Types of Damages Available in Spinal Cord Injury Cases

Tragically, the current state of medicine offers no cure for spinal cord injuries. And so, the legal system must focus on what amount of money will compensate the victim for the injury. Of course, no amount of money can fully compensate the victim of a spinal cord injury. But, the law does have certain categories of damages that are used to try and compensate the victim as best possible. The types of compensatory damages potentially available in a spinal cord injury cases are:

• Past medical expenses – These include all of the bills you have already incurred at the time of trial or settlement – for instance, ambulance bills, hospital and doctor bills, prescriptions etc.
• Future medical expenses -- Until the wonderful day when medicine offers a cure for spinal cord injuries, the medical focus remains on rehabilitation and helping the victim and their families learn to live with the spinal cord injury. Victims of spinal cord injuries typically have a rehabilitation team consisting of physical therapists, occupational therapists, rehabilitation nurses, home health aides, respiratory therapists and more. The cost of future medical care is often one of the largest components of compensatory damages in spinal cord injury cases. To be sure, at The Law Offices of John Day, P.C. our goal is to make sure you receive enough money to ensure you or your family member receives high-quality medical care for a lifetime.
• Cost of in-home assistance – Depending upon the severity of the spinal cord injury, an array of in-home assistance may be necessary including cooking, cleaning, transportation services, lawn care, child care, etc.
• Past and future wage loss – Most victims of spinal cord injuries are unable to return to their pre-accident employment. The loss of income can be devastating to the financial condition of the family. This is often another large component of damages.
• Pain and suffering including emotional distress (This component of your damages may be affected by tort reform)
• Loss of consortium -- If you were married at the time of the accident, your spouse may be entitled to loss of consortium damages, which represent the lost ability to enjoy the same love, affection and companionship as before the accident and spinal cord injury.
• Renovations to Home – So that you or your loved one may stay in your own home, renovations such as the widening of doorways, a wheel chair ramp, lift devices and other modifications may be necessary. These expenses can be included in your damages.
• Punitive Damages – Depending upon the facts of your case, you may also be entitled to punitive damages.

If you would like to discuss your spinal cord injury case with one of our award-winning trial attorneys in a free, no-obligation consultation, contact us online or call us 615-742-4880 or toll-free at 866.812.8787. We handle all spinal cord injury cases on a contingency basis which means we only get paid if we win. And because we advance all case expenses, you are never out of pocket any money to pursue your rights. We have helped thousands of Tennesseans following catastrophic injuries and we are here to help you too.

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