Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer in Fort Lauderdale

A spinal cord injury (SCI) can have devastating effects on your physical and emotional well-being and impact your daily life today and in the years to come. If someone else is responsible for your serious injury, get legal help. Talk with a spinal cord injury lawyer in Fort Lauderdale, and you can take the first step to hold the liable party accountable for their actions. 

Blakeley Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers has obtained more than $250 million in compensation for our clients. Our personal injury lawyers in Fort Lauderdale have a strong commitment to helping individuals who have suffered injuries due to negligence or wrongdoing.

Remember, you don’t have to deal with the ramifications of an SCI caused by someone else by yourself. Allow our attorneys to evaluate your personal injury case and explain your legal options. To get started, request a free consultation. 

Why Hire Our Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Spinal Cord Injury Lawyers?

At Blakeley Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers, we understand what’s at stake in your spinal cord injury case. Our spinal cord injury attorneys in Fort Lauderdale will fight relentlessly to secure justice and maximum compensation for you. To help you pursue your desired case results, we will:

• Investigate your case. We will interview witnesses who saw you get hurt, review police reports, and do other things to learn how you were injured, how your SCI is affecting you, and who is responsible. This helps us lay the foundation for your legal strategy. 
• Collect evidence. Trust us to search extensively for medical records, witness accounts, and other evidence to use in your argument. If we have relevant proof, we are well-equipped to argue how a party acted negligently and should be held responsible for your tangible and intangible SCI-related losses. 
• Engage in settlement negotiations. If you are unsure what is considered a good offer, we’re here to help. Our attorneys can negotiate a settlement agreement with a liable party or an insurance company on your behalf and position you to get compensation that serves you well now and in the future.
• Represent you in a court trial. There are times when an SCI case requires a trial. At these times, our lawyers are prepared to present your case to a judge or jury and argue why damages are warranted. 
• Provide legal guidance throughout your case. We can provide you with FAQs and other resources regarding SCI claims and lawsuits and what they entail. At each stage of your case, we remain on your side and can help you make informed legal decisions consistently. 

Let a Fort Lauderdale spinal cord injury attorney from our legal team handle your case. We can assist you during the legal process and ensure you get the help you need to accomplish your desired case results. Contact us today for more information. 

Types of Legal Representation for Spinal Cord Injury Cases in Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Choose a spinal cord injury attorney in Fort Lauderdale who has a track record of success in cases similar to yours. Below are some of the types of lawyers who represent and advocate for clients in SCI cases

• Car accident lawyers in Fort Lauderdale: Work with an attorney who knows how difficult it can be to recover compensatory damages in a motor vehicle accident case. Your lawyer can help you pursue compensation for your SCI-related losses and others from your car accident through a claim or lawsuit. 
• Truck accident lawyers in Fort Lauderdale: Ask for help from an attorney if you suffer an SCI in a truck accident that occurs due to another party’s negligence. Your lawyer can determine whether hours of service (HOS) rules or other trucking industry regulations were violated and contributed to your accident and SCI. 
• Motorcycle accident lawyers in Fort Lauderdale: Speak with an attorney if you have injured your spine in a motorcycle crash. If someone else is at fault for the incident, your lawyer can help you seek damages for your SCI-related losses and others.
• Bus accident lawyers in Fort Lauderdale: Select an attorney who knows how to overcome legal challenges that can come up in bus accident cases. Your lawyer can help you get compensation from a bus company or other parties liable for your accident and SCI. 
• Bicycle accident lawyers in Fort Lauderdale: Rely on an attorney who protects the rights of cyclists. Your lawyer wants you to receive medical attention for your SCI from your cycling accident while they request compensation from any responsible parties. 
• Pedestrian accident lawyers in Fort Lauderdale: Have an attorney help you if you are dealing with an SCI from a pedestrian accident caused by someone else. Your Fort Lauderdale, FL, spinal cord injury lawyer wants you to focus on treating your SCI symptoms while they build your case for compensation. 
• Premises liability lawyers in Fort Lauderdale: Meet with an attorney if you suffer an SCI due to an accident on another person’s property. In your situation, your lawyer may advise you to proceed with an insurance claim or a personal injury lawsuit against the responsible party. 
• Product liability lawyers in Fort Lauderdale: Get legal advice from an attorney who has experience with defective product cases. Your lawyer can explain whether you’re eligible to file a claim or lawsuit against a product manufacturer, reseller, or designer if you injure your spine due to a faulty product. 
• Slip and fall accident lawyers in Fort Lauderdale: Consult with an attorney if you slip, fall, and suffer an SCI in an accident on someone else’s premises. Your lawyer can help you as you go through the process of filing a slip and fall claim or lawsuit. 
• Boating accident lawyers in Fort Lauderdale: Receive help from an attorney as you recover from your spinal injury, back pain, lumbar pain, paralysis, herniated discs, and other trauma from your boat accident. Your lawyer can examine the incident and, if someone else is at fault, help you move forward with a claim or lawsuit against them. 
• Workers’ compensation lawyers in Fort Lauderdale: Depend on an attorney who is familiar with Florida’s workers’ compensation system to help you if you injure your spine at work. Your lawyer can teach you about this system and what to do if you want to file a workers’ comp claim. 
• Nursing home abuse lawyers in Fort Lauderdale: Request legal help if a family member living in a nursing home has suffered a spinal injury that may be related to abuse from staff or medical personnel. Your Fort Lauderdale, Florida, SCI lawyer can help you take legal action against any liable parties. 
• Wrongful death lawyers in Fort Lauderdale: If you have lost a family member due to a fatal spinal cord injury and someone else is liable, discuss the situation with an empathetic and compassionate wrongful death attorney. Depending on the situation, your lawyer can help you file a wrongful death claim or lawsuit.

