Anyone in Pennsylvania whose ever twisted a muscle in the lower back understands how excruciating it can be, as well as how long it may take to recover. Those suffering severe spinal cord damage in car accidents know this type of injury can be even worse than pulling a muscle. In fact, many surviving car accident victims suffer full or partial disabilities for the rest of their lives. A key factor in obtaining as full a recovery as possible often lies in the type of treatment provided.
Generally speaking, the sooner the better for surgery and physical therapy needed to heal spinal cord injuries. Recovering accident victims often seek another type of recovery as well. When another motorist’s negligence caused the accident (and therefore, the injury), a surviving victim can file a personal injury claim against the responsible party in order to seek monetary recovery of losses. This post covers both physical and monetary recoveries.
First things first: getting needed medical attention
Prompt treatment typically increases one’s chances of achieving full physical recovery following a severe spinal cord injury in a car accident. Such treatment may include the following:
- Surgical decompression: Doctors often use this procedure to treat neural impingement (more commonly known as a pinched nerve).
- Stabilization of the compressed nerve: Once the injured nerve is surgically decompressed, doctors must also stabilize it to protect and promote further healing.
- Aggressive physical therapy: As soon as a spine injury patient is able, most doctors recommend advanced physical therapy for as long as necessary (perhaps, even for the rest of one’s life) in order to restore and maintain mobility and range of movement.
A positive outlook and persevering attitude helps spinal injury patients achieve the best possible physical recoveries. Obtaining care from highly experienced surgical and physical therapy teams is also beneficial. Once 12 months pass, whatever injury symptom still exists is likely permanent. Sadly, driver negligence causes many people to live the rest of their lives unable to perform their usual tasks and duties because of partial or full disabilities.
Seeking justice through monetary judgment
No one needs to tell you how expensive spinal cord surgery and long-term physical therapy care is. Many recovering accident victims are completely unprepared to meet such debt. To make matters worse, they often lose their jobs, or at least lose weeks or months of pay during recovery; this makes covering even the most basic living costs a challenge. The list below includes steps in the process to seek monetary recovery of your losses:
- Hire legal assistance: By meeting with an experienced Pennsylvania personal injury attorney, you can simplify and expedite the process of obtaining maximum compensation for damages.
- Investigate: Your attorney can thoroughly investigate the events leading up to and following your accident in order to help identify all possible sources of liability.
- Compile a list of damages: Many injury claims include more than expenses associated with car accidents. Often, plaintiffs also seek recovery for other damages, including emotional pain and trauma, loss of consortium, and loss of potential income.
- File a claim: An experienced attorney can walk you through the process of filing a personal injury claim in a civil court against any party or parties deemed responsible for your injury.
Although you may continue to face challenges regarding a partial or full disability in the aftermath of a severe spinal injury, you can obtain whatever care is necessary to help you live as full, successful and happy a life as possible. Many times, successful surgeries allow accident victims to return to their workplaces; others are still able to work but must find new jobs if they’re unable to carry out specific duties because of their injuries.
The bottom line is that justice is available for those whose injuries were likely preventable and caused by others’ negligence. An experienced injury attorney can advocate on your behalf and help you obtain the maximum amount of compensation available in your particular situation.
