Were you paralyzed by a spinal cord injury in Deerfield Beach, FL?
A spinal cord injury creates a lifetime of medical needs, and The Andres Lopez Law Firm pursues the full cost of that care on a contingency basis, with no fee unless we recover.
When a spinal cord injury results from another party’s negligence in Deerfield Beach, The Andres Lopez Law Firm can pursue compensation for the lifelong consequences of the harm. A spinal cord injury is among the most serious injuries a person can suffer, often causing partial or complete paralysis and a lifetime of specialized care. Our Deerfield Beach, FL spinal cord injury lawyer works with medical and financial professionals to establish the full cost of that care and to identify every responsible party. Because a spinal cord injury is rarely reversible, our work centers on proving what a lifetime of care will cost. Contact our office today for a free consultation about your claim and the care ahead.
Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer Deerfield Beach, FL
A spinal cord injury claim is a personal injury case brought when damage to the spinal cord results from another party’s negligence. The effects depend on where along the cord the injury occurs: an injury high in the neck can cause quadriplegia, affecting all four limbs, while a lower injury may cause paraplegia, affecting the legs and lower body. A complete injury eliminates function below the level of damage, while an incomplete injury leaves some sensation or movement, a distinction that shapes both the person’s future and the value of the claim.
About 18,000 new cases of spinal cord injury occur in the United States each year, and hundreds of thousands of people are living with one. Motor vehicle crashes and falls are the leading causes, which is why many Deerfield Beach spinal cord injury claims arise from another kind of accident. A spinal cord injury is almost always permanent, because the cord does not heal the way other tissues do, and the people at greatest risk are young men, though it can happen to anyone in a serious accident.
Types of Spinal Cord Injury Cases We Handle in Deerfield Beach
A spinal cord injury can result from any accident that applies sudden force to the neck or back. We represent people who suffered a spinal cord injury in the following:
- Car accidents. Vehicle crashes are the leading cause of spinal cord injuries in the United States. The abrupt forces in a crash can compress or twist the spine beyond what it can withstand.
- Truck accidents. The force of a collision with a large truck can fracture or crush the vertebrae that protect the cord. Occupants of the smaller vehicle bear the greatest risk in these collisions.
- Motorcycle accidents. A rider thrown from a motorcycle has little protection against a spinal injury. Even protective gear cannot shield the spine from the force of a serious crash.
- Slip and fall. A fall from a height or onto a hard surface is a frequent cause of spinal cord damage. Property owners can be held responsible when an unsafe condition causes such a fall.
- Pedestrian accidents. A pedestrian struck by a vehicle can suffer a severe neck or back injury. The impact of the vehicle and the fall that follows can each damage the cord.
- Bicycle accidents. A cyclist thrown to the pavement can sustain a spinal cord injury on impact. A driver who fails to yield to a cyclist can cause a life-changing injury.
- Diving and sports. Diving into shallow water and high-impact sports are recognized causes of cervical injuries. These injuries frequently affect the neck and can result in quadriplegia.
- Acts of violence. A gunshot or other intentional act can sever or bruise the spinal cord. Such cases may involve both a civil claim and a criminal investigation.
Why Choose The Andres Lopez Law Firm as my Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer in Deerfield Beach, FL?
Finding Every Source of Recovery
Andres Lopez earned his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Maryland and began practicing in Maryland in 2006, then in Florida in 2009. He founded The Andres Lopez Law Firm and belongs to the Florida Justice Association and the Broward County Bar Association. The lifetime cost of a spinal cord injury can outrun the at-fault driver’s policy many times over, so our personal injury lawyer in Deerfield Beach, FL looks for every other source of payment, from additional defendants to the injured person’s own uninsured motorist coverage.
A History of Significant Recoveries
The firm’s record includes millions of dollars recovered for injured clients across South Florida, with several seven-figure and policy-limit results, and it earned Mr. Lopez a place in the Million Dollar Advocates Forum.
- $1,000,000, wrongful death settlement
- $875,000, medical malpractice settlement
- $700,000, slip and fall recovery
- $250,000, motor vehicle policy limits
- $174,500, auto policy limits
Understanding Spinal Cord Injury Cases
Damages, Liability, and Compensation for Spinal Cord Injury Cases
The damages in a spinal cord injury case are among the largest in personal injury law, because paralysis creates needs that continue for the rest of a person’s life. Liability turns on whether another party acted negligently, and once that is shown, the value of the claim rests on documenting decades of care. Recoverable losses include:
- Lifelong medical care, surgery, and rehabilitation
- Wheelchairs, assistive equipment, and their replacement over time
- Modifications to the home and vehicle for accessibility
- In-home nursing or attendant care
- Lost earnings and reduced earning capacity
Because a spinal cord injury often brings secondary complications, such as pressure sores and repeated infections, a full claim also anticipates the cost of managing those conditions over time. If the injury proves fatal, as a high cervical injury sometimes does, the claim becomes a wrongful death action brought on behalf of the family. Fault also plays a role in the final figure: under Florida’s modified comparative fault rule, an injured person’s recovery is reduced by their percentage of responsibility, and a person more than 50 percent at fault cannot recover at all.
Projecting those costs is the work of economists and life-care planners, who estimate the price of care across the person’s expected lifetime and adjust for inflation and rising medical costs. That projection is usually the single largest part of the claim, and whether a settlement meets the family’s real needs often depends on how thoroughly it is documented.
What Are Important Aspects of a Spinal Cord Injury Case?
Proving a spinal cord injury claim means establishing not only the injury but the full scope of what it will require. Because the level and completeness of the injury determine the lasting effects, medical professionals are central to showing how the injury will affect the person’s mobility, independence, and health for years to come. The level of the injury, described by the vertebra involved, largely determines the function a person will retain and the care they will need. Proving that the accident caused the injury, rather than a pre-existing condition, is also part of a strong claim.
A spinal cord injury is a life-altering injury whose costs continue long after the initial hospitalization, so an accurate, long-term prognosis is essential. Documenting those future needs with a life-care plan and an economic analysis is what allows a claim to reflect the true cost. Under Florida law, a spinal cord injury claim must be filed within two years of the injury.
What Is the Spinal Cord Injury Case Timeline?
A spinal cord injury case is rarely quick to resolve, because the person’s medical condition must stabilize before the long-term cost can be established. In the months after the injury, we gather the medical records and work with specialists who can project the future course of care. We also identify every party whose negligence contributed and every insurance policy that may apply, because the cost of a spinal cord injury often exceeds a single policy’s limits.
Once the future needs are documented, we build a demand that reflects the full lifetime cost, and if the insurers will not agree to a fair amount, we are prepared to litigate the claim to its conclusion. Because these cases are unusually complex, they often take a year or more to resolve, particularly when several parties or insurers are involved. Throughout that time, we handle the communication with the insurers so the family can focus on the person’s care.
What Should You Bring to Your Spinal Cord Injury Consultation?
The following documents and records support a spinal cord injury claim:
- The accident or police report
- All medical records, imaging, and the treating physician’s prognosis
- Records of medical expenses and any equipment already purchased
- Documentation of lost income and the person’s prior work
- Records of any home or vehicle modifications already made
The consultation is free, and we can explain how the lifetime cost of the injury is established.
Reach Out to The Andres Lopez Law Firm to Schedule a Consultation
Paralysis changes what a person’s home, work, and daily routine will look like for decades, and a fair recovery has to account for each of those changes. Our firm takes spinal cord injury cases on contingency, meaning no attorney fees are owed unless compensation is recovered. Contact us to arrange a free meeting with our Deerfield Beach spinal cord injury lawyer.