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Omaha Spine Injury Lawyer

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Attorney Robert M Knowles
Last Updated: October 30, 2024
Legally Reviewed By: Robert M. Knowles

Attorney & Partner At Knowles Law Firm

Spine injuries are some of the most devastating and catastrophic injuries a person can receive after a serious accident and have the potential to turn your world upside down. It almost seems as though your entire life changed in the blink of an eye after a severe accident leading to a spinal cord injury. If you have been involved in an accident leading to a spine injury, you may be entitled to receive compensation for your injuries with the help of an Omaha spine injury lawyer.

Why Knowles Law Firm is the Right Choice

  • We only choose to take a case after we develop a firm undemanding of what is at stake. Our lawyers work from a place of deep commitment to the clients we serve. Our team of Omaha personal injury lawyers has a proven track record of securing financial compensation for clients who have suffered serious injuries.
  • We always return calls promptly. Communication is one of our priorities at Knowles Law Firm. We never waste time – yours or ours. If we can do something today, we will.
  • We treat clients like family. We are warm, friendly and personable. Our past clients praise us for putting their minds at ease during tough times.
  • We take spinal cord injury cases on a contingency fee basis. We do not charge unless we achieve a fair result on your behalf.

Do You Need a Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer in Omaha?

It can seem faster and easier to take care of your spinal cord injury alone. This could be a huge mistake, however, with an injury as serious as one involving the spine, neck or back. Insurance companies are notorious for downplaying client injuries – especially injuries that could be worth six or seven figures over a client’s lifetime. An insurance company might not want what is in your best interests during a claim.

Hiring an Omaha spine injury lawyer will ensure you receive the representation you need to fight for a fair settlement from insurance claims adjusters and navigate the complexities of your personal injury claim. A lawyer can prevent others from taking advantage of you during this vulnerable and stressful time. Your lawyer can fight for the compensation award your life-altering injuries demand while you focus on yourself. An attorney can deny lowball settlement offers, prove the value of your catastrophic injury and take an insurance company to court in Omaha if necessary.

Spine Injury After Accidents

Spinal cord injuries are defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as “an acute traumatic lesion of the neural elements in the spinal canal, resulting in temporary or permanent sensory deficit, motor deficit, or bowel/bladder dysfunction.”[1]  Taking this definition into consideration, it is easy to understand why spine injuries are so serious and must be treated as soon as possible after an accident.  Spinal cord injuries have the potential to completely change your life and the lives of those close to you as they must adapt along with you.

According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Database, approximately 12,500 new spinal cord injuries occur each year, with the average age at time of injury increasing to 42 (from 29 in 1970).[2]  According to these statistics, the most frequent result of spinal cord injury is incomplete tetraplegia, although paraplegia and complete tetraplegia are not far behind.  Unfortunately, a very small percentage (less than 1%) of people who received spinal injuries experienced complete neurologic recovery.

What Causes Spinal Cord Injuries in Omaha?

Several different accident types can cause serious and irreversible spinal cord injuries in Omaha, Nebraska. The spine’s delicate nerves and neurons can suffer irreparable damage in many situations. Any blow to the back or neck in an accident or altercation could lead to a spinal cord injury. Some accidents more often result in spine injuries than others, however. If you believe someone contributed to your spinal cord injury, no matter what the circumstances, contact an injury lawyer.

Some spinal cord injuries stem from internal factors, such as cancers or diseases. Others occur due to medical malpractice. If a surgeon damages a delicate nerve in the spinal column, for example, the patient could suffer permanent effects. The cause of your spinal cord injury can determine other elements of your case, such as your deadline to bring a claim and rules for filing. A lawyer can help you identify the cause of your injury if you are unsure.

Paralysis after Spine Injury

The location of the spinal cord injury will determine any paralysis that occurs.  If the victim sustained an injury below the first thoracic spinal nerve, this will result in a loss of feeling in the torso.  Some paraplegics may be able to move their legs, although it varies from case to case.  Paraplegics will also have control of their arms and hands.  However, if the injury occurs above the first thoracic vertebra, quadriplegia, or tetraplegia will occur, which is the partial or total loss of all limbs and torso.  This type of paralysis can even affect an injured party’s ability to breath on their own.

Spine Injury Recovery

Spine injuries are extremely severe and can lead to a lifetime of ongoing medical assistance. Not only will the physical health of a spine injury victim be turned upside down, but the financial security of their family will also begin to suffer. One family member may have to quit their job in order to provide ongoing care to the victim of a spine injury as the cheaper alternative to hiring home health care.

However, the victim of a spine injury is entitled to bring personal injury claims for damages against the responsible party, seeking the following:

  • Medical expenses
  • Rehabilitation care
  • Ongoing medical treatment
  • Lost wages
  • Future earnings
  • Loss of companionship
  • Pain and suffering

Spine injuries have a lasting impact not only on the victim but their entire family unit. A court will take into consideration the current salary of the injured party at the time of the accident, their ability to perform work in the future, and the impact their salary had on the family. An experienced personal injury attorney will be able to assist you in calculating the proper amount of damages, including estimating the future expenses which will occur as the result of a spine injury. You should not be forced to cover years and decades’ worth of medical expenses due to the negligence of one person’s actions in causing the accident.

What Does a Spinal Cord Injury Cost Over a Lifetime?

One of the many distressing facts about suffering a spinal cord injury is that you and your family will have to find a way to pay for lifelong medical costs. The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center estimates the maximum lifetime expenses of a spinal cord injury to be $4,729,788 if the victim has high tetraplegia and sustained the injury at age 25.[3]

Even the lowest estimate – a patient with any level of motor function disability and an injury at 50 years old – will pay over $1 million in lifelong health care costs.

The exorbitant cost of a paralyzing spinal cord injury is why these catastrophic claims are often worth so much in the Omaha courts. A spinal injury attorney with experience in the courtroom could demonstrate a victim’s life-changing and traumatic spine injury to a judge and jury. Illustrating the significant impact the injury had on the victim’s life could result in a better payout. A judge may sympathize with the victim and award additional punitive damages, for example. Maximizing your case results may take hiring a lawyer from Knowles Law Firm.

The Knowles Law Firm | Omaha, Nebraska

If you or a loved one received a spine injury during a traumatic accident, do not hesitate to contact the attorneys at the Knowles Law Firm.  Our attorneys understand the difficult situation you have been put in as the result of the accident and will work tirelessly to ensure you receive the compensation you deserve for your injuries.  Your life was turned upside down in the span of a few seconds, and our attorneys will work together with medical experts and the court to prepare your claim for damages.  Contact our Omaha, Nebraska office today for your initial free consultation.

[1] http://wwwn.cdc.gov/nndss/conditions/spinal-cord-injury/case-definition/1990/

[2] https://www.nscisc.uab.edu/PublicDocuments/fact_figures_docs/Facts%202014.pdf

[3] https://www.nscisc.uab.edu/Public/Facts 2016.pdf

Attorney Robert M Knowles
About Our Attorney

Robert M. Knowles

Attorney & Partner at Knowles Law Firm

Robert has tried cases in both state and federal courts and was selected as one of the top 100 litigation lawyers in Nebraska for 2014 by the American Society of Legal Advocates. Less than 1.5 percent of lawyers nationally are selected for this recognition. He is rated AV by Martindale-Hubbell which is the highest rating an attorney can obtain. He was also selected by Martindale-Hubbell as a 2019 Top Rated Lawyer.

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