Minneapolis Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer
A spinal cord injury can alter the course of your life. Your spinal cord is an essential part of your central nervous system. If impaired, it can inhibit your ability to work, care for yourself, or carry out daily tasks.
If you’ve suffered a spinal cord injury as the result of an accident, a personal injury lawyer in Minneapolis can help you win compensation from the responsible parties.
- What is a spinal cord injury?
- Levels of Spinal Cord Injury
- Effects of Spinal Cord Injuries
- Treatment for Acute Spinal Cord Injury
- Rehabilitation for Spinal Cord Injuries
- Common Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries in Minneapolis
- What damages can I recover after a spinal cord injury in Minneapolis?
- How long do I have to file a spinal cord injury lawsuit in Minneapolis?
- How can a Minneapolis spinal cord injury lawyer help with my lawsuit?
- Contact the Spinal Cord Injury Lawyers at Milavetz Law
What is a spinal cord injury?
A spinal cord injury is an injury to your spinal column caused by a heavy blow to the vertebrae. Your spinal cord is the lower portion of your central nervous system, responsible for sending signals from the brain to the rest of your body. An injured spinal cord can interfere with sending those messages and impair your cognitive or motor functions.
Levels of Spinal Cord Injury
There are two primary levels of a spinal cord injury.
- An incomplete spinal cord injury is a superficial spinal injury that does not block the signals from the brain.
- A complete spinal cord injury does block signals from the brain, impeding motor function and causing paraplegia (loss of function in the legs and lower body) or quadriplegia (loss of function in the arms and legs) below the level of the injury.
There are treatments for spinal cord injuries, but it is generally easier to fully recover from an incomplete spinal injury than a complete spinal injury.
Effects of Spinal Cord Injuries
The effects of a spinal cord injury depend largely on the severity of the injury. Mild spinal cord injuries may result in headaches, back pain, or severe pressure along the back or neck. More severe spinal cord injuries can cause:
- Weakness or decreased sensations in the limbs and extremities
- Loss of bowel or bladder control
- Difficulty breathing
- Paralysis
- Nerve damage
- Comas
In worst-case scenarios, spinal cord injuries can result in death.
Treatment for Acute Spinal Cord Injury
An acute spinal cord injury can be diagnosed with blood tests, an X-ray, a CT scan, or an MRI. Once diagnosed, treatment will vary depending on the severity of your spinal cord injury, as well as your age and current health.
After a spinal cord injury, you may have to stay in the intensive care unit overnight for observation and potentially need a ventilator to help with breathing, a catheter if you cannot control your bladder, and corticosteroids to reduce spinal swelling.
These treatments can be expensive as well as long-lasting. That’s why it’s so important to make sure you’re compensated for the damages you’ve suffered as a result of your spinal cord injury.
Rehabilitation for Spinal Cord Injuries
Rehabilitation for spinal cord injuries can last for years or even the rest of your life. It may require long-term hospitalization or regular meetings with a speech or physical therapist until you recover.
In some cases, you can receive care at home. You may need to work with professionals who can help regulate and monitor your heart function, blood pressure, bowel and bladder control, and muscle spasms after a spinal cord injury.
Therapy is one of the main tools for spine injury recovery. A speech therapist can help you regain control of your speech, while a physical therapist may help restore feeling and movement after a spinal cord injury. If you become permanently paralyzed, you may also need a wheelchair.
Common Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries in Minneapolis
A violent impact on the vertebrae causes a spinal cord injury, which can come from several different causes. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, car accidents and catastrophic falls are the most common causes of spinal cord injuries.
Other common causes of spinal cord injuries include:
- Sports injuries
- Violent assaults
- Infections
- Birth injuries
What damages can I recover after a spinal cord injury in Minneapolis?
Victims are typically entitled to financial compensation if a spinal cord injury resulted from someone else’s negligence or action. This compensation falls into two different categories: economic damages and non-economic damages.
Economic damages are meant to reimburse you for the expenses of your recovery. This may include medical expenses, lost wages, or disability. In the event that a loved one suffers a spinal cord injury and dies, economic damages will also cover their funeral costs.
Non-economic damages address the mental and emotional suffering caused by spinal cord injuries. This is awarded for things like pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of society and companionship, or loss of enjoyment of life. If a spouse dies due to a spinal cord injury, you could also pursue non-economic damages for loss of consortium.
How long do I have to file a spinal cord injury lawsuit in Minneapolis?
The statute of limitations for all personal injury cases is usually four years in Minneapolis. This means you have four years from the date of the injury to file your lawsuit and should hire a spine injury lawyer within that time.
There may be some exceptions, such as cases in which the spinal cord injury victim is a minor at the time of the accident. However, if the case is not filed within four years, it is typically dismissed without being heard.
How can a Minneapolis spinal cord injury lawyer help with my lawsuit?
If you plan to file a spinal cord injury lawsuit, it’s important to have a good spine injury attorney at your side. Your attorney will help you to understand your rights, prepare your case, and defend your right to compensation.
The first thing your attorney will do is gather evidence to build your spinal cord injury case. This means gathering medical records, police or incident reports, pay stubs, invoices, and other relevant documents. It may involve getting statements from witnesses to the accident or witnesses to your recovery after the accident.
Your Minneapolis spinal cord injury lawyer at Milavetz Injury Law will handle any communication with opposing counsel or with insurance adjusters. They have experience in dealing with parties who may want to poke holes in your story to escape liability.
In most cases, spinal cord injury lawsuits end in settlements. A settlement is an agreement between the parties to dismiss charges in exchange for compensation paid to the spinal cord injury victim — the plaintiff.
Your attorney will fight to maximize your compensation. If the other side refuses to negotiate for an acceptable settlement, your attorney may recommend taking the case to court, where it will be heard before a judge who will decide whether or not to award damages.
A trial can be intimidating, so it helps to have a team at your side who has experience with winning settlements and court proceedings. The good news is that if your case goes to court and you win, you will likely receive more compensation than you would in a settlement.
Contact the Spinal Cord Injury Lawyers at Milavetz Law
Are you looking for a Minneapolis spinal cord injury lawyer to represent you in your upcoming case? Look no further than Milavetz Injury Law. Call us today at 763-560-0000 or fill out a contact form to learn more about how we can help you or schedule a consultation.
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