Spinal Cord Injuries

The spinal cord is a sensitive and complex bundle of nerves running through the spinal canal from your brain to your body to ensure movement and feeling. Thirty-one pairs of nerves carry signals back and forth from the spinal cord to your abdomen, chest, arms, and legs. The spinal cord is protected by the spine and tissues, but it can be injured through a traumatic event, such as a car accident or a fall. If your spinal cord is injured in an accident and somebody else is at fault, experienced Ocala personal injury attorneys Michael E. Dean and Timothy S. Dean can help you recover the compensation to which you are entitled to help you and your family move forward. Collectively we have two decades of experience helping people who have suffered spinal cord injuries across Central Florida in communities including Crystal River and The Villages.

If the spinal cord is injured, the signals running back and forth become disrupted. This can cause complete or partial paralysis. The injury can happen in many different ways including car accidents, slip and falls, medical malpractice. In each of these cases, a plaintiff will most likely bring a suit based in negligence. The plaintiff must show (1) duty, (2) breach of duty, (3) actual and proximate causation and (4) damages. The injured person may recover a range of motion and feeling, but the road to recovery after a spinal cord injury is grueling. In spinal cord injury cases, the damages are usually large because the impact of the injury is usually permanent.

A spinal cord injury is very expensive. First are the medical expenses. Second, your home and your car may need to be altered in order to accommodate your injury. You may not be able to perform the same job that you had before your accident. Working may not be possible at all, or it may be necessary to take a lower-impact job. You probably won't be able to enjoy the same physical activities you enjoyed before your accident, including walking, hiking, dancing, boating and more. You may not be able to clean your house and would have to hire someone to do that.

We will look closely at how your spinal cord injury has changed your life in order to figure out a demand to insurers to cover these changes. We work with recognized experts such as physicians, vocational rehabilitation experts and economists to quantify your loss. These consultations help us build your case for trial. Many injury cases settle before trial, but our lawyers prepare each case thoroughly so that we can present your case in a compelling way to the jury. Under Florida law, you may be able to recover these damages: past, present and future medical expenses, out-of-pocket expenses, past, present and future lost wages, vocational rehabilitation, household assistance, loss of enjoyment, pain and suffering and more.

Our knowledgeable Crystal Rivers spinal cord injury lawyers offer a free initial consultation and accept personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis. This means we do not receive our fees and costs until we recover compensation for your injuries. We only take personal injury cases in which we are prepared to shoulder the costs until you obtain compensation. Call us at 352-387-8700 or fill out our contact form for a consultation.