaning all four limbs are affected (paralysis), or paraplegia, meaning partial areas are affected (partial paralysis).

Signs of Spinal Injuries

Spotting the signs of a spinal injury could potentially prevent further damage and harm to suffering injury victims. If you notice signs of spinal injuries, seeking immediate medical attention for the injury may save someone’s life.

The signs of spinal injuries include a loss of:

  • Sensation
  • Movement
  • Bowel control
  • Sexual function or problems
  • Coordination or balance

Other signs of spinal injuries include:

  • Severe pain and intense stinging sensations
  • Extreme lower back discomfort
  • Pressure in the back, neck, or head
  • Weakness, with paralysis in any part of the body

Common Back Injuries Caused by Trauma

According to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the spine is broken down into three main areas (excluding the sacrum):

  1. Lumbar spine – lower-back
  2. Thoracic spine – mid-back
  3. Cervical spine – upper-back/neck

Common back injuries caused by trauma happen to result most often from a car accident, causing harm to the cervical and lumbar areas. Although thoracic sprains occur, they are less common than the upper and mid-section of one’s back injury caused by trauma. Victims in back pain after car accident cases deserve compensation for their injuries.

What Causes Spinal Cord Injuries?

michigan spinal cord injury attorney

The top cause of spinal cord injuries is motor vehicle accidents. Other causes of tragic spinal cord injuries include surgical procedures, sporting activities, boating accidents, and slip-and-fall accidents. The one common denominator involved in a spinal cord injury that can worsen a horrific situation is when the negligence of another individual causes the spine injuries.

The victims of automobile accidents often suffer most from spinal cord injuries. If you or a loved one have suffered a spinal cord injury due to a negligent driver in Southfield, Michigan, call for a free consultation. The Lipton Law firm has the compassion and dedication needed to help your family during this difficult time.

Spinal Cord Injuries and Medical Malpractice

Spinal cord injuries can occur for several reasons. Though the leading causes of spinal cord injuries are often car accidents, many cases involving medical malpractice have also been known to cause a severe spinal cord injury. Professional negligence occurs more often than you may think. When spine injuries result from emergency room errors, anesthesia errors, or even general surgical mistakes, you will likely benefit from hiring a spinal cord injury attorney to take on your personal injury case.

In emergency rooms with a constant need for immediate medical attention, doctors will sometimes act before thinking through one’s overall leading causes of an injury. For example, suppose a doctor moves an injured patient from an auto accident that has already sustained injuries to the neck and back. In that case, any other movement could lead to a serious spinal cord injury or even a fatality. This is considered a form of doctor malpractice as well.

Anesthesia errors occur when the epidural is not managed correctly by a doctor or medical professional. A hemorrhage occurs when blood collects in the space between the membrane and the bone. Anesthesia errors often cause an epidural hematoma, mainly involving practice areas associated with birth injuries.

Injury victims who suffer a surgical mistake in this body region could potentially result in full-blown permanent paralysis. Many different scenarios of surgical mistakes and failure to provide adequate medical care can have tragic life-long consequences.

Michigan Spinal Cord Injury FAQ

In Michigan, when an injury occurs, proving an at-fault party is often a complex situation, especially when negligence is involved. For a person to be held liable for back or spinal cord injuries, a judge or jury must evaluate all the factors involved for each type of situation.

For example, a negligent driver can be held liable for another’s suffering from back or spinal cord problems if the cause of a motor vehicle accident causes spinal cord injury victims.

Or, say that a superintendent fails to fix a dangerous building condition that causes someone to fall, and a spinal cord injury occurs, the landlord could be held liable.

Another scenario would be if a doctor misdiagnosed a patient. For instance, a doctor could be held liable if a motorcycle accident occurs and an ER doctor misdiagnoses a broken back, resulting in paralysis when the patient is moved.

Southfield, Michigan views damages under two categories, economic damages and non-economic damages.

Recovery for non-economic damages includes:

  • Pain and suffering
  • Humiliation
  • Loss of happiness
  • Loss of relationships
  • Inability to return to living life as normal

Recovery for economic damages includes:

  • Lost wages, both present and future
  • Payment for a daily caregiver for the required health needs
  • Any medical expenses concerning the accident, both past and present
  • Even the cost to cover home renovations needed to modify one’s daily activities for injury victims

If you or a loved one have questions regarding what damages are available for spinal cord injury cases, call to speak with a skilled attorney at Lipton Law. Through a free case evaluation, our attorneys are forever grateful for the opportunity to help your family.

 

michigan spinal cord injury lawyers

The statute of limitations for spinal cord injury lawsuits is exactly three years in Michigan. It is imperative to contact a trusted spinal cord injury attorney within this time frame to ensure that the statute of limitations still applies. A spinal cord case is, however, typically complex, as the injury itself is a very complex injury. Should the wound or intensity of the injury be discovered after this time frame, the personal injury claims have a possible chance of a time extension.

Experienced Back and Spine Injury Lawyers in Southfield, Michigan

Call the Lipton lawyers today if you are looking for a Southfield, Michigan law firm with extensive experience with spinal cord injury cases. Our attorneys know the importance of helping families overcome the challenging battle of a traumatic experience, especially when permanent injuries are sustained. Although we understand our lawyers can never fully bring back what one loses in a tragic accident, we will do our best to recover damages and seek justice for your family as if we were fighting for our own.

When you place your trust with a Lipton Law attorney, you do not have to fight this battle alone. The devastation and shock alone can cause a need for another set of eyes to investigate the unfortunate accident further. Call our law firm at 248-557-1688 for a free consultation if you have questions or want to know what a Lipton lawyer can do for you.