Boulder Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer

Top-Rated Legal Representation for Spinal Cord Injury Victims

Other than brain injuries, spinal cord injuries are among the most consequential a person can suffer. The spinal cord plays a critical role in movement and sensation, and any serious injury can impair a person’s ability to walk or go about their daily activities. Call The Ferrell Law Firm, PLLC if you suffered a spinal cord injury. Our firm can review the accident, investigate fault, and calculate the full value of your injuries. These are complex legal claims with many moving parts, so reach out to a Boulder spinal cord injury lawyer as soon as possible.

Understanding Spinal Cord Injuries

The spinal cord runs along the middle of the back and connects the brain to distant limbs. The cord is well protected by vertebrae which encase it and provide stability to the spinal column. However, major accidents can shatter vertebrae and either damage or compress the cord. Understanding how a spinal cord injury happens is the first step toward recovery and getting the compensation you deserve.

Spinal cord trauma can occur from many different causes. Car accidents, falls, and workplace incidents are common reasons people suffer cord injuries. When someone else’s negligence causes the accident, you have the right to seek compensation for your damages and losses.

A spinal cord injury changes everything about how a person lives and works. Getting the right personal injury lawyer to represent you makes all the difference in the outcome of your injury case.

Types of Spinal Cord Injuries

The spinal cord runs along the middle of the back and connects the brain to distant limbs. The cord is well protected by vertebrae which encase it and provide stability to the spinal column. However, major accidents can shatter vertebrae and either damage or compress the cord.

Doctors classify spinal cord injuries as complete or incomplete injuries:

• Complete spinal cord injury: A victim loses motor and sensory function below the site of injury, either because the cord is shredded because of compression.
• Incomplete spinal cord injury: The victim retains some sensory or motor function below the site of injury, although they usually are significantly impaired.

Both complete injuries and incomplete injuries are serious. However, a victim can retain hope of rehabbing and regaining some independence with an incomplete spinal cord injury, although the road to recovery is often grueling and painful.

Cervical Spinal Cord Injuries

Cervical spinal cord injuries happen in the neck area. These are among the most serious types because the neck controls so much of the body. A cervical injury can affect all four limbs and body functions, leading to quadriplegia or tetraplegia.

People with cervical injuries often struggle with breathing, swallowing, and basic bodily functions. They may need a ventilator to help them breathe. Daily life becomes incredibly challenging without help from caregivers and medical professionals.

A cervical spinal cord injury requires significant ongoing medical care and assistance. The compensation you recover should cover all these costs for your entire life.

Thoracic and Lumbar Spinal Cord Injuries

Thoracic spinal cord injuries happen in the middle back area. These injuries typically affect the legs and lower body, often resulting in paraplegia where the person cannot move or feel their legs.

Lumbar spinal cord injuries occur in the lower back. These injuries affect the legs, hips, and pelvic organs. People with lumbar injuries may lose control of bladder and bowel functions, which creates significant life challenges.

Both thoracic and lumbar injuries are devastating injuries that require ongoing care, medical treatment, and lifestyle adjustments.

Who Can You Hold Responsible for Your Spinal Cord Injury?

Liability typically depends on the accident which caused your injury. Identifying the responsible party is critical for your personal injury claim.

• Motor vehicle accidents. Typically, we sue the negligent or reckless driver who struck you. For example, a distracted or drunk driver could have run a red light and crashed into the side of your car. They are responsible for all damage, including your spinal cord injury. In a motor vehicle accident, the at-fault driver’s insurance company covers your damages.
• Premises liability accidents. Serious injury situations related to property problems usually stem from some defect or hazard on the premises. For example, you could fall accidents down a flight of stairs because the stairs are in disrepair, or you could get buried when a shelf at the store collapses and rains merchandise down on your head. A property owner has a duty to maintain safe conditions. When they fail, you can hold them responsible.
• Violent attacks. Some people suffer spinal cord injuries in a violent attack. We might sue your attacker or a property owner for negligent security.
• Defective products. Dangerous products can lead to catastrophic accidents. We might seek compensation from the manufacturer for your cord injury.
• Sports accidents. We can hold a school or sports league accountable for failing to enforce the rules or maintain a safe playing environment. Coaches and organizations have a responsibility to protect athletes from severe trauma.

These are only some of the most common defendants. Let our firm investigate the circumstances surrounding your accident.

Medical Malpractice and Spinal Cord Injuries

Sometimes spinal cord injuries happen because of medical malpractice. A surgeon might make a mistake during surgery that damages the spinal cord. Poor medical care can cause a cord injury that wouldn’t have happened with proper treatment.

