Gulfport Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer
The spinal cord is one of the essential parts of the human body. This system of nerves, bones, and muscles, serves as the messenger between the brain and the rest of the body. Any damage to this messenger system leaves the brain unable to communicate with and control vital bodily functions.
As a result, an accident or attack that leads to spinal cord damage can have a catastrophic effect on your health. The spinal cord is extremely delicate and cannot heal itself, making any damage to it likely to be permanent. These injuries could affect not just your physical and mental health, but your economic wellbeing as well.
A Gulfport spinal cord injury lawyer may be able to protect your or your loved one’s futures if another person’s or company’s actions or omissions have led to a spinal cord injury. A skilled attorney could help in cases that are accidents resulting from negligence. By reaching out to an experienced catastrophic injury attorney, one could find the person or parties responsible and receive compensation for his or her injuries and damages.
Pursuing Spinal Cord Injury Cases After Accidents
Most spinal cord injuries are the result of accidents. The defendants in these cases may not have intended to cause any harm to a plaintiff, however, because of that defendant’s carelessness or recklessness, an injury did result.
There are several common sources of these sorts of injuries, each of which places legal liability on a defendant. Perhaps the most common sources of accidental spinal cord injuries are those that result from car accidents. All motorists have a duty to drive their vehicles safely. A failure to do so that results in a collision makes an at-fault driver responsible for all consequences, including injury to others.
Other examples of accidents that may lead to a spinal cord injury include slips and falls, defective product claims, and premises liability cases. A Gulfport attorney with experience in severe spinal cord and backbone injuries could help plaintiffs evaluate the actions of defendants to determine if they meet the legal requirements for a negligence claim.
Severe Back Injuries and Criminal Acts
Another source of spinal cord injuries is intentional attacks. Much like cases centered on an accident, a criminal assailant is responsible for all damage that he or she causes, regardless of their intent in the incident. For example, a defendant in an assault case may intend to push a victim down a flight of stairs thinking they will only cause the victim to suffer minor injuries. However, if that victim suffers a broken back, resulting in a spinal cord injury, the defendant in this scenario is responsible for this injury.
Any criminal case that follows an intentional act of violence is separate from a civil case for damages. While the state may prosecute defendants in criminal court for their actions, the state cannot file a case for damages on behalf of an injured victim. Also, a criminal court does not have the power to award damages to a plaintiff. Injured individuals must pursue their own civil cases.
Plaintiffs in these cases must act quickly. Mississippi Code §15-1-35 states a civil claim based on an assault must be in court no more than one year from the date of the incident. This law is much shorter than the statute of limitations of three years for personal injury cases based on an accident (some accident cases, such as where the accident was caused by the negligence of a governmental entity, must be brought within one year). An attorney in Gulfport who specializes in severe spinal nerve damage could help victims understand the interactions between criminal courts and civil cases, and make sure the applicable deadlines for filing claims are not missed.
A Gulfport Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer Could Be of Assistance
Suffering a spinal cord injury could have a devastating effect on your life. Damage to this essential bundle of nerves could result in reduced function in limbs or total paralysis. To make matters worse, some nerves in the spinal cord cannot regenerate and medicine is currently limited in its ability to help these patients. Regardless of how the incident occurred, defendants are responsible for their actions.
A Gulfport spinal cord injury lawyer could help you or a loved one pursue responsible defendants for compensation. These compensation recovered may include payments for medical bills and lost wages, but also for pain and suffering, emotional damages, and loss of quality of life. You may have as little as one year to pursue a case, so don’t delay. Contact a Gulfport spinal cord injury lawyer immediately for a free consultation.