Spinal Injury in a Car Accident: Can I Sue?
When you’ve been involved in an auto wreck, there are countless injuries you could endure. But, few injuries are more severe than that of a spinal injury. When your back or spine is injured, you could suffer from chronic pain and even paralysis, depending on which portion of your spine is damaged.
When someone else’s negligence is the cause of your crash, you may be able to hold them to account when you pursue an insurance claim or civil lawsuit against the liable party. Below, we go into greater detail about who may be to blame for your spinal injury, as well as the various losses you can seek should you choose to file a personal injury claim.
Filing a Claim against the Liable Party
In many car accidents, fault falls on the driver of the other involved vehicle. This is typically due to unsafe driving behaviors such as drunk driving, driving while fatigued, operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs or alcohol, and aggressive driving, to name a few. Although the other driver may be to blame in many auto wrecks, this is not always the case.
If there is a defective car part, for example, or a part on the vehicle malfunctioned in some way, the automaker, technicians who performed maintenance on the car, and parts manufacturers could be to blame for causing the collision.
Alternatively, if the roads themselves were the issue due to a large pothole or debris in the road, for example, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) could be at fault. In any case, your attorney’s investigation into the cause of the accident will uncover which party is liable for your losses.
Seek Full Repayment for Your Suffering
Spinal injuries are some of the most catastrophic injuries a person can endure. Apart from suffering with the physical damage of your injuries, there are financial costs and damage to your lifestyle that should also be taken into consideration when calculating the value of your claim.
If you want to get the most out of your lawsuit, you need to carefully review every single loss you have suffered due to the accident with your attorney. The following are some of the most frequently sought losses in a car crash that resulted in spinal damage:
- Lost wages
- Pain and suffering
- Damage to earning capacity
- Property damages
- Lost quality of life
- Inconvenience
- Emotional distress
- Scarring or disfigurement
- Medical expenses
- Loss of household services
- Loss of consortium
- Punitive damages
Your lawyer will consider the ways your life has been immediately affected by your injuries, as well as how your spine damage will impact you in the future in order to determine how much your car accident lawsuit is worth.
Meet with a Rockford Spinal Injury Attorney
If you are interested in taking legal action against the person or persons who are responsible for causing your spine damage but aren’t sure where to start, contact a Rockford spinal injury lawyer at Mahoney & Mahoney, LLC. You can reach us by phone at 815-656-4600 or submit the quick contact form included below when you are ready to schedule your free, no-obligation consultation.