Medical malpractice cases involving spinal cord injuries are complex. You have to prove that the medical professional failed to follow standard care practices and that this failure caused your injury. This requires expert medical testimony and careful investigation.

If your spinal cord injury was caused by medical negligence, we can help you pursue compensation for your damages and hold the healthcare provider accountable.

How Much is Your Claim Worth?

Spinal cord injuries are enormously disruptive. Many people are paralyzed and cannot use their limbs due to a complete spinal cord injury. Even if they retain some movement, spinal cord injury victims often struggle to walk independently or work full-time jobs.

We usually seek compensation for various financial losses. The value of your injury claim depends on the severity of your condition, your age, and your ability to work in the future.

Economic damages include the medical bills you’ve already paid and the medical expenses you’ll need in the future. These are costs you can document and prove with receipts and medical records.

Past Medical Care and Emergency Treatment

Many spinal cord injury victims need emergency surgery or time in the ICU to stabilize their condition. Multiple surgeries may be required to repair damage to the spinal column. These emergency treatments happen right after the accident and are critical to saving your life.

Past medical care costs add up quickly. Emergency room visits, surgery, hospital stays, and intensive care can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Even with insurance, you may have out-of-pocket costs.

When calculating your personal injury claim, we include every medical bill from the emergency treatment and hospital stay.

Ongoing and Future Medical Care

Many people need ongoing surgeries or at-home help to deal with the fallout of a serious injury. Spinal cord injury victims often need regular checkups, physical therapy, and medical procedures that continue for life.

Future medical expenses are often much larger than the emergency treatment costs. You may need medication management, physical therapy sessions, surgeries to prevent complications, and assistive devices. These costs continue for decades.

Calculating financial compensation for future care requires expert testimony from doctors who can estimate your medical needs for the rest of your life.

Rehabilitation and Therapy Costs

Our clients often needed extensive physical, occupational, and behavioral therapy to help them manage their disabilities. Rehabilitation after a spinal cord injury is long and challenging. Physical therapists help restore whatever motor function is possible. Occupational therapists teach new ways to perform daily tasks.

Rehabilitation programs can last months or years. Therapy sessions happen multiple times each week. The costs are significant, but the benefits of recovery are worth it. We include all rehabilitation expenses in your injury claim.

Specialized rehabilitation facilities that focus on spinal cord injuries cost more than regular hospitals, but they provide better outcomes for recovery.

Lost Wages and Lost Income

While recovering, many spinal cord injury victims cannot work, so they lose out on necessary income. This lost income happens right away after the accident. If you’re in the hospital for weeks or months, you’re not earning paychecks.

Lost wages during recovery are one part of your economic damages. Many people spend months or years in rehabilitation and cannot work during that time. These lost paychecks add up to significant financial losses.

We calculate exactly how much lost wages and lost income you’ve suffered so far and prove these losses to the insurance company.

Loss of Earning Capacity

Those with permanent disabilities often cannot return to their old job. They will suffer future lost income, either because they need to accept lower-paying work or cannot work at all. This is called loss of earning capacity.

If you were a construction worker before your spinal cord injury and can no longer do physical work, your earning potential drops dramatically. You might be able to work in an office, but office jobs usually pay less than construction. The difference is compensation you can recover compensation for.

Maximum compensation includes not just past losses but also the future income you’ll never earn because of your cord injury.

Pain and Suffering and Your Spinal Cord Injury

Our clients can also seek compensation for non-economic damages, such as pain, suffering, mental anguish, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Each injury case is unique, but these kinds of non-economic damages can be considerable.

Suppose your spouse is paralyzed from the waist down. In addition to being unable to walk, he cannot enjoy his favorite hobbies such as golf or go for moonlit walks. He might also slip into depression at how fully his life has changed for the worse. These losses deserve compensation, even if they are not economic losses like medical bills.

Emotional trauma from a spinal cord injury is real and lasting. Pain and suffering compensation recognizes these non-financial damages.

Complications From Spinal Cord Injuries

Spinal cord injury victims face many complications that create ongoing medical expenses. Pressure sores develop from sitting or lying in one position too long. These sores can become infected and life-threatening.

Cardiovascular disease risk increases after spinal cord injuries because people become less active. Bowel and bladder problems affect quality of life and require ongoing treatment. Muscle atrophy happens when muscles aren’t used.

These complications require ongoing care, medications, and sometimes emergency treatment. All these costs should be included in your financial compensation.

The Insurance Company’s Role

Your insurance claim will be handled by the at-fault driver’s insurance carriers or the insurance company responsible for the accident. These companies want to pay as little as possible on your claim.

