What Kinds of Damages Can I Include in a Paralysis Injury Claim?
If your life was forever changed by a spinal cord injury (SCI) that you sustained in some kind of preventable accident, it’s only natural to want justice. Thankfully, it may be possible to hold the responsible party financially accountable by filing a personal injury claim.
As long as you can present compelling evidence of both liability and damages, you should be able to seek compensation for the following:
1. Medical Bills
Virtually all the expenses associated with stabilizing your condition, treating your injury, and then ensuring your ongoing health are recoverable. Even with decent health insurance, living with a spinal cord injury can carry significant out-of-pocket medical expenses. Just make sure to save their associated documentation, so you can prove you actually incurred them.
2. Lost Earnings
Chances are you won’t be able to work while recovering from your injury. Fortunately, you can account for every missed paycheck in your damages claim.
If you’re unable to return to work even after reaching maximum medical improvement, you can also include lost earing capacity in your case. Your legal team will consult with economists and vocational experts to determine the potential value of such damages.
3. The Cost of Necessary Home and Vehicle Modifications
If you need to modify your home or car to accommodate the permanent limitations your disabilities pose, the cost of doing so is recoverable. Save the invoices and receipts for such upgrades and give them to your legal team. They will use them to total your recoverable damages when it comes time to negotiate.
4. The Cost of Reasonable Replacement Services
People living with spinal cord injuries often need help with everyday tasks like meal preparation and housekeeping. As long as you can convince the insurance adjuster that using such services is reasonably necessary, you can include the cost of doing so in your personal injury claim.
5. Pain and Suffering
Florida tort law recognizes the fact that serious injuries can be just as devastating mentally and emotionally as they are physically. As such, accident victims are entitled to seek compensation for non-economic damages like pain and suffering in addition to the monetary losses listed above.
Of course, since such damages are intangible, demonstrating their extent can pose a challenge. Thankfully, there are a few widely accepted ways to prove non-monetary losses. For example, you can present detailed journal entries about the hurdles you’ve been facing since you got hurt.
If you undergo any psychological evaluations, the results could also prove handy. Finally, statements from friends, loved ones, and colleagues who knew you before the accident could highlight the ways in which your mood, behavior, and demeanor changed after it.
Speak with a Florida Paralysis Injury Attorney
If your life was turned upside-down by a spinal cord injury that you sustained at the hands of another, turn to Emerson Straw. Our compassionate team can help you navigate every stage of the proceedings in pursuit of the compensation you deserve. Call (727) 821-1500 or submit our Contact Form to schedule a free initial consultation with a paralysis injury lawyer in Florida.