Potential Damages In A Spinal Injury Claim
Posted on: 24 June 2019
A spinal injury is one of the most devastating injuries you can ever face. This is because the spine protects several organs in the body and also contains important nerve cells. As such, you should ensure your spinal injury claim contains all the possible damages. Below are some of the damages you should consider in your spinal injury claim.
Medical Bills
Medical bills are usually part of personal injury claims. When it comes to spinal injuries, your treatment will depend on the extent of your injuries and the needed treatments. For example, you may need:
- Diagnostic treatments, such as X-rays and CT scans, to determine the extent of the injury
- Surgery to remove pieces of broken bones and stabilize the spine
- Experimentation drugs to try and reverse the damage to the spine
Your doctor (and maybe an expert witness doctor) will inform you and the court on the necessary treatments. The medical bill will be high if your spinal damage is irreversible. Note that the defendant should compensate you for future medical costs too.
Assistive Devices
In some cases, you may need assistive devices to go about your everyday life after a spinal injury. For example, a serious spinal injury may leave you partially paralyzed and unable to walk without assistance. You may need a wheelchair or other forms of mobility aids, which the defendant should pay for.
Home Modification
Your spinal injuries might leave you with permanent and disabling injuries that leave you unable to use your current home. Maybe you can't go up and down the stairs, you can't get to your front door (that has steps), and you can't use your bathroom facilities. In such a case, the defendant should compensate you for the modification necessary for you to continue using the home.
Future Loss of Income
Loss of income is also a common factor in injury claims, and a spinal injury can also lead to loss of income. For example, you might find it difficult to engage in jobs that involve lifting heavy things, standing for long periods, or bending several times a day. If the work complications are to remain for the foreseeable future, then the defendant should pay for your loss of future income too.
Pain and Suffering
Lastly, a spinal injury can be very painful, so you should expect some compensation for your pain and suffering. Don't forget that the pain and suffering encompass both physical pain and mental pain (the anguish of suffering from a debilitating injury). It even includes the limitations, such as the ability to play physical games with your kids, which the injury might have on you.
Reach out to a personal injury attorney such as Franklin L. Jones, Jr. to learn more.
Share