Philadelphia Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer

How a Spine Injury Attorney in Philadelphia, PA, Determines Liability

In a personal injury case, liable parties can range from reckless drivers who cause motor vehicle accidents to manufacturers of defective products. One of the first things we will do as your Philadelphia spinal cord injury lawyer is review every detail of your case to determine who is ultimately responsible for your injuries. Common liable parties in injury claims include:

• Negligent landlords who do not maintain a property in a safe condition
• Companies and third-party contractors who create an unsafe work environment
• Reckless or negligent drivers who allow themselves to be distracted while driving, ignore traffic laws, or engage in other dangerous driving habits
• Product manufacturers, distributors, or retailers who participate in the sale of dangerous products
• Healthcare professionals who violate their duty of care toward a patient and cause permanent harm through their actions

We thoroughly scrutinize all of the information available to develop a plan to hold all liable parties accountable.

The Long-term Impacts of a Spinal Cord Injury

Before accepting any kind of offer for compensation from an insurance company or liable party, you need to understand what life with a spinal injury can be like. Your injury may afflict you with consequences including:

Physical Harm

Spinal cord injuries can result in many different physical consequences. Some people may experience paralysis and have to live their lives as a quadriplegic or paraplegic, while others may only experience a localized loss of bodily function or chronic pain.

Psychological Harm

The physical toll of any injury on the body often produces psychological harm as well. Lifelong injuries can afflict the victim of an accident with severe depression, anxiety, PTSD, or other conditions.

Social Harm

Spinal cord injury does more than impact the mind and body. It can also disrupt daily social interactions between the victim and anyone around them. A loss of independence can cause loved ones to take on the role of a caregiver and eventually lead to caregiver fatigue. This kind of strain between a spinal cord victim and their loved ones may irreparably damage their relationship.

Ongoing Needs

Living life as a spinal cord injury victim can also mean permanent dependency on medical devices, caregivers, and physical rehabilitation. Depending on the nature of their disabilities, they may also have to modify their home to accommodate their needs or find a new place to live altogether.

Any consequence from a spinal cord injury can have a ripple effect on any other area of a victim's life. The full scope of these consequences should be reflected in the compensation they receive.

How a Philadelphia Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer Can Maximize Your Compensation

There are three main categories that determine the total value of any compensation from an injury claim in Pennsylvania: economic damages, non-economic damages, and (in cases of gross negligence) punitive damages.

Economic damages include measurable financial losses such as current and future medical expenses, lost income, loss of future earning ability, home renovation expenses, medical devices, and long-term care costs.

Non-economic damages refer to the consequences of an injury that cannot be measured in money, including pain and suffering, emotional hardship, loss of life enjoyment, and loss of consortium.

When the liable party caused your accident and injuries by way of gross negligence, punitive damages may also come into play. These damages act as a punishment towards the liable party for allowing injuries such as yours to occur.

To gain an accurate understanding of the total cost of your injuries and develop an accurate projection of what your compensation should be, we will consult with life care planners and other medical and financial experts.

Why van der Veen, Hartshorn & Levin Offers the Representation You Need

In high-stakes personal injury claims, the liable party will often rely on their insurance company and legal teams to employ various strategies to minimize compensation and liability. No matter how clear it seems to you who caused your injuries, you need a legal team that can prove exactly who is responsible and clearly show the full extent of the harm they caused.

Our law firm offers personalized and compassionate representation through every stage of your claim, provided by a team with decades of combined experience and 24/7 availability to assist you with urgent legal issues. We want you to have the legal support you need, when you need it most—which is why you will not have to pay for our services unless we win your claim. To make the first step even easier, we also offer free initial consultations.

Let Our Philadelphia Spinal Cord Injury Lawyers Fight for You

The sooner you contact our law office, the sooner you can defend yourself with a spine injury attorney in Philadelphia, PA, who you can depend on. Waiting to start your claim makes it harder to collect the necessary evidence and means there’s less time to meet certain deadlines. Contact us today by calling us at (215) 610-3440 or reach out to us online to schedule your free initial consultation.