Salt Lake City Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer

A spinal cord injury often requires lifelong medical care, and can cost the victim and their family millions of dollars in medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, and other expenses. But, with 40% of all spinal cord injuries being the result of a motor vehicle accident, they have unfortunately become all too common.

The spinal cord is the heart of the central nervous system and links the brain to the rest of the body. A spinal cord injury can be caused by direct injury to the spinal cord itself, or injury to the bones or soft tissues around the spinal cord.

Handy & Handy | Utah Spinal Cord Injury Attorneys

The attorneys at Handy & Handy have more than 30 years of combined experience investigating accidents, negotiating with insurance companies, and litigating injury cases in court on behalf of victims of serious injuries sustained in a wide variety of circumstances, including:

Our Utah spinal cord injury attorneys know what it takes to assemble compelling evidence and financial records to oblige insurance companies to offer maximum settlements to spinal cord injury victims and their families.

Allow a spinal cord injury attorney from Handy & Handy to help you and your family after a devastating spinal cord injury. We have been handling personal injury cases in Utah for decades, and can help you obtain the maximum settlement possible in your spinal cord injury case.

Common Types of Spinal Cord Injuries

Paralysis of both the arms and legs is referred to as tetraplegia, while the paralysis of just the legs is referred to as paraplegia. The most common form of spinal cord injury, with 45% of cases, is incomplete tetraplegia, while the least common is complete tetraplegia.

Complete tetraplegia means that there is no sensation below the site of injury. On the other hand, incomplete tetraplegia refers to one that leaves some sensation in the affected areas of the body.

Symptoms of a Spinal Cord Injury

Injury to the spinal cord can result in the following symptoms:

Paralysis
Muscle spasms
Chronic pain and numbness
Bladder and bowel dysfunction
Difficulty breathing
Difficulty with moving extremities or walking
Tingling, burning, or loss of sensation in extremities, and
Stiffness in the back or neck

A herniated disc (also referred to as a ruptured disc or slipped disc) is another type of spinal cord injury that can be extremely painful and disabling. This type of spinal cord injury involves trauma to the discs that act as cushions between the vertebrae in your spine, causing swelling and irritation in the spinal cord itself or to the nerves around it. A herniated disc can cause weakness and numbness in the arms and legs and pain in the area of the spine where they occur.

The Cost of a Spinal Cord Injury

According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Association, approximately 275,000 people in the United States are living with a spinal cord injury, with lifetime costs ranging from just over $1 million for a fifty-year-old living with incomplete tetraplegia, to more than $4.5 million for a 24-year-old with widespread tetraplegia. 50% of all spinal cord injuries are sustained when the victim was between the ages of 16 and 30 years of age.

The cost of a spinal cord injury can leave you and your family in financial ruin, especially if the victim is the family’s main breadwinner. However, if your spinal cord injury or that of a loved one was caused by someone else’s negligence or recklessness, the at-fault party may be held liable to compensate you for your injuries and financial losses.

Call Handy & Handy Today!

If you or someone you care about has suffered a spinal cord injury in Utah, call Handy & Handy in Salt Lake City at (801) 264-6677, or fill out our contact form to arrange a free consultation regarding your spinal cord injury settlement. We charge no fee unless we recover compensation for you.