Spinal Cord Injuries

For decades the trial attorneys of Abramson Smith Waldsmith LLP, have advocated for the rights of people suffering the effects of a spinal injury.  We have witnessed the physical and psychological effects of a spinal injury.  We understand the emotional and financial devastating such injuries cause.

Spinal cord injuries can affect every element of your life, often forever.  In serious cases, such an injury leads to paralysis and the loss of feeling in limbs or the entire body.  This sensory loss can not only prevent one from walking, but also lead to the inability to sense heat, cold and pain.

Effective legal representation in cases of spinal cord injury (including disc and sacral injuries) and wrongful death, requires not only experience, knowledge and trial skill, but also an understanding of all the issues surrounding long-term disability, such as chronic pain management, loss of motor function, bedsores, attendant care, modification of premises and limitations to daily activities.

Spinal cord injuries are among the most debilitating.  Currently, almost half a million people in the United States are living with a spinal cord injury and some degree of paralysis.  Every year, around 10,000 people suffer a spinal cord injury, including:

• Four out of five injury victims are males between the ages of 16 and 20. Nearly half of whom were hurt in motor vehicle accidents — car accidents, truck crashes, motorcycle accidents and ATV wrecks.
• Slightly more than 20 percent of spinal cord injuries are due to falls from heights, such as those that can happen in recreational accidents, construction site accidents, and faulty construction accidents due to staircase or deck collapses.  Depending on the level of injury, the person may suffer paraplegia or quadriplegia.
• Less dramatic, though no less serious, falls become more common after age 45 — slip-and-fall accidents and trip-and-fall accidents. These can lead to herniated disks, which cause lasting, severe pain that limits the injured person’s activities and diminishes the quality of life.
• About eight (8) percent of spinal cord injuries are the result of sports and recreation accidents, often diving accidents, which commonly result in quadriplegia because it injures the cervical vertebrae.

At Abramson Smith Waldsmith LLP, our San Francisco spinal cord injury lawyers understand that the immediate needs of the victims must be considered, but who is to manage the needs of these victims in the future?  What about the care they will need for life?  Our goal is to obtain for you the maximum financial compensation considering your special needs both now and in the future.  Contact us today.

While a victim’s financial health should not be of concern when recovering from a spinal cord injury, the average length of stay in the hospital for acute care and initial rehabilitation is 95 days for quadriplegics and 67 days for paraplegics.  Hospital bills for such care and treatment costs hundreds of thousands.  And, even with medical insurance, victims are often required to pay a substantial percentage of these bills out of pocket.

More significant than the financial burden are the permanent and serious physical health threats faced by spinal cord injury victims.  Because those suffering from paraplegia or quadriplegia experience loss of motor function and loss of sensation, this typically leads to confinement in a wheelchair or bed.  Such confinement brings a host of additional complications such as an increased risk of pneumonia and infections from ulcers or bedsores.  In fact, these complications are the leading cause of death for victims of spinal cord injuries.  Personal attendants and regular nursing care can significantly reduce the risk of these complications; however, this treatment can be extremely expensive.

To ensure our clients receive the best nursing care to avoid ongoing medical complications, we work tirelessly to recover full and fair compensation from the parties responsible.  We are committed to personal attention, thorough case preparation, and full and effective use of the wide range of resources available to us, including a comprehensive team of superior medical experts, physicians and life care planners to ensure an accurate and thorough diagnosis, and the proper attendant and medical care in the future.

In our nearly 100 years of combined experience, our attorneys have compiled a winning record on behalf of our clients.  We invite you to review examples of results we’ve achieved for past clients with back and spinal cord injuries.

If you or a family member has suffered a spinal cord injury for which you believe another party is liable, schedule a free initial consultation by calling 415-421-7995 or toll-free at 866-399-3548 or sending an email.