Insurance carriers often try to convince spinal cord injury victims to settle quickly for far less than their claim is worth. They do this because they know that people are desperate and suffering. Don’t fall for it.

Working with a spinal cord injury attorney means the insurance company knows you won’t accept a lowball offer. They’ll take your personal injury lawsuit seriously and make a fair offer.

Understanding the Legal Process

The legal process after a spinal cord injury involves several steps. First, you file your personal injury claim with the at-fault party’s insurance company. They investigate and make an offer.

If their offer isn’t fair, we file a personal injury lawsuit in court. Discovery happens next, where both sides exchange information and evidence. Your attorney takes depositions from witnesses and the at-fault party.

Eventually, the case either settles or goes to trial. If we go to trial, we present evidence to a jury who decides how much you should recover compensation.

Negotiating Your Settlement

We negotiate hard with insurance carriers on your behalf. We present medical records, expert testimony, and evidence about your injury to prove how much your claim is worth. We show them the circumstances surrounding the accident and explain why their driver is responsible.

Most cases settle without going to trial. A good settlement covers all your financial losses, compensates you for pain and suffering, and gives you money to live on. Our firm drives a hard bargain to obtain the most financial compensation available.

If the insurance company won’t make a fair offer, we take your case to trial and let a jury decide.

Hiring a Personal Injury Attorney

Handling a spinal cord injury claim alone is difficult. Insurance companies have teams of lawyers working against you. You need experienced personal injury attorneys on your side to level the playing field.

A personal injury attorney who specializes in cord injury cases knows the litigation process. They understand how to investigate accidents, gather evidence, and prove fault. They know how to value your claim and negotiate effectively.

Don’t try to handle this alone. Get help from personal injury attorneys who have experience with spinal cord injuries.

Why Choose The Ferrell Law Firm

The Ferrell Law Firm has worked with countless spinal cord injury victims. We understand the challenges you face and the financial hardship that comes with a serious injury. We know how to investigate your accident, identify who is responsible, and seek justice on your behalf.

Our personal injury lawyers have the experience and resources to take on insurance carriers and large corporations. We don’t accept lowball offers. We fight for maximum compensation because your future depends on it.

We handle the entire process so you can focus on healing and recovery. You don’t pay anything unless we recover money for you through settlement or trial.

Call Our Firm to Obtain Peace of Mind

Spinal cord injuries dramatically change victims’ lives. Take control of the situation by reaching out to The Ferrell Law Firm to schedule a free consultation or free case evaluation with our office. We have obtained favorable settlements for many clients, and we are eager to hear your story.

Spinal cord injury victims shouldn’t face the insurance company alone. Our Boulder spinal cord injury lawyer can review your injury claim and explain your rights. We’ll investigate your accident, gather evidence, and build a strong case for financial compensation.

The sooner you contact us, the sooner we can start working on your case. Time is important because evidence can disappear and memories fade. Don’t wait to seek justice for your spinal cord injury.

You can call 720-687-2795 to speak with our team. We offer a free consultation to discuss your case and answer your questions. There’s no obligation, and you don’t pay anything up front.

How We Investigate Your Accident

When you hire The Ferrell Law Firm, we immediately begin investigating your accident. We collect medical records from all your doctors and hospitals. We review emergency room reports, surgery notes, and rehabilitation records.

We interview witnesses who saw what happened. We look at photos and video from the accident scene. We work with engineers and medical experts to understand exactly how your spinal cord injury occurred.

We also research the background of the person or company responsible for your accident. Have they caused other injuries? Do they have a pattern of negligence? This information helps prove their fault and shows why they should pay for your damages.

Timeline for Your Spinal Cord Injury Case

The timeline for your personal injury lawsuit depends on several factors. Simple cases with clear liability might settle within months. Complex cases with multiple parties might take years.

In Colorado, you have three years from the accident date to file your personal injury lawsuit. This might sound like plenty of time, but it passes quickly when you’re dealing with recovery and treatment.

We move quickly to preserve evidence while it’s fresh. We file documents promptly and keep pressure on the other side to negotiate. Our goal is to resolve your case as quickly as possible while getting you fair financial compensation.

Contact Us for Your Free Consultation

Don’t let else’s negligence rob you of your future. The Ferrell Law Firm is ready to help spinal cord injury victims like you recover compensation and seek justice. Call us today at 720-687-2795 for your free case evaluation.

We understand the severe trauma of a spinal cord injury and the challenges that follow. Our team is here to support you through the legal process and fight for the compensation you deserve. Let us handle the litigation process while you focus on healing and moving forward with your life.

Your injury is serious. Your case deserves serious legal representation from experienced personal injury attorneys who care about your outcome.