Spine Injury Lawyer Helping Victims in Bergen and Hudson County
Suffering a spine injury is a life-altering experience. Whether it occurs as a result of a car accident, a fall from a horse, a construction accident, or some other unexpected trauma, if you are the victim, you are undoubtedly overwhelmed. If your spinal cord injury was caused by someone else’s negligent or reckless behavior, in addition to getting expert medical care, you need a first-rate personal injury attorney.
In Hackensack and the surrounding area of New Jersey, you will not find tougher litigators or more empathic spinal cord injury lawyers than Levin & Malkin. We have the in-depth knowledge of personal injury law and the extensive familiarity with spinal cord injury claims that you need at this terrible time. Over decades of negotiation and courtroom experience, we have developed carefully conceived strategies to win your case and protect your financial future. Furthermore, to make things easier, we will come to you for your free consultation.
Why are spinal cord injuries catastrophic?
Not only does the spinal cord run nearly the whole length of the body, it connects nerves of almost every part of the body to the brain. Beyond the incontrovertible fact that spinal cord injuries involve some loss of nerve function — sensory (involving the ability to feel) and/or motor (involving the ability to move) — unlike many other body parts, the spinal cord is incapable of self-healing.
Though exciting experimental treatments are on the horizon, and some patients have benefited from innovative procedures, spinal cord injuries are still be considered catastrophic. If someone else’s negligence has interfered with your sensation, function and/or mobility, you are certainly entitled to sufficient compensation to restart your life. At Levin & Malkin, we are dedicated to winning you the damages you deserve.
Common Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries
Almost half of all spinal cord injuries in the United States are the result of vehicular accidents, though for victims over the age of 65, falls account for 15 percent of such injuries. Other common causes of spinal cord injuries are physical assault, diving into shallow water, and contact sports.
Though many of these, with the exception of traffic accidents and assaults, don’t seem likely to involve negligence or malice, think of an innocent hotel guest who dives into a pool with no depth markers or warning, a construction worker who is hit by an improperly hung scaffold, or a college athlete whose protective equipment was defectively manufactured. In each of these examples, since someone else has been found to be at fault for your spinal cord injury, Levin & Malkin can fight for your right to receive just compensation.
Comparative Fault in New Jersey
The law recognizes that in many serious accidents both parties share a measure of fault. According to the laws of New Jersey, even if you bear some fault for your injury — by leaving your seatbelt unfastened, for example, or by having had a few beers during your lunch break at a construction site — as long as you are not found to be 50 percent or more at fault for the accident, you can still sue for damages.
Why Those Who Suffer Spinal Cord Injuries Deserve Substantial Compensation
If you have suffered a spinal cord injury, the range of symptoms you may develop is broad and, depending on which part of your spinal cord is damaged, may include:
- Circulatory problems such as high blood pressure and blood clots
- Loss of bladder or bowel control
- Loss of skin sensation: inability to perceive pressure, heat, or cold
- Muscle tone: uncontrolled tightening (spasticity) or limp muscles (flaccidity)
- Pins and needles sensation on certain areas of the skin
- Respiratory difficulties due to affected abdominal and chest muscles
- Sexual dysfunction
Spinal cord injuries often result in long-term complications and changes in lifestyle. Because of immobility (e.g. paraplegia or paralysis), poor circulation and/or respiratory difficulties, patients with spinal cord injury may become obese, develop cardiovascular problems, diabetes or depression. At Levin & Malkin, our decades of experience in handling spinal cord injury cases give us the advantage of having well-honed, successful strategies. We are dedicated to making certain that our clients receive realistic damages to sustain them throughout a life full of challenges.
Why It Is Important To Contact Our Spine Injury Attorney Promptly
Because New Jersey law requires that you file your claim within a 2-year statute of limitations and because the wheels of justice turn slowly, it is important that you contact our office as soon as you can. The sooner we begin investigating the accident, the more likely the site will remain unaltered, the witnesses will have clear memories, and the medical data will be fresh and easy to locate. When large sums of money are involved, it is not uncommon for pages of documented evidence to go missing or for witnesses to become vague concerning details. In addition to investigating your case thoroughly, we have the resources to bring in experts from various disciplines (e.g. neurology, engineering, psychiatry, occupational therapy) to testify on your behalf.
What damages are you entitled to if we win your spine injury case?
At Levin & Malkin, we charge you no fee until we win your case and we are committed to obtaining compensation for you that is commensurate with the severity of your spinal cord injury. We well understand the long-term effects your spinal cord injury will have on your life and on the lives of your loved ones. We are aware that you may have become too disabled to work at precisely the same time your medical and rehabilitation expenses skyrocketed, and our priority is to protect your finances as well as your ongoing physical and mental health.
- Economic damages are meant to reimburse you for money you have spent, or will spend, on medical and other injury-related costs as well as for the present and future loss of income you and your family may sustain.
- Non-economic damages are estimated amounts, based on standardized legal tables, designed to reimburse you for intangibles, such as pain and suffering loss of enjoyment of life.
Punitive damages are awarded rarely, but we will seek them if the harm you suffered was not just the result of negligence, but of recklessness, disregard for human life, or malice. Punitive damages are awarded to punish the defendant for especially abhorrent behavior as well as to discourage similar misconduct.
Contact Our Hackensack Spine Injury Lawyer
Apart from all the necessary physical adjustments, you must make after suffering a spinal cord injury, you will have to deal with the emotional impact of your new lifestyle on yourself and your loved ones. Our spinal cord injury lawyers are compassionate individuals as well as aggressive litigators. Get in touch with us by phone or online and we will use all of our power and all of our skill to win your case so that you can begin your new life on a secure financial foundation.