A car accident caused by a careless driver on a Los Angeles freeway might be enough to ruin your weekend. Yet the consequences of that collision could be much worse than some minor aches and pains and a frustrating wait at a body shop.
You may suffer a serious injury and even lose function in your limbs. A brain injury or spine damage can affect your control over body parts and cause paralysis.
Paralysis might be the permanent and life-changing consequence of a reckless act. When this potentially life-long condition is a part of the diagnosis, victims must be supported through their recovery now and through every challenge they face in the future.
Los Angeles Paralysis Accident Dangers
Paralysis is the loss of control over your muscles. This loss is usually a result of nerve damage that restricts your brain from sending movement commands to that region.
After a traumatic injury accident, you may find you can no longer control one limb, or both your arms or have no function anywhere below your waist.
A spinal tear in a slip-and-fall accident in your workplace or at a store may leave you in partial control of some body parts. Paraplegia is a loss of control in the lower half of the body. A car crash could sever the spine and cause victims to have a complete loss of control over the entire body. Quadriplegia is the loss of control of the body from the neck down.
In some cases, a Los Angeles paralysis injury is only temporary. Athletes often suffer what’s known as a spinal contusion or “stinger” after taking a hit in the course of play. Their motor functions usually return.
This range of outcomes makes it difficult for patients to know what they should ask for in a paralysis injury insurance claim. An at-fault party’s insurance provider will be working to limit the compensation they provide. But victims must fight to get the most out of their claim due to the unknown consequences that may lie ahead.
You can find more on our page about paralysis injuries and complications.
Paralysis Treatment and Costs
Maximizing a paralysis accident settlement is vital when you look at the costs of care over the short term and long term.
A Los Angeles permanent paralysis disability could leave patients in need of anywhere from half a million to one million dollars of support in the first year.
Home renovations must be made. Victims and family members must be taught about living life with a physical disability. The costs of that initial care may run even higher in a metropolitan city like Los Angeles. The cost of a specialized battery-powered wheelchair could run upwards of $25,000 dollars.
Paralysis accident victims are thought to need between $50,000 to $100,000 for each year that follows. This won’t include support for family members when victims can no longer complete the duties of their previous jobs and earning a living wage isn’t possible. In fact, the expense of finding a new, more suitable career could be included in a settlement.
How Can I Earn a Fair Settlement After I Suffer Paralysis in a Los Angeles Accident?
Collecting strong evidence of your innocence in your accident and of the severity of your injury will help you most in your bid to gain a fair paralysis insurance settlement.
Some of the best evidence will be found on the scene in the moments after your accident. If you are unable to move, ask someone with you or a helpful witness to take photos around the scene. Show the hazard that caused you to fall or caused you harm. Alert a manager at a store or an employer at work about what happened so they can write up an incident report. After a traffic collision, show the damage to vehicles. Get witness contact information.
You’ll also want to make sure any insurance settlement offer factors in every need you’ll have in the future as you deal with a long-term paralysis treatment plan. To do this you’ll work with your Los Angeles Traumatic Injury Lawyer to ensure every hardship you’ve faced and will face is included when you file your claim.
A permanent physical disability could leave you and your family in need of yearly support from insurance companies.
- Initial Care for Paralysis– Surgery and even an amputation will be used to ensure the safety of the victim. Brain surgery and spinal surgery are often used to give the victim the best outlook possible. Patients may need to stay in intensive care to make sure they will continue to breathe on their own.
- Rehabilitation – Victims will need to learn how to do as much for themselves as possible. They’ll need to master the use of medical equipment needed to provide for their care and mobility.
- Home Upgrades – Wheelchair ramps and bedroom and bathroom safety upgrades are used to make the victim as self-sufficient as possible.
- Career Training – Paralysis sufferers may be able to return to their previous careers if modifications in the office are possible. Their disability may not allow this. The costs of training for a new job would fall on the insurance companies involved. College tuition and certification fees should absolutely be covered in a Los Angeles paralysis settlement.
Contact a Los Angeles Paralysis Accident Lawyer
After you or a loved one have been the victim of a frightening accident that threatens the control and function of limbs, speak with an experienced Los Angeles Traumatic Injury Lawyer. You should not trust an insurance adjuster to fairly determine the support you and your family need now and in the years ahead in a paralysis settlement.
You can call us at Maison Law or contact us online to arrange for a free consultation and case review. No up-front money is needed. We don’t get paid unless we win your case. If we’re retained to represent you, our objective will be to obtain the maximum settlement or judgment possible.
