Spinal Cord Injury Lawyers in Baltimore
Have you suffered a spinal cord injury in Baltimore or elsewhere in Maryland due to another’s negligent or intentional actions? These injuries are devastating and can have long-term consequences. The cost of managing medical treatment can be exorbitantly high, especially if your condition prevents you from working.
If this has happened to you or a loved one, contact Greenberg Law Offices. Our back injury lawyers will investigate your case and file a personal injury claim against any at-fault parties to recover financial compensation for your medical bills, lost income, and much more.
Contact us today for a free, no-obligation consultation with a Baltimore spinal cord injury lawyer. You pay nothing unless we win your case.
Why You Should Have a Spinal Cord Injury Attorney in Baltimore for Your Case
For over three generations, Greenberg Law Offices has represented injured parties’ interests in Baltimore and throughout Maryland. We have over 60 years of experience in our field and have forged a reputation as a client-focused firm that will use every available strategy to see victory.
Our lawyers and staff take the time to get to know our clients and their families so that we can provide tailored services that account for your needs and desires. Whether we are negotiating with insurers or arguing your case in front of a judge and jury, you can count on us to protect your interests and well-being. We are passionate about our devotion to justice, so let our family help your family.
What Compensation Can I Pursue for a Spinal Cord Injury?
Spine injury compensation will usually contain reimbursement for the following types of losses.
- Emergency medical bills and continuing medical expenses
- Lost employment compensation, including hourly pay/salary, bonuses, commissions, and more
- Reduction in lifetime earning potential due to permanent disability
- One-time or out-of-pocket injury expenses
- Pain and suffering
- Disfigurement and loss of convenience
- Mental anguish
Our goal is to secure as much compensation as possible for your injuries. To that end, we look well beyond typical injury expenses in spine injury cases to account for long-term or atypical costs. These may include your reduced earning capacity or home renovations to accommodate mobility impairments.
What Is the Average Settlement for a Back Injury from a Car Accident?
The average settlement for a car accident back injury can range widely between tens of thousands and even millions of dollars, depending on the facts of the case. It is impossible to say beforehand how much one can get in a specific case, but the final settlement or verdict amount depends on several factors, including the following:
The more severe your injuries, the larger the claim you can make. Severe injuries have higher medical bills and place a greater financial burden on your life in terms of continuing care and changes to daily routines.
Insurance policies have total liability coverage, which could limit a settlement. However, a Baltimore spinal cord injury attorney can look for alternate sources of compensation.
If the victim was working a high-paying job, they could recover more money from missing employment compensation. A settlement can also account for the fact that the victim might have to change from a high-paying career to a low-paying one.
Younger victims will have to live with any permanent complications and impairment from a spinal cord injury longer than older victims, so settlements and verdicts reflect this difference.
Any final amount will also take into account the extent of the victim’s physical pain, conscious suffering, and loss of life enjoyment or convenience.
How Long Do I Have to File a Spinal Cord Injury Lawsuit in Maryland?
The time limit you have for filing a spine injury lawsuit depends on the nature and circumstances surrounding your injuries. For spinal cord injuries due to negligence and unintentional action, you have three years from the injury date to file. If your spinal cord injury was the result of an intentional tort like assault, the deadline is instead one year from the injury date. Lastly, if the spinal cord injury resulted from medical malpractice, you have five years from the injury date or three years from the date you discovered your injuries.
Because your case will have a specific deadline for filing a lawsuit, it’s important to contact a spinal cord injury law firm as soon as possible. At Greenberg Law Offices, we can make sure to investigate your case, present a compelling argument, and file your claim on time.
What Are Common Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries?
Physical trauma can directly cause spinal cord damage, but the damage can come from bleeding and swelling in the days and weeks following the injury. Some of the most common events that can cause spinal cord injuries include the following:
- Car, truck, and motorcycle collisions
- Falling injuries
- Pedestrian and cyclist accidents
- Collisions with moving/stationary objects
- Workplace and industrial injuries, including construction accidents or a herniated disk
- High-contact sports, such as football, hockey, and rugby
- Intentional violence, including assault or gunshot
- Disease or medical conditions, such as meningitis or spinal stenosis
- Medical malpractice, including missed/incorrect diagnosis or surgical errors
Regardless of the specific cause of your spine injury, if it resulted from negligence or some kind of wrongdoing, you can pursue a claim for financial damages against the liable party. We at Greenberg Law Offices can thoroughly investigate your case to identify parties that might bear liability and hold them accountable under the law.
What Are the Types of Spinal Cord Injuries?
Doctors and medical professionals generally divide spinal cord injuries into the following four types based on location:
- Cervical injuries occur in the highest part of the spine, where the head meets the neck. Cervical spinal cord injuries are usually the most severe and can result in total body impairment or paralysis.
- Thoracic spinal cord injuries are localized in the upper back. Thoracic injuries may cause numbness and functional loss in the arms, shoulders, and upper chest.
- Lumbar injuries concern the lower back and often result in paralysis or impairment below the pelvis and the waist.
- Sacral spinal cord injuries occur at the lowest point of the spine, where the vertebrae meet the sacrum or the tailbone. Injuries here can affect the hips, buttocks, and thighs.
Injuries are further divided based on the specific vertebrae they affect (e.g., L5, C4, T3). Medical professionals also categorize spinal cord injuries into the following two degrees based on the total loss of function:
- Incomplete injuries still retain partial feeling, movement, or function below the injury site.
- Complete spinal cord injuries result in a complete loss of sensation or mobility below the injury site.
As an example, a complete lumbar spinal cord injury would be an injury to the upper spine that causes a complete loss of feeling and function below the affected area. If you are planning to file a spine injury claim, a doctor must provide an official diagnosis of what kind of spinal cord injury you have. A correct diagnosis paints an accurate picture concerning the severity of your impairments and pain.
What Are the Symptoms of a Spinal Cord Injury?
The spinal cord mediates the connection between the brain and the rest of the body, so spinal cord injuries can present with varying degrees of impairments to sensory and motor function. Common symptoms of spinal cord injuries include the following:
- Numbness or tingling
- Pain in the neck, arms, or legs
- Weakness and loss of strength
- Loss of sensation/hot or cold
- Difficulty walking or balancing
- Muscle spasms and reflex problems
- Loss of bowel control
- Difficulty breathing or coughing
- Changes in sexual function
- Partial or total paralysis (paraplegia or quadriplegia)
Spinal cord injury symptoms can develop over time and may not become apparent for weeks or even months after the accident.
What Are Treatment Options for a Spinal Cord Injury?
Treatment for spinal cord injuries typically focuses on minimizing the damage through a regimen of rest, rehabilitation, medication, and surgery. Victims will have to reduce their physical activity during recovery and may have to undergo physical therapy to regain strength and functionality. Medication can manage symptoms like pain and inflammation, while surgery exists to remove structures and deformities that are putting pressure on the nerves. Other treatment options might include light exercise, massage therapy, electrical stimulation, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT).
What Are the Long-Term Effects of a Spinal Cord Injury?
A spine or neck injury can be notorious for the extreme pain and long-term impairment each can cause.
Unlike peripheral nerves, spinal cord tissue does not readily regenerate over time. Injuries can take months or weeks to heal, and victims might never regain full functionality and mobility. Spinal cord injuries may result in a lifetime of chronic pain and impairment, and severe ones can cause complete paralysis.
Injury victims often have to change their daily routines to accommodate mobility limitations, and some might not be able to live independently anymore. It is not uncommon for victims to develop depression and anxiety as they can no longer partake in activities they once enjoyed.
