A spinal cord injury can lead to significant medical expenses, physical and emotional challenges, and profound changes to your daily life. If another party’s actions caused your injury, you may be eligible to seek compensation for your related losses. Our Oakland spinal cord injury lawyers are dedicated to guiding you through the legal process and advocating for the resources you need to move forward.
The experienced spinal cord injury attorneys at Jacoby & Meyers can help you understand your legal rights and protect them. Contact us to schedule your free consultation with our Oakland personal injury lawyers.
Over $2 Billion in Reported Recoveries For Our Clients*
Acting Promptly Can Help Preserve Evidence and Protect Your Claim
Attorney’s Fees are Owed Only if There is a Recovery
*Past results depend on the specific facts of each case and do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Why Choose Jacoby & Meyers for Your Oakland SCI Cases?
- We have been representing personal injury clients in California since 1972. We understand how spinal cord injury (SCI) cases work and have established a long history of representing injured clients.
- Our team is proud to provide dedicated, compassionate legal support to victims and their families in Oakland. Our goal is to assist you with your physical, financial, and emotional recovery.
- We will take care of the legal complexities involved in your spinal cord injury case with the support of our personal injury lawyers, medical case managers, and assistants.
- Attorney’s fees are owed only if there is a recovery. Fees are taken from the amount recovered, if any.
Understanding Different Types of Spinal Cord Injuries
The spinal cord is the part of the body responsible for communication between the brain and the body. It relies on a complex system of nerves to carry sensory and motor function information from the brain throughout the rest of the body.
When the spinal cord is injured, it can compromise this messaging system, potentially resulting in loss of the ability to feel sensation and move below the point of injury (paralysis). The parts of the body affected will depend on the location of the injury along the spine:
- Cervical spine (uppermost portion)
- Thoracic spine
- Lumbar spine
- Sacral spine (bottommost portion)
- Coccyx (tailbone)
There are different types of paralysis based on the limbs affected. Two of the most common types are paraplegia (paralysis from the waist down) and quadriplegia (paralysis in all four limbs). If the SCI is “complete,” it means there has been a total disruption to the messaging system, typically causing irreversible paralysis. An “incomplete” SCI means the victim still retains some feeling and function.
Common Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries in Oakland
Spinal cord injuries can stem from many different types of accidents in Oakland. Any incident where the back, neck, or spine suffers blunt force trauma, compression, overextension, or a penetrating wound could lead to a spinal cord injury.
The most common causes of SCIs in California include:
- Motor vehicle accidents: traffic accidents involving cars (including Uber & Lyft accidents), trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians can lead to serious spinal cord injuries.
- Falls: a dangerous premise can result in slip or trip and fall accidents that cause back injuries. Hazardous conditions can also lead to swimming pool accidents and structural collapses.
- Workplace accidents: SCIs can occur at work in slip and falls, ladder accidents, construction accidents, and from repetitive movements.
- Medical malpractice: Errors in a health care setting can injure a victim’s spine. Examples include surgical mistakes, misdiagnosis, delayed diagnosis, anesthesia mistakes, and medication errors.
- Sports and recreation accidents: the spinal cord can sustain damage from injuries caused by sports and recreation, including football, diving, wrestling, and weightlifting.
- Acts of violence: physical assaults and weapons-related crimes, such as gunshots and stabbings, can inflict spinal cord damage.
These incidents may cause vertebral fractures, muscle strains and sprains, slipped or herniated disks, spinal concussion or contusion, nerve damage, a severed spine, paralysis, and a variety of other spinal cord injuries.
Pursuing Compensation for Your Oakland Spinal Cord Injury
If the circumstances that caused your spinal cord injury should have been prevented but were not due to someone else’s negligence or carelessness, this could give you grounds to file a personal injury claim in Oakland. Negligence in a legal context refers to someone failing to act with proper care.
When negligence results in harm to others, the at-fault party may be held legally and financially responsible for the resulting injuries and losses. Filing a spinal cord injury claim provides a formal legal pathway to pursue compensation for the various financial and personal impacts you have experienced.
Medical Expenses and Future Care Costs
The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center states that a spine injury can result in a total lifetime cost of around $1.5 million to over $6 million in health care costs and living expenses alone. The value will depend on the victim’s injury severity, medical costs, level of disability, and home modifications or assistive equipment needed.
Lost Income and Diminished Earning Capacity
A spinal cord injury often requires significant time away from work to prioritize medical care and recovery. Through a legal claim, you may seek compensation for these lost wages, as well as for the impact on your future earning capacity resulting from a temporary or permanent disability.
Pain, Suffering, and Quality of Life Damages
You may also be eligible to seek non-economic damages during a spinal cord injury case in Oakland. This can include your physical pain and suffering, emotional distress, psychological trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression or anxiety, loss of enjoyment of life, and loss of consortium.
How Our Oakland Spinal Cord Injury Attorneys Advocate for You
As our client in Oakland, you will receive dedicated attention from your spinal cord injury lawyer. We will begin by conducting a comprehensive investigation of the accident that caused your SCI, including determining fault, identifying potentially liable parties, and collecting evidence to support your claim.
We will also handle negotiations as we pursue compensation through an insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit. Our team provides tailored legal strategies, trial preparation, and courtroom representation as needed.
Contact Jacoby & Meyers for a Free Consultation With an Experienced Oakland Spinal Cord Injury Attorney
If you or someone you love has suffered a spinal cord injury in a recent accident in Oakland, California, or the surrounding area, you may wish to explore your legal options. Jacoby & Meyers can manage the legal aspects of your case while you focus on your recovery.
Contact us to request a free consultation. Call our Oakland office at (510) 616-9169.
Jacoby & Meyers Accident & Injury Lawyers – Oakland
66 Franklin St Suite 300,
Oakland, CA 94607