Injuring your spine can result in expensive medical costs, pain and emotional suffering, and significant changes to your daily life. As a spinal cord injury victim you may be eligible for financial compensation if someone else is at fault for your injury. Our Oakland spinal cord injury lawyers will help you with this process and fight for you.
The experienced spinal cord injury attorneys at Jacoby & Meyers can help you understand your legal rights and protect them in the fight for justice. Contact us 24/7 to schedule your free consultation with our Oakland personal injury lawyers. Because you deserve justice.
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Why Choose Jacoby & Meyers for Your Oakland SCI Cases?
- We have been representing personal injury clients in California since 1972. We know how spinal cord injury (SCI) cases work and have established a long track record of success.
- Our team is proud to provide dedicated, compassionate legal support to victims and their families in Oakland. Our goal is to maximize your physical, financial and emotional recovery.
- We will take care of all legal complexities involved in your spinal cord injury case using our roster of outstanding personal injury lawyers, medical case managers and assistants.
- You won’t pay us anything unless we win your spinal cord injury case. We only take our fee out of the amount obtained for the client, and only if we win.
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, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles and pedestrians can lead to serious spinal cord injuries.
- Falls: a dangerous premises 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 Maximum 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 causes harm to others, the at-fault party can be held liable, or legally and financially responsible, for the victim’s injuries and losses. A successful SCI claim could make you whole again by providing you with financial compensation for various losses.
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
With a spinal cord injury, you may have to take days or weeks off work to focus on healing and medical care. You can receive financial compensation for these lost wages as well as lost capacity to earn in the future due to a temporary or permanent disability.
Pain, Suffering and Quality of Life Damages
You may also be eligible for intangible or 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 Fight for You
As our client in Oakland, you will benefit from the full attention of your spinal cord injury lawyer. We will start by conducting a comprehensive investigation of the accident that caused your SCI, which will include determining fault, identifying all liable parties and collecting evidence to support your claim.
Then, we will handle negotiations for you as we fight for maximum compensation through an insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit. Our team offers aggressive and tailored legal strategies, trial preparation, and courtroom representation to help you get the best results possible for a spinal cord injury case.
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, don’t hesitate to contact Jacoby & Meyers. We will manage, maintain and execute all of the legal legwork of your case while you focus on your recovery. Our spinal cord injury lawyers believe that everyone deserves justice. Find out how we can help you with a case by contacting us to request a free consultation. Call our Oakland office at (510) 616-9169 24/7.
Jacoby & Meyers Accident & Injury Lawyers – Oakland
66 Franklin St Suite 300,
Oakland, CA 94607