Truck accidents often leave victims with serious injuries, including injuries to the spine. A spinal cord injury is caused when trauma to the spinal cord crushes, fractures, or dislocates one or more of the spine’s vertebrae. When drivers operate their vehicles in a negligent manner by speeding, driving recklessly, or driving while intoxicated, for example, accidents occur. Annually truck accidents and other types of auto accidents account for over 40% of new spinal cord injuries in the United States. When the injury is to the spinal cord, the victim's life and the lives of the victim's family members are forever changed. Spinal cord injuries often cause the victim to lose significant amount of independence so that they have to depend on others to help with daily activities of living. In addition, spinal cord injuries can leave the victim with significant lifetime medical costs. If you or a family member suffered a spinal cord injury in a truck accident, car accident, or SUV accident due to the negligence of another person, you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries through a personal injury claim. Contact an experienced New York Truck Accidents Lawyer who will explain to you your legal rights and who will work hard to ensure that you receive the compensation to which you are entitled under New York law.
Causes of Truck AccidentsTruck accidents can be devastating to a victim and to the victim’s entire family. Because of the massive size of trucks even low impact, low speed accidents can have catastrophic results. Common types of truck accidents occur when a truck that has a trailer jack-knifes, causing the trailer to swing out to form a 90-degree angle. The trailer collides with other vehicles, sometimes causing multi-vehicle pile-ups leaving many injured. Truck accidents also occur when a truck's load was not properly secured. The load then shifts or even falls, causing an accident. Tire blow-outs on a truck driving at a high speed can cause the truck driver to lose control of the vehicle and end up in an accident. Truck accidents can leave devastating injuries such as a spinal cord injury, brain injury, broken bones, back injury, and all too often, death.
Spinal Cord Injury SymptomsThere are many types of spinal cord injuries including paraplegia, quadriplegia, anterior cord syndrome, posterior cord syndrome, central cord syndrome, and herniated disks. While some spinal cord injuries cause paralysis, paralysis is not the only symptom of an injury to the spinal cord. Other symptoms include pain in the back, neck or head, numbness, tingling, bladder or bowel dysfunction, and muscle spasticity.
Pursuing Compensation for a Spinal Cord InjuryA severe spinal injury requires a long, painful course of treatment and period of recovery. Victims face significant medical expenses including fees associated with emergency room treatment, the hospital stay, treatment by doctors, physical therapy, assistive equipment, and medication. To make matters worse, while you are recovering you will not be able to work and earn an income to pay for your medical expenses and support your family.
Fortunately, if your spinal cord injury was due to the accidental or intentional act of another person, under New York law you have the right to pursue compensation through a personal injury claim. You may be able to recover both past and future medical expenses including hospital bills, expenses for surgery, rehabilitation fees, and fees for prescription medication. You may also be able to recover the cost of assistive equipment such as a wheelchair as well as modifications to your home to make it accessible. Furthermore, you may be able to recover both lost wages, loss of future earning capacity and pain and suffering.
If the truck accident that resulted in your spinal cord injury was work-related, you may be entitled to workers’ compensation benefits. Compensation often comes in the form of medical expenses, lost income and benefits, loss of ability to earn, and more. However, it is important to know that worker’s compensation benefits are limited. Furthermore, just because the accident occurred at work does not necessarily mean that you are limited to the benefits available through workers’ compensation.
New York Truck Accidents LawyerIf you or a loved one was injured in a truck accident that resulted in a spinal cord injury, contact an experienced attorney who understands both the legal issues associated with personal injury cases and truck accident cases as well as the medical issues associated with injuries to the spine. The staff at Stephen Bilkis & Associates, PLLC is experienced in handling personal injury and wrongful death cases stemming from car, truck, SUV and motorcycle accidents. Contact us at 800.696.9529 to schedule a free, no obligation consultation regarding your case.