Spinal Cord Injuries in Paradise, NV

Common Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries

Your spine is simultaneously one of the strongest and most delicate parts of your body. 

It’s strong enough to allow you to walk, run, bend, twist, and lift heavy loads while supporting your torso, neck, and head. At the same time, it can be extremely fragile under certain circumstances. There are many nerves running through it, and even slight damage can seriously injure those nerves or the soft tissue surrounding them.

Because it’s so susceptible to harm, there are numerous ways your spine can be injured. The following are some of the most common causes of spinal cord injuries:

Car Accidents

One of the most frequently occurring spinal cord injury types is whiplash. This often happens in car accidents.

When one car strikes another from behind, the momentum of both vehicles changes suddenly. Anyone inside will be thrown forward and then immediately have their motion constrained by their seat belt, quickly pulling them backward. This motion puts extreme stress on the spinal column and can potentially cause whiplash.

The driver and any passengers in the front vehicle are typically most at risk of whiplash, though it can affect the occupants of either vehicle. Whiplash can also occur in head-on collisions. However, these types of accidents often result in much more serious injuries.

One of the reasons whiplash is so concerning is that spinal cord injury symptoms often take several days to manifest. You might walk away from a car accident feeling fine, only to realize, as much as a week later, that you were injured.

Slip-And-Fall Accidents

Under Nevada law, the owners of public accommodations are required to ensure that anyone legally on their property is safe from predictable harm. This means that if you’re a customer or an employee, for example, you can reasonably expect to be safe from injury while in a restaurant or shop.

When owners become lax about maintaining their properties, that negligence can lead to harm. One of the most common examples of this is slip-and-fall accidents. These types of accidents can occur when:

• Staff fails to promptly clean spills
• Water is tracked into a property during a storm or from a nearby pool
• Lights aren’t replaced immediately after they burn out
• Debris or other obstacles are allowed to remain on the floor
• Warning signs aren’t placed around potential hazards

These are just a few examples of how the owner of a public accommodation can fail to protect their patrons. As the owner, they’re responsible for these types of accidents, even if an employee made the mistake that caused you harm.

What To Do After Suffering a Spinal Cord Injury in Paradise

The steps you take after sustaining a spinal cord injury can greatly affect how much compensation you get from the negligent party or their insurance company. If you’ve suffered a serious injury due to the actions of another, take the following steps to protect your spinal injury claim:

Document Everything

When you file a spinal cord injury claim with the at-fault party’s insurance company, you’ll need to provide as much evidence as possible to get fair compensation. This might involve establishing:

• How much you spent on medical expenses
• Where the injury occurred
• How the other party was responsible
• How much pain you endured from the injury
• Other costs you incurred due to the injury

Any delay in gathering evidence can make it harder to obtain. In some cases, crucial evidence could become inaccessible if you delay. For example, a witness might forget what happened, or you may not be able to find their contact information.

As such, it’s crucial to document everything possible at the accident scene, including the contact information for other parties and potential witnesses. Furthermore, make it a point to preserve all medical records and bills, preferably both physically and in digital format.

Get Medical Attention Right Away

There are many reasons to seek medical attention immediately. The first is that spinal cord injuries are tricky types of injuries. Any delay in getting necessary medical intervention could worsen the injury and potentially have lifelong effects.

Furthermore, by getting checked out, you can create the types of records that will constitute key evidence for your case.

Finally, if you fail to get medical attention, it could potentially cost you your entitled compensation. Insurance companies may refuse to acknowledge the extent of your injuries if you choose to forgo medical attention when the chance first arises.

Contact a Paradise, NV, Personal Injury Lawyer as Soon as Possible

The sooner you contact a Paradise personal injury attorney, the more compensation you will likely receive for your injury.

Your lawyer will immediately take charge of your case when you hire them, communicating with the insurance company, gathering additional evidence, and discussing the extent of your injuries with medical professionals. While we handle your case, you can focus your time and energy on recovering from your injuries.

There’s another matter to consider as well: the legal statute of limitations. In Nevada, accident victims generally only have three years to file a personal injury lawsuit.

This may seem like a long time, but spinal cord injuries can take years to recover from and may get worse at unexpected times. If you haven’t consulted an attorney early in the process, you might run out of time to act.

A Paradise Personal Injury Can Help You Recover Compensation From Your Spinal Cord Injury

The pain and limitations of a spinal cord injury can be devastating, to say nothing of the cost of treatment. However, you don’t have to handle this type of injury alone. An experienced spinal cord injury attorney from Adam S. Kutner, Injury Attorneys, can help you get the compensation you need to move forward.