Few types of accidents are more universally debilitating and devastating than those resulting in any form of paralysis. Whether temporary or permanent, partial or total, localized to one body part or affecting multiple areas at once, paralysis changes the course of an injured person’s life and leads to substantial physical, financial, and personal losses.
If another person’s misconduct led to you or a loved one losing motor or sensory function anywhere in your/their body, speak with a Bala Cynwyd paralysis injury lawyer from Lowenthal & Abrams, Injury Attorneys about your legal options. You have a right to demand fair financial recovery from anyone who recklessly or carelessly causes you physical harm. After a paralyzing accident, a capable catastrophic injury attorney’s help can be vital to maximizing your future quality of life.
Recovering for Damages Caused by a Paralyzing Accident
Civil recovery for a paralyzing injury has two purposes: compensating the injured person for objective financial losses they have already sustained in the short term, and mitigating the effects their injury will have on them moving forward. Any comprehensive civil claim based on a paralysis injury should include damages for emergency medical bills, short-term losses of work income, personal property damage, and physical pain and suffering, among other immediately obvious forms of harm.
However, what may be much more important—and unfortunately much more complicated—is recovering for long-term economic and non-economic repercussions of this type of injury. The scope of these damages can vary significantly depending on the nature of the plaintiff’s injuries as well as what their life was like before their accident. For example, someone who becomes paraplegic, or paralyzed completely below the waist, may need to recover for permanent loss of earning capacity if they primarily worked as a manual laborer, whereas someone who sustained the same injury while primarily working behind a desk might still be able to hold gainful employment.
Other potentially compensable damages of this nature include emotional anguish and psychological trauma, lost consortium, future rehabilitative medical expenses, costs of home/vehicle modifications to maximize mobility, and costs of assistive medical devices like wheelchairs. A Bala Cynwyd paralysis injury attorney can further explain what losses could be factored into a particular lawsuit or settlement demand.
Filing Deadlines for Paralysis Injury Litigation
Another legal rule that can complicate the recovery process after a paralyzing accident is the statute of limitations for personal injury limitations. Even if an accident victim will be dealing with the consequences of their injury for the rest of their life, they still only have two years after sustaining that injury to file suit in virtually every situation.
That said, there are limited exceptions to this statute under certain circumstances, as well as ways to accurately estimate future damages based on past case results. A knowledgeable paralysis accident lawyer in Bala Cynwyd will provide irreplaceable assistance in both regards.
Talk to a Bala Cynwyd Paralysis Injury Attorney Today
Becoming paralyzed because of another person’s negligence can be devastating on every level imaginable, and there is only so much civil compensation can do to make up for harm this severe. However, obtaining fair restitution from the person responsible for hurting you could still be essential to protecting your best interests both now and well into the future.
An experienced Bala Cynwyd paralysis injury lawyer can discuss filing options and offer preliminary guidance about possible next steps during a free case consultation. Call us today to schedule yours.