Chattanooga Spinal Cord Injury Attorneys

A traumatic spinal cord injury occurs when a dramatic blow to the spine damages one or more of your vertebrae. These injuries can also result from a foreign object penetrating and making contact with the spinal cord. 

Traumatic spinal cord injuries frequently occur during motor vehicle accidents. The extreme force of vehicular impact can crush, dislocate, or fracture your vertebrae, or a dislodged vehicle component can fly through the air and cut your spinal cord. 

According to data from the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, nearly 40% of all spine injuries in the U.S. are caused by car accidents. In fact, vehicle crashes have become the leading cause of spinal cord injuries in the last decade.

Legal Support for Spinal Cord Injury Victims in Chattanooga

At The Hamilton Firm, we often help spinal cord injury victims who were injured in:

• Car accidents
• Truck accidents
• Bus accidents
• Rideshare accidents
• Drunk driving accidents
• Motorcycle accidents
• Bicycle accidents
• Pedestrian accidents
• And more

Many of the motor vehicle accidents that cause spinal cord injuries are the result of negligence. In these instances, victims have the right to sue negligent parties and seek damages. Our spinal cord injury attorneys in Chattanooga can investigate the wreck and determine who is at fault.

Identifying Liable Parties in Spinal Cord Injury Cases

One or more of the following parties may be liable:

• The driver
• The driver’s employer or broker
• The owner of the vehicle
• The shipper or warehouse involved in the vehicle’s cargo loading
• The vehicle or vehicle component manufacturer 
• Parties responsible for vehicle maintenance, repairs, and inspections
• A state, city, or local municipality
• Insurance companies for various parties

Understanding the Range of Spine Injuries from Auto Accidents

Auto accident victims can suffer a wide range of injuries to the spine, including:

• Spinal cord injuries
• Whiplash injuries
• Ruptured or herniated discs
• Broken vertebrae
• Facet joint injuries
• Spinal stenosis

Long-Term Effects of Spinal Cord Injuries

Traumatic spinal cord injuries tend to have lifelong effects that require ongoing, intensive medical treatment and dramatic lifestyle changes. In many cases, symptoms will worsen over time. Many people living with spinal cord injuries are likely to be financially burdened with exorbitant medical bills and an inability to work. The precise kinds and severity of symptoms will depend on the type of spinal cord injury sustained.

Long-term impacts of traumatic spinal cord injuries may include:

• Bladder stones
• Changes in sexual function
• Difficulty breathing
• Extensive head, neck, or back pain
• Kidney infections
• Muscle spasticity
• Numbness and weakness in the extremities
• Osteoporosis
• Total or partial paralysis

Securing Your Right to Compensation After a Spinal Injury

When you suffer a spinal cord injury because of the negligence or recklessness of another party, you can seek economic and non-economic damages through a personal injury claim. 

The goal is to restore you to the position you were in before the injury-causing accident by awarding you monetary compensation for expenses incurred due to the accident (economic damages) and other intangible consequences linked to your injuries (non-economic damages). Punitive damages are rarely awarded but can in some cases be sought if a defendant acted maliciously, fraudulently, intentionally, or especially recklessly. 

Our Chattanooga spinal cord injury attorneys will do everything possible to secure maximum compensation for all losses, including:

• Past, current, and future medical bills
• Ongoing or permanent disability
• Lost income
• Lost earning capacity
• Property damage
• Loss of consortium
• Mental anguish
• Physical pain and suffering

Statute of Limitations for Spinal Cord Injury Claims

How long you have to take legal action against an at-fault party will depend on where the accident took place and whether a government employee was involved. Each state enforces deadlines that limit the amount of time spinal cord injury victims get to bring a claim.

• Tennessee: You have one year from the date of your injury to file a lawsuit
• Georgia: You have two years from the date of your injury to file a lawsuit
• Alabama: You have two years from the date of your injury to file a lawsuit

You will have considerably less time if your case involves a government employee, such as a public transit bus driver, as you must typically file a “notice of claim” with the applicable government agency much sooner than what the standard statute of limitations requires. To avoid unintentionally missing a deadline and losing your right to seek compensation, reach out to The Hamilton Firm as soon as possible.

Contact Chattanooga's Trusted Spinal Cord Injury Attorneys Today

If you or someone you love has sustained a devastating spinal cord injury in any type of vehicular accident, we have the skills and resources needed to obtain just compensation and hold responsible parties accountable. Call (423) 454-3288 or contact us online to discuss your case with our team.