Sustaining a paralysis injury can profoundly impact a victim’s quality of life and their ability to earn an income in Philadelphia. If you were recently in an accident that left you paralyzed, you may be able to recover compensation in a lawsuit.
Paralysis injuries are commonly caused by traumatic accidents, such as auto accidents, work accidents, and slip and fall accidents, among other incidents. Paralysis injuries might be partial or complete, depending on their severity. Victims with paralysis injuries might lose mobility in their extremities, such as their arms and legs. Fortunately, compensation for economic and non-economic damages is often available when victims file lawsuits following accidents that cause paralysis injuries in Philadelphia. Such compensation can allow you to get the necessary medical treatment for your injuries and compensate you for your lost wages and pain and suffering.
To have our Philadelphia paralysis injury attorneys assess your case for free, call The Reiff Law Firm now at (215) 709-6940.
Common Causes of Paralysis Injuries in Philadelphia
Paralysis injuries are caused by damage to the nervous system, causing nerves to become unable to send signals to the muscles so that muscles can move. While medical conditions and illnesses can cause paralysis, it can also be due to catastrophic accidents in Philadelphia.
Auto Accidents
Auto accidents, including those involving passenger cars, trucks, and motorcycles, are one of the top reasons why people sustain paralysis injuries in Philadelphia. The impact of an accident can cause damage to the spinal cord, resulting in life-altering injuries. According to recent data from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), there were 4,751 cases of suspected serious injuries caused by car accidents in 2022. PennDOT’s definition of suspected serious injury includes cases of significant loss of blood, burns, crush injuries, and paralysis injuries, among other injuries. When in a car, passengers may be less likely to sustain paralysis injuries if they are wearing their seat belts, depending on the severity of an accident. Motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians are more likely to sustain paralysis injuries if struck by a vehicle, as they have little to no protection from the impact.
Work Accidents
Work accidents are another common cause of paralysis injuries in Philadelphia. While such injuries are less common in office environments, they happen frequently among workers in more risky industries, like construction. Working with dangerous equipment increases the risk of an accident occurring, resulting in paralysis injuries. Navigating the aftermath of such accidents can be challenging for workers, which is why contacting our paralysis injury attorneys will be important. Our lawyers can help you go through the recovery process so that you are able to claim the compensation you require while healing from your paralysis injuries in Philadelphia.
Slip and Fall Accidents
While many people assume that paralysis injuries can only be sustained in severe accidents, that is not always the case. A fall from any height might cause damage to the spinal cord and nerves, inhibiting a person’s movements for possibly the rest of their lives.
Other Incidents
Paralysis injuries might happen because of many incidents, including assaults, defective product accidents, or medical malpractice. Regardless of the type of accident that caused your paralysis injuries, you can likely file a lawsuit to recover compensation in Philadelphia.
Types of Paralysis Injuries
There are varying degrees and categories of paralysis injuries. The severity of your injury will indicate your physical recovery time, ability to earn an income, and the impact an injury is likely to have on your mental health.
When paralysis injuries occur, victims should seek medical attention immediately. Upon assessing your injuries, a doctor can determine if your injuries are partial or complete. Partial paralysis is when a person can control some, but not all, of their muscles following an injury. Complete paralysis is when a victim has lost all control over all of their muscles.
It may take some time for your medical team to determine the category of your paralysis injury. Categories of paralysis include diplegia, hemiplegia, monoplegia, paraplegia, and quadriplegia. While all types of paralysis injuries can be devastating for victims, paraplegia and quadriplegia are the most limiting regarding movement. Paraplegia is categorized by the inability to move the legs. Paraplegia might also impact the torso. Victims diagnosed quadriplegic injuries caused by an accident generally cannot move any muscles from the neck down.
Compensation for Paralysis Injuries in Philadelphia
Sustaining a paralysis injury in an accident can change a victim’s life in an instant. Not only do victims no have to deal with their immobility in some areas of the body, but they also might incur expensive medical bills from their treatment. Fortunately, compensation is available to victims with paralysis injuries in Philadelphia.
Generally, those who have sustained a paralysis injury due to another’s negligence can file a lawsuit in Philadelphia. While suing for non-economic damages is limited in certain car accident cases, paralysis injuries often meet the serious injury threshold in Pennsylvania. For most other personal injury cases, victims can pursue a lawsuit against the person responsible for their paralysis injuries without meeting additional criteria.
Victims with paralysis injuries might require long-term physical therapy as well as medical assistance. Such costs can be covered by the economic damages awarded to a victim in a lawsuit. Other compensable financial damages include a victim’s lost wages. Depending on the severity of a victim’s paralysis and whether or not they can physically recover from their injuries, a victim might be unable to return to work. Future lost wages are also compensable in a lawsuit.
Emotional damages are also compensable in a lawsuit involving paralysis injuries. Non-economic damages can attempt to compensate you for the pain and suffering you have experienced following an accident in Philadelphia. Neither economic nor non-economic damages are limited for most victims with paralysis injuries.
Call Our Philadelphia Attorneys to Discuss Your Case
You can call our paralysis injury attorneys at (215) 709-6940 to set up a free and confidential case analysis with The Reiff Law Firm.
