Suffering a spinal cord injury can significantly affect your life. If someone else is responsible for causing your spine injury due to a careless or wrongful act, you may wish to consult with a personal injury lawyer from Jacoby & Meyers about your legal rights.
Our San Bernardino spinal cord injury attorneys have more than 50 years of experience that we can put to use to deliver the justice and case results you deserve. Contact us to start with a free initial case consultation.
Why Choose Us for Your San Bernardino Spinal Cord Injury Case?
- We have represented tens of thousands of clients. Jacoby & Meyers handles personal injury cases involving serious injuries, including spinal cord trauma.
- Our firm has obtained substantial case results, including a $19 million recovery in a case involving quadriplegia and $17.5 million in a paraplegia case.*
- We handle each case individually and understand the legal and medical issues that often arise in spinal cord injury claims.
- Our firm operates on a contingency fee basis, meaning attorney’s fees are generally contingent on the outcome of the case. We explain all fee arrangements during your consultation.
*Past results depend on the specific facts of each case and do not guarantee a similar outcome.
Our San Bernardino Office
Address: 473 E Carnegie Dr #200, San Bernardino, CA 92408
Phone Number: (909) 245-8920
Office Hours: 24/7 Monday to Friday for all calls and case assessments
How Can a Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer in San Bernardino Help?
Damage to the spinal cord can result in serious injuries, including paralysis or long-term disability. If you are facing this situation, you may wish to seek legal guidance before attempting to handle a claim on your own.
An attorney can communicate with insurance companies on your behalf and work to pursue compensation for documented past and future losses, such as medical expenses related to a severe spine injury. A lawyer can also help gather evidence and explain the legal process involved in pursuing a personal injury claim.
What Is a Spinal Cord Injury?
The spine or vertebral column is a central part of the skeletal system that sends messages from the brain to the body.It transmits messages between the brain and the rest of the body. The spine consists of 33 vertebrae grouped into five regions: cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacrum, and coccyx. Between the vertebrae are disks, joints, ligaments, muscles, and bundles of nerves.
A spinal cord injury may involve damage to any of these structures.
Types of Spinal Cord Injuries
A traumatic spinal cord injury refers to damage arising from an external force, such as blunt trauma to the back or neck in an accident. A spinal injury may include:
- Soft-tissue damage
- Spinal concussion
- Cracked or fractured vertebrae
- Disk rupture or herniation
- Slipped disks
- Muscle sprains or strains
- Nerve damage
- Torn ligaments
- Neck injury or whiplash
- Severed spinal cord
- Paralysis (paraplegia or quadriplegia)
Spinal cord injuries may be classified as complete or incomplete. Complete injuries involve total loss of motor or sensory function below the injury site, while incomplete injuries may retain some function. Symptoms and long-term effects vary depending on the individual and the severity of the injury.
Common Causes of Spine Injuries in San Bernardino
As of 2023, it is estimated that approximately 18,000 new spinal cord injury cases occur in the United States each year. An estimated 305,000 people are living with spinal cord injuries nationwide. The average age at the time of injury is 43, and most new cases involve males.
Spinal cord injuries in San Bernardino may result from various types of accidents, including:
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Bus accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Rideshare accidents (Uber and Lyft)
- Bicycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Slip, trip, and fall accidents
- Work accidents
- Construction accidents
- Defective products or equipment
- Sports/recreational activities
- Acts of violence
If the accident that caused your spinal cord injury in San Bernardino reasonably could have been preventeIf the accident that caused your spinal cord injury could reasonably have been prevented, you may have grounds to file a personal injury claim against the responsible party.
What Compensation Is Available for a Spinal Cord Injury?
Under California law, a person may be held liable for a spinal cord injury if they breached a duty of care and caused the injury. A duty of care is a legal obligation to act as a reasonably prudent person would under similar circumstances.
If liability is established, compensation may be available for losses such as:
- Existing medical bills for care and services
- Future anticipated medical costs
- Ongoing treatments and therapies
- Medical devices and prescription medications
- Long-term or permanent disability
- Lost wages and capacity to earn
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress or psychological trauma
- Loss of consortium
- Wrongful death damages for a fatal spine injury
An attorney from Jacoby & Meyers can determine the value of your spinal cord injury claim after a careful aAn attorney from Jacoby & Meyers can review your situation and discuss what types of damages may apply based on the specific facts of your case.
How Long Do I Have to File a Claim?
According to California’s statute of limitations (Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1), “an action for assault, battery, or injury to, or for the death of, an individual caused by the wrongful act or neglect of another” must be filed within two years of the date of injury.
In most cases, this means you have two years from the date of the accident to file a spinal cord injury lawsuit. However, certain exceptions may shorten or extend this period. An attorney can review your circumstances and explain the applicable deadline.
Request a Free Spinal Cord Injury Case Review in San Bernardino
If you or someone you love was recently diagnosed with a spinal cord injury after an accident in San Bernardino or elsewhere in California, you may wish to contact Jacoby & Meyers. During a free consultation, you can receive information about your legal options and ask questions about the claims process. Call (909) 245-8920 today to reach our San Bernardino office.