Experiencing a spinal cord injury creates a distinct “before and after” in your life. Life after the injury comes with so much uncertainty about your physical and emotional recovery and your ability to contribute to your family’s financial well-being. Regain a sense of control and stability by connecting with a personal injury lawyer serving Reston from The Pendleton Law Team.
Our firm has been fighting for injury victims since 2011. We have helped bring thousands of clients financial relief and justice after devastating losses. A spinal Cord Injury Lawyer serving Reston is ready to get to work for you. Your case is not just a number to us. We want the best for you and your family.
How Spinal Cord Injury Can Change Your Life
Spinal Cord Injuries (SCIs) are often among the most catastrophic injuries a person can experience. They can rob victims of physical abilities and elements of physiological functioning. As a result, victims often experience depression, anxiety, or other forms of psychological distress.
SCIs can take away your independence. You may not be able to move on your own. Caregivers may need to help you dress, eat, and get from one place to another. Some victims rely on medical apparatus to breathe or keep other body systems functioning artificially. If family members take on caregiving roles, relationships change and can become strained.
It’s easy to see how the long-term expenses of a spinal injury can quickly deplete a family’s resources and create financial instability or ruin. Even with the range in severity for SCIs, treatment comes at a high cost. There is often a need for surgeries, rehabilitation therapies, follow-up care, medications, and caregiving expenses, among other measures.
How Spinal Cord Injuries Happen
As explained by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, a Spinal Cord Injury occurs when there is damage to the “bundle of nerves and nerve fibers that sends and receives signals from the brain.” That bundle is the spinal cord, and it “extends from the lower part of the brain down through the lower back.”
Injuries can result from direct damage to the spinal cord or to the tissue and vertebrae surrounding it. Some of the most common causes of a spinal cord injury are:
- Motor-vehicle accidents
- Falls
- Engagement in recreational activities
- Incidents of medical malpractice
- Violent interactions
A spinal cord injury attorney handling claims in Reston can investigate your accident to determine its cause, then identify and hold the negligent party accountable.
Partner With a Spinal Cord Injury Attorney Serving Reston Promptly
To collect compensation for an SCI, you have to prove negligence was the cause of your injury. Proving negligence first requires showing the at-fault party owed you a duty of care. This is a legal obligation to uphold your safety. Drivers owe all others on the road this duty. Doctors owe it to their patients. Property owners owe it to those visiting their property.
Next, you have to show the at-fault party somehow failed to fulfill this obligation of safety. For example, an impaired driver might have caused a crash. You could be the victim of domestic violence or have gotten caught in the crossfire of someone else’s criminal activity. Perhaps a landlord failed to address an unsafe stairwell, and your fall caused the injury.
After that, you must show the breach of duty led to the accident and your subsequent spinal cord injury and other consequences. Proving the elements of negligence requires convincing evidence. The Pendleton Law Team can conduct an exhaustive investigation to compile that evidence.
Evidence That Supports Your Injury Claim
While victims can sometimes begin collecting evidence at the scene of an accident, this often isn’t possible for SCI victims. To be safe, you need to stay still until emergency care arrives and can move you without causing further damage.
You can support your claim by following your doctor’s orders and keeping all medical documentation. When you partner with a spinal cord injury lawyer serving Reston quickly, you give us the opportunity to collect other evidence while it’s still available. For example, a security, traffic, or dash cam may have recorded the accident. Witnesses may remember important details in those early days.
We can collect physical evidence from the site of the accident. Our team will speak to your medical team and other experts in the SCI field. We can also enlist analysis from accident reconstruction engineers. Testimony from your family and caregivers can all support your claim and provide specific details of how your injury has affected your life.
Virgínia’s Laws Can Affect Your Compensation
Virginia operates under a system of contributory negligence for injury claims, and your case can be affected by contributory negligence. The system denies victims who hold any fault for an accident the opportunity to seek damages. Being assigned even a small amount of blame could prevent you from getting the compensation you need to secure your future.
The Commonwealth also imposes a time limit on how long you have to file an injury claim. Per Virginia Code 8.01-243, you have two years. If your injury resulted from medical malpractice, you could have more time, but never more than ten years from the incident. For claims against a government entity, the deadline is shorter.
A fast connection with a spinal cord injury attorney managing cases in Reston strengthens your case. It increases the opportunity to collect evidence to prove the other side’s negligence and your lack of it. It also protects you from missing the statute of limitations. You should still reach out if you are afraid the deadline has passed. We can review your case for free and see if deadline extensions apply.
We Fight for Your Future
Thinking about your future can be terrifying after sustaining a spinal cord injury. The Pendleton Law Team is here to fight for your future. An aggressive, skilled spinal cord injury attorney serving Reston can manage every detail of your claim and will work to secure the highest compensation possible. We’ll work to get you financial justice and peace of mind.
