Houston Attorney for Spinal Cord Injuries
A spinal cord injury is one of the most devastating injuries caused by vehicle or work accidents. All spinal cord injuries are serious and potentially life-threatening due to the spinal cord’s direct connection to the brain and central nervous system.
Full or partial paralysis is always a real possibility following a spine injury. Individuals with damaged spinal cords may permanently lose sensation in their legs, back, or below the neck. Those with catastrophic injuries often have lifelong struggles with speaking, breathing, and incontinence.
If you’ve suffered spinal cord injuries, the Houston spine injury lawyer at Baumgartner Law Firm is here to help. Our experienced team of spinal cord injury lawyers is dedicated to fighting for your rights and securing the compensation you deserve for your spinal cord injury claims. Contact us today at (281) 587-1111 or fill out our online form for a free consultation.
How Can
We Help You?
Spinal Cord Injury Victims Need Help
Recovering from a spinal cord injury can take years. The worst-case scenario involves victims who never even partially recover from their injuries. Neck and back injury lawyers utilize the expertise of medical experts to testify on behalf of the accident victim so the victim’s loved ones receive the maximum compensation available under the law.
The Houston spine injury lawyer at Baumgartner Law Firm, a personal injury law firm that also incorporates empirical evidence into its legal arguments, such as computed tomography (CT) scans and MRIs, to prove the severity of the spinal cord injury.
Detailed medical records further support evidence by clinically detailing the victim’s past, present, and future condition.
If you have suffered spinal cord injuries, finding a spinal cord injury attorney is the first step in getting fair compensation.
Personal injury lawyers specializing in neck, back, and spinal cord injuries represent their clients by:
- Filing all necessary paperwork on time to the court.
- Evidence of the victim’s financial losses due to medical costs lost wages, and future expenses (damages) is included.
- Handling correspondence with insurance companies involved in the litigation.
- Obtaining police records and other relevant documents to prove their client was not at fault.
- Demand an out-of-court compensation settlement from the at-fault entities and insurance companies before taking the case to court.
- Argue your spinal injury case in court.
The Baumgartner Law Firm, a spinal injury lawyer, will keep you fully informed and accessible throughout your case, from start to finish. We understand how confusing the legal system is and commit to carefully answering all your questions about your case and the legal processes involved.
A traumatic blow from a motor vehicle or trauma in a car accident is the most common cause of a complete spinal cord injury.
Serious Spinal Cord Injury From a Car Accident?
There are many ways to suffer a serious spinal cord injury; perhaps one of the most frequent is a car accident. And our truck accident lawyers see neck and back fractures frequently.
An overview of spinal cord injuries and truck accidents shows how serious this type of injury can be with large impacts.
In some cases, the spinal cord’s trauma is immediately evident and diagnosed in the emergency room. Generally, these are fractures; sometimes, the victim is operated on relatively quickly to prevent spinal cord damage and further injury.
The cost of a spinal cord injury can vary substantially depending on the diagnosis and treatment.
More frequently is the situation where the personal injury victim is taken to the emergency room, and x-rays show no fractures. The victim is discharged to follow up with his or her treating physician or recommended orthopedic doctor.
In many of these cases, the seriousness of the spinal cord injury is not diagnosed until weeks or even months after the crash, when an MRI is done, which reveals the damage. Spinal injury should never be taken lightly.
Medical expenses can add up quickly. With serious spinal injury, surgical intervention is often required.
Why Get an MRI After an Auto Accident
It is a myth that X-rays show all spinal cord injuries – they do not. More sophisticated tests- an MRI or even a CT scan are necessary to diagnose some neck and back injuries correctly.
Doctors typically attempt conservative treatment before ordering an MRI to avoid the excess expense. This can lead to a delay in the correct diagnosis after an automobile accident.
Regularly we see injuries such as bulging discs and herniated discs as a result of serious car accidents. However, the injury is usually diagnosed after a CT Scan or an MRI. Most spinal cord injuries require extensive medical expenses and physical therapy.
Personal injury attorneys frequently see fractures and herniated discs after a car accident.
Surgery Often Required
There are some cases that which surgery is required to help the victim deal with everyday living. Going through surgery is a scary thing for anyone and many people put it off as long as possible.
Others, comment later on how thankful they are that they went through the operation as it allowed them relief from the pain. After being diagnosed with a serious neck or back injury, the most important issue is that the personal injury victim finds the best orthopedic surgeon that they are comfortable with and they may also want to consider getting a second opinion.
Surgical procedures for neck or back injuries have come a long way in the last 15 or 20 years and recovery times on some procedures have been shortened substantially. Undoubtedly, certain neck and back injuries can make it extremely difficult for people to enjoy their lives on a disability-free basis.
Fractures and herniated discs are the most common damages to the spinal column after a motor vehicle accident.
Cost of Spine Injuries in Houston
The University of Alabama, in a recent study, cited the average medical bills of spinal cord injury to be:
- Length of initial hospital care (acute care)- 15 days
- Average rehabs stay- 44 days
- Initial hospital costs- $140,000
- First-year expenses (all groups of spinal cord injury) $198,000
- First-year expenses with quadriplegics- $417,000
- Percentage of Spinal Cord injury victims unemployed eight years later- 63%
- Percent covered by private insurance -52%
These figures are national averages, and larger metropolitan areas such as Houston, Dallas, Austin, and San Antonio have significantly higher costs for medical care. Some of our cases have lifetime medical care, projected to be several million dollars. Add in lost income, and families can easily be financially devastated by the accident. Not to mention the pain and suffering.
