Call Us atRemarkably, many people recover from harrowing accidents. Unfortunately, when someone suffers a severed or crushed spinal cord, causing paralysis, they cannot fully heal, although scientists are making progress. When a paralyzing injury happens to you, your life and your family’s will be altered forever.
Addressing your trauma and new life will be expensive. You will need daily help and continuous medical care. You may want to retrofit your home and vehicle to accommodate your disability. The person responsible for the accident that injured you has a duty to pay for the havoc they caused. A Kent paralysis injury lawyer can help enforce that duty by negotiating with insurers or representing you in a negligence trial. Reach out to a catastrophic injury attorney to discuss your options for seeking compensation.
Degrees of Paralysis
Nerve cells run through the spinal column, signaling muscles when and how to move. Wherever the spine is severed or crushed is where nerves stop communicating, resulting in paralysis below the injury. The medical term for paralysis of the same limbs is diplegia. Paralysis of one side of the body is hemiplegia. Paralysis of one limb is monoplegia. Patients whose lower bodies are paralyzed suffer from paraplegia, and quadriplegia indicates patients with total paralysis below the neck.
The human body is adaptable, and many patients with lesser degrees of paralysis compensate well. But quadriplegia will require high levels of care, making it imperative that a paralysis injury lawyer in Kent determine how much compensation the jury should consider, lasting the patient for a lifetime. Proof comes from medical records, police reports, testimony by witnesses, and any other plausible information to support a fair compensation award.
Negligent Paralysis Accidents
Motor vehicle accidents commonly cause paralyzing injuries. Impaired drivers are often the reason for those collisions. Under the doctrine of negligence per se, a motorist who is ticketed for drunk driving makes it easier to prove negligence. The court will presume the ticket represents the driver’s breach of duty to drive safely. The injured driver must only prove injuries arose from the accident.
Other situations that illustrate actionable negligence causing paralysis include:
- Boating accidents involving drunk operators who smash into other boaters, water skiers, or kayakers
- Domestic or other criminal violence
- Medical malpractice
- High school or college contact sports in which a player or coach ignores the rules
- Bus collisions with bicyclists, pedestrians, and other vehicles
A Kent attorney could help a person understand the legal issues and mechanics of filing a paralysis injury lawsuit or negotiating with insurance companies.
Statute of Limitations for Paralysis Injuries
Under the Washington Revised Code § 4.16.080, a prospective plaintiff has three years to file an injury action against the party who caused a paralysis accident. This Statute of Limitations restricts actions so they do not threaten prospective defendants indefinitely. Evidence disappears in time, and witnesses’ memories fade. The limit for filing complaints that involve intentional acts is only two years. Other exceptions apply. A lawyer in Kent could help an injured person file a paralysis injury claim before the deadline.
A Kent Paralysis Injury Attorney Could Seek Fair Compensation
You never expect a life-changing event will leave you paralyzed, but you can fight back and rebuild your life with different parameters. This can be financially challenging when you cannot perform your job and have significant medical bills. When the event is an accident caused by someone’s negligence, we have solutions.
Our skilled attorneys are skilled negotiators should an insurance settlement be on the table, but we do not settle for inadequate offers. When settlement talks break down, you deserve a Kent paralysis injury lawyer who will take your case before a jury and get you the compensation you need to build your future. Call us to learn more about your options for financial recovery.