Err on the side of caution if you’re in doubt about whether to partner with a Fort Lauderdale spinal cord injury lawyer. Ultimately, if you have an attorney on your side, they can help you recover economic and non-economic damages for your quantifiable and subjective SCI-related losses.  

Compensation That You Can Get in a Fort Lauderdale Spinal Cord Injury Case 

To determine what your spinal cord injury case is worth, your Fort Lauderdale, Florida, SCI attorney can assess your financial and non-financial losses. From here, they can craft an argument designed to prove how a party was negligent and should pay economic and non-economic damages, such as:

• Medical expenses: These include past, present, and future medical costs, such as emergency care, surgeries, rehabilitation, and long-term treatments. 
• Lost income and decreased earning capacity: If your SCI prevents you from working or diminishes your earning capacity, you may be entitled to compensation for the income you have lost and will lose in the future. 
• Pain and suffering: Spinal cord injuries often cause severe physical pain and emotional suffering. Compensation may be awarded to account for these intangible losses.
• Mental anguish and emotional trauma: The psychological effects of an SCI can be significant, and they can include depression, anxiety, and a diminished quality of life. Damages may be awarded to address these and other mental anguish and emotional trauma relating to your SCI. 
• Home modifications, medical equipment, and caregiving needs: Spinal cord injuries can require home modifications, specialized medical equipment, and the need for ongoing caregiving. Compensation can assist with the financial burden of these necessary changes. 
• Loss of enjoyment of life: An SCI can severely hamper your ability to participate in activities that you once enjoyed. Compensation can be awarded to compensate for this loss of enjoyment.

In cases of intentional misconduct or gross negligence, punitive damages can also be awarded as a means of punishing the responsible party and deterring similar behavior in the future. SCI lawyers in Fort Lauderdale can provide information about these and other damages. They can also describe how much your personal injury claim may be worth and when to file a lawsuit. 

What Is the Statute of Limitations for a Spinal Cord Injury Lawsuit in Fort Lauderdale?

Under Florida Statute § 95.11, if you want to sue for an SCI as part of a personal injury lawsuit, you generally have two years to file your lawsuit, with some exceptions. For a wrongful death lawsuit, the statute of limitations is also typically two years from the date of death. A personal representative of the estate of a deceased person (decedent) may file a wrongful death lawsuit. 

Fort Lauderdale spinal cord injury lawyers can describe the statute of limitations that applies to your case. If you have grounds for a lawsuit, your attorney can help you file in accordance with Florida law. Plus, they can gather evidence from a wide range of sources to strengthen your case for compensatory damages. 

Evidence to Use in Your Spinal Cord Injury Case

Your SCI attorney in Fort Lauderdale can utilize evidence to describe to a judge or jury how a party harmed you and should be held responsible for your injury-related losses. Examples of evidence that your lawyer can utilize in their argument include:

• Diagnostic imaging: MRIs, CT scans, and X-rays can help document your spinal injury. An MRI can provide detailed images of your spinal cord and surrounding soft tissues, while X-rays and CT scans can show fractures, dislocations, and other structural abnormalities. 
• Hospital and surgical records: Emergency room notes, surgical reports, and intensive care documentation can detail the immediate trauma that you experienced due to your SCI and how it has been treated to date. 
• Neurological evaluations: These can grade the completeness and sensory and motor levels of your SCI. 
• Rehabilitation and therapy notes: Physical therapy and occupational therapy logs can document your ongoing functional deficits and recovery progress. 
• Official reports: Police accident reports, incident reports, and filings with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) can help establish what occurred that led to your SCI and who is at fault. 
• Accident scene photos and videos: Images and videos of vehicle damage, a faulty product, property hazards, or other issues can show what caused your accident and injury. 
• Surveillance footage: Dash cam, traffic camera, or commercial security camera videos can capture what happened during your accident and how you were injured.
• Maintenance and safety records: Property and vehicle logs can indicate whether a party ignored known safety hazards. 
• Witness statements: These are accounts from people who saw you get hurt. 

If your attorney has comprehensive proof, an at-fault party or their insurance company can struggle to contest your case. This can help you get a fair settlement outside of court. Alternatively, if a trial is needed, your lawyer can use your evidence to illustrate negligence and liability. 

How to Prove Negligence and Liability in an SCI Case

Your Fort Lauderdale, FL, spinal cord injury attorney can prepare an argument centered on negligence and liability. They want to be able to show a judge or jury that a party acted negligently and, due to this, is liable for your SCI and associated losses. 