Fortunately, Houston has some of the finest physicians in the world, is on the cutting edge of spinal cord injury care, and options that were unavailable ten years ago exist today.
What Is a Fractured Vertebra?
Spinal cord injuries frequently involve one or more fractured vertebrae severed or damaged the spinal cord. Accident victims suffering a fractured vertebra almost immediately experience excruciating pain, numbness and tingling in the back and legs, and sometimes unconsciousness.
Protected by the muscles, ligaments, discs, and bones comprising the vertebra, the spinal cord is vulnerable to irreversible damage if even a small section of the vertebral column is compromised.
Common reasons a vertebra is fractured include being crushed or trampled (vehicle tires, crowds, heavy objects falling on the back) or suffering an extremely forceful extension of the spine (severe whiplash).
What Are the Effects of a Spinal Cord Injury?
While signs of a spinal cord injury usually emerge within minutes following an accident, other symptoms may not emerge for several days or weeks. The accident victim’s health may deteriorate as ongoing fluctuations in cerebral blood flow and pressure build inside the skull.
Spinal cord injuries can negatively affect the victim’s emotional, cognitive, and physical condition before, during, and after rehabilitation therapy. They may require a wheelchair to move about, assistance with daily activities, medications to address health problems arising from the injury, and even 24-hour nursing care.
If the victim is the sole provider for a family, they will need financial assistance to cover living, hospital, home care, medication, and therapy costs. Out-of-pocket expenses and medical bills add up quickly in Houston, Texas.
This is one of the many reasons why it is imperative to contact a Houston spinal cord injury lawyer as soon as possible if you or someone you know has suffered a spinal cord injury. Spine injury victims should get help quickly after an accident.
Spine injury claims are often disputed by insurance adjusters. Getting an experienced personal injury attorney for such injuries is recommended.
Causes of Severe Spine Injury
The harder the impact, the more likely a severe spinal cord injury can
occur. Vehicle
accidents, such as car wrecks
at higher speeds, can easily lead to spinal injury. A collision
with a big rig is likely to cause a severe injury, and one should consult
the best truck accident lawyer to fight for justice!
Also, falls at construction sites are a leading cause of critical back
injuries. Our construction
accident attorneys in Houston have helped many families after
crippling or fatal accidents.
Baumgartner Law Firm has been handling significant neck and back injury cases for over 35 years, and we are extremely proud of our track record of success. We have helped numerous families where the clients received six and seven-figure settlements. Please visit our results section for further information on recent cases.
Award-Winning Attorney with Decades of Experience with Spine Injury Claims
Call an experienced personal injury attorney in Houston for a free initial consultation regarding your rights and options and know that we charge no fee on the cases we accept unless we win your case. Call (281) 587-1111 or send us an email asking for a consultation Related Articles: Why Take Advantage of a Free Injury Claim Consultation? Back Injury After an Auto Accident: Legal Tips and Resources Ruptured Discs after a Car Accident How Do Preexisitng Injuries Affect a Texas Personal Injury Claim? How Long Does a Personal Injury Case Take in Texas?
Get A Preeminent Rated Houston Personal Injury Attorney
Do you make house calls or hospital visits?
What kind of cases do you accept?
We are very selective in the cases that we agree to handle to provide the best possible service to our clients. By limiting the number of cases that we accept, we can provide the time attention, and resources required to maximize compensation for our clients.
Accordingly, our practice is limited to cases involving substantial injury or a family who has lost a loved one. We have gained a reputation for handling 18-wheeler truck accidents, car and drunk driving crashes, daycare injury cases, and other serious injury and wrongful death matters. To learn more about the cases we cover, visit our practice areas page.
Do I have to pay money out of my pocket to hire you?
Do you handle all types of personal injury cases?
No, we are very selective in the cases that we agree to accept. We intentionally limit the number of cases that we handle and the practice areas for the cases we take to provide the best possible personal service for our clients. To learn more about the cases we cover, visit our practice areas page or you can contact us for individual consultation about your case. (281) 587-1111.
What is the best way to contact you?
We prefer to be contacted by telephone and also respond to our online consultation requests. You can call us 24/7 at (281) 587-1111. We offer Zoom consultations as well.
How successful have you been with your cases?
We are a personal injury law firm with over three decades of experience and are extremely proud of our winning track record of success. Our founder is nationally recognized as among the best personal injury lawyers in the USA. We are undefeated in truck accident cases, wrongful death cases, and daycare negligence and invite you to check out our results page for recent results in cases we won.
For the last 35 years, we have concentrated on maximizing our client’s compensation in serious injury and wrongful death cases. If you are looking for the best personal injury lawyers in Houston – Call us! (281) 587-1111.
Thank you
for a job well done!
"I can never express how grateful me and my family are to Greg Baumgartner and his team of truck accident lawyers in Houston. He took care of our injury case and got us a great settlement. Thank you for a job well done!"
- R. G. Client
Houston Personal Injury Victim
Highly
Recommended!
"I was hit in the rear by an 18 wheeler and was lucky enough to have found Greg – I was overjoyed with the results and highly recommend him."
- Raymond
Houston Personal Injury Victim
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