Spinal Cord Injury

Accident Lawyers Assisting Savannah Residents

The spinal cord is a group of nerves that travels down the middle of a person’s back, relaying signals between the body and the brain. When the spinal cord is damaged, the signals are disrupted, and the result may be incomplete or complete paralysis. When there is a complete spinal cord injury, signals will not be sent below the level of the injury. Spinal cord injuries are considered catastrophic and may necessitate significant medical treatment and rehabilitation. You may need to take time off work, or you may never work again, and you may need household help and alterations to your home. All of these changes may be tremendously expensive. If you are hurt as a result of someone else’s negligence, the Savannah spinal cord injury attorneys at the Suthers & Harper may be able to help you bring a lawsuit.

Pursuing a Spinal Cord Injury Claim

Spinal cord injuries may be devastating and may change your life forever. They are also expensive. Immediate treatment may reduce the long-term consequences, but in many cases, accident victims are worried about who will pay for this treatment. In some cases, a personal injury lawsuit is the only way that a victim can recover the tremendous costs that these injuries entail. Even if the state brings an assault or homicide charge against the responsible party, this is on behalf of the public, and any restitution ordered in criminal court is not likely to make up for all that you have lost. In a personal injury lawsuit, you will try to hold the person or entity responsible for your spinal cord injury financially liable for your costs.

Most of these lawsuits are based on the theory of negligence. Our spinal cord injury lawyers can help Savannah residents and others try to prove that it is more likely than not true that the defendant’s failure to meet its duty to use reasonable care caused your injuries. If the defendant violates a safety statute, it may be possible to apply a theory of negligence per se. This applies when a defendant violates a law that was designed to guard against the type of injury that you suffered and to protect a group of which you are a part. When negligence per se applies, the focus of the lawsuit usually becomes the extent of the damages rather than liability.

The extent of the damages may be tremendous in a case involving spinal cord injuries. There are three types of damages in Georgia: special and general damages, as defined by O.C.G.A. § 51-12-2, and punitive damages. Special damages are proven damages that actually flow from the defendant’s actions, such as lost wages, property damage, and medical bills. General damages are those that are assumed to flow from any careless or wrongful act, such as pain and suffering and loss of consortium, and they depend on what a jury believes about your case. Regarding general damages, the attorney whom you retain may make a tremendous difference to what you recover. An experienced trial attorney may elicit testimony from your family and friends about how much your spinal cord injury has harmed you emotionally and on a daily basis.

Punitive damages may be recovered in personal injury cases if you can prove by clear and convincing evidence that the defendant’s acts displayed malice, wantonness, oppression, willful conduct, or an entire lack of care that would raise the presumption that the defendant had a conscious disregard for what would happen as a result of their actions.

Consult an Experienced Spinal Cord Injury Attorney in Savannah

The attorneys at the Suthers & Harper may be able to represent you in your claim. Our Savannah spinal cord injury lawyers also assist injured people in Atlanta, Watkinsville, Norcross, Lawrenceville, Roswell, Athens, Marietta, Stone Mountain, Decatur, Pooler, Brunswick and Statesboro, and other areas of Oconee, Gwinnett, Clark, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton, Chatham, Glynn and Bulloch Counties. Contact us by calling 1.800.320.2384 or completing our online form to set up a free consultation. We also can help people who need a brain trauma lawyer or assistance with other types of personal injury claims.