To prove negligence, Fort Lauderdale spinal cord injury lawyers can highlight how a party had a duty of care, which is a legal obligation to act safely and reasonably to prevent harm to others. Your attorney can describe how this party violated their duty of care, as they didn’t meet their legal responsibility to you since they acted negligently or failed to protect you from harm. 

Per Florida Statute § 768.81, you are subject to modified comparative negligence if you sue for an SCI. With this, if you are 50% or less liable for your injury, your damages can be reduced by your percentage of fault. Or, if you’re more than 50% at fault, you cannot recover damages. 

Who Is Responsible for a Spinal Cord Injury?

One or more parties can be at fault for a spinal cord injury. SCI attorneys in Fort Lauderdale can find out how you were injured and learn about the parties involved in the incident. Next, they may advise you to request compensatory damages from any of these potentially responsible parties:

• Motorist
• Property owner or manager
• Business operator
• Employer
• Contractor 
• Product manufacturer

Even if someone else is responsible for your catastrophic injury, they may claim that you’re partly or fully responsible. If this happens, Fort Lauderdale, FL, spinal cord injury attorneys want you to continue to focus on your injury recovery. Meanwhile, they can put together an argument to show that someone else is at fault for your SCI and should cover your injury-related losses.

How to Fight Insurance Companies After Suffering an SCI

It’s often tough to deal with insurance companies after you file a spinal cord injury claim. Unfortunately, insurance companies can commit time and resources to contest claims for SCIs. 

Some common tactics that insurers will use to dispute SCI claims include:

• Blaming the victim: Insurance companies may try to shift the blame onto the injured party, arguing that their actions contributed to the accident. 
• Disputing injury severity or permanence: Insurers may dispute the severity or permanence of your spinal cord injury, attempting to downplay the extent of the damages suffered. 
• Delay tactics: Insurance companies may use delay tactics to pressure early settlement, hoping that you’ll accept a lower offer due to financial strain or desperation. 
• Misrepresentation of policy coverage: Insurers may misrepresent the coverage available under the policy, hoping to reduce their liability. 
• Excessive requests for medical records: Insurance companies may request excessive or irrelevant medical records, hoping to find pre-existing conditions or other factors that can weaken your case.

Your SCI lawyer in Fort Lauderdale can account for the average settlement for a neck and back injury from a car accident and other factors during insurance settlement negotiations. They want you to recover adequate compensation for your SCI-related losses. However, if no insurance settlement is reached, they are unafraid to bring your case to trial. 

Where Do Spinal Cord Injuries Occur in Fort Lauderdale?

You can take precautions when you drive, walk, or work in Fort Lauderdale. Regardless, you have no control over others’ actions, and you can be involved in an accident that results in a spinal cord injury or other injuries at any time. 

Fort Lauderdale locations where SCIs can occur include:

• Interstates: Highways such as Interstate 95 (I-95), Interstate 595 (I-595), U.S. Route 1 (US-1), and the Florida Turnpike can be hotspots for car accidents that result in spinal cord injuries. 
• Intersections: Car crashes can occur at W. Commercial Boulevard and Powerline Road, E. Oakland Park Boulevard and N. Federal Highway, NW 9th Avenue and NW 62nd Street, Sunrise Boulevard and Andrews Avenue, and other intersections. Those involved in these crashes can suffer SCIs and other catastrophic injuries. 
• Construction zones and job sites: Accidents at construction zones and job sites can result in SCIs. These incidents may involve falls from heights, equipment failures, or other construction-related accidents. 
• Hotels, shopping centers, and resorts: Slip and fall accidents or elevator failures in hotels, shopping centers, and resorts can lead to spinal injuries. 
• Beaches and marinas: Activities such as diving or boating can sometimes lead to spinal cord injuries due to accidents or negligence. 
• Downtown nightlife areas: Pedestrian accidents or assaults in busy downtown areas can cause spinal cord injuries.

Fort Lauderdale is known for its tourism, high traffic density, and weather-related hazards, all of which increase the risk of accidents and injuries. Personal injury attorneys understand local accident trends, which helps them provide effective legal representation to spinal cord injury victims and others.

Our Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Spinal Cord Injury Lawyers Want to Help You Pursue the Compensation You Deserve

If you decide to do nothing after you suffer a spinal cord injury due to another party’s negligence, you can be responsible for your medical bills and other associated losses. On the other hand, if you get help from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, spinal cord injury attorneys, you can receive the legal support needed to pursue compensation from the responsible party. 

Blakeley Car Accident & Personal Injury Lawyers is a Florida personal injury law firm that wants to make your life easier as you recover from your SCI. Our personal injury lawyers encourage you to continue to receive medical care and support for your injury. As you do, we will work diligently to seek compensation for your injury–related losses. 

We can review your SCI case and detail the steps to take if you want to file a claim or lawsuit against any responsible parties. Our attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, and there are no fees unless we win your personal injury case. To learn more, schedule a free consultation.