Spinal cord injuries can leave victims suffering from short- or long-term disabilities that affect every aspect of their lives. Additionally, spinal cord injuries usually affect a person’s earning ability. At the Dan Doyle Law Group, we are here to help if you need a Philadelphia spinal cord injury attorney. If you or somebody you love has sustained spinal cord injury caused by the careless or negligent actions of another individual, company, or entity, our catastrophic injury lawyer will work diligently to recover full compensation for your losses.

Common causes of Philadelphia spinal cord injuries

When we turn to data available from the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC), we can see that the most common causes of spinal cord injuries revolve around the following (all percentages taken from data gathered from 2015 to 2019):

  • Vehicle accidents (39.3%)
  • Falls (31.8%)
  • Violence (13.5%)
  • Sports and recreation incidents (8.0%)
  • Medical or surgical mistakes (4.3%)
  • Other (3.1%)

Spinal injury complications

Spinal injury symptoms and complications are not the same for everyone. Some after effects of spinal cord injuries may include the following:

  • Loss of bladder and bowel control
  • Full or partial paralysis
  • Muscle spasms
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Changes in sexual function
  • Changes in fertility
  • Pain
  • Stinging sensation
  • Numbness including the inability to feel cold, heat, and touch

The true costs of a spinal cord injury

The Philadelphia spinal cord injury attorney at the Dan Doyle Law Group understand that spinal cord injuries can lead to temporary or permanent disabilities for a victim. These injuries can become incredibly costly for victims and their family members. However, to properly examine the true cost of a spinal cord injury, we need to look at a variety of factors.

First, we want to examine the first-year medical costs of a spinal cord injury. Data from the NSCISC shows us that, depending on the severity of the spinal cord injury, the first year of care can cost anywhere from $368,000 to more than $1.1 million. Additionally, every subsequent year following the first year adds to these medical costs. Every year for the remainder of a spinal cord injury victim’s life can lead to additional costs ranging from $44,000 to $200,000.

However, these medical costs only show a partial picture of what victims and families have to go through. Other costs to consider in these situations include the following:

  • Expenses to modify homes or vehicles to aid with mobility
  • The costs of traveling to and from spinal cord facilities and specialists
  • Lost income if the victim is unable to work because of their injury
  • The lost income of any family member there has to become a caregiver

Finally, there is no proper way to measure the emotional and psychological harm that a spinal cord injury victim and their family members will experience as a result of an injury that changes their lifestyle like this.

Recovery

Recovery in spinal cord injury cases means physical, emotional, and financial recovery to help compensate you and your loved ones for your injuries and damages. Physical and emotional recovery can be helped when you are able to receive a financial recovery that compensates you for past, present, and future injuries and damages resulting from your spinal cord injury. Compensation may include pain and suffering, lost wages, lost future earning capacity, mental anguish, loss of consortium, and medical bills (past, ongoing, and future).

If you have sustained a spinal cord injury that was caused or exacerbated by someone else’s negligent or intentional conduct, contact spinal injury attorney in Philadelphia, Daniel S. Doyle, to schedule a consultation. Our lawyer at the Dan Doyle Law Group understands the stress and devastation involved in spinal cord injury cases and how much these injuries can affect you and your family in your everyday lives. We will work to see that you and your family receive the compensation that you deserve in order to help you recover for your injuries and damages and offer you some peace of mind regarding your future financial security and physical recovery.

Call our Philadelphia spinal cord injury lawyer today

If you or someone you care about has sustained a spinal cord injury caused by the careless or negligent actions of somebody else, please seek legal assistance today. At the Dan Doyle Law Group, our spinal cord injury attorney in Philadelphia has extensive experience handling complex personal injury claims. We understand what it takes to investigate a spinal cord injury, determine liability, and secure maximum compensation. This can include coverage of your medical bills, lost income, pain and suffering damages, and long-term care expense needs. When you need a spinal cord injury lawyer in Philadelphia, you can contact us for a free consultation.