New York Motorcycle Accident

A motorcyclist who is thrown from a motorcycle or collides with a car or truck at a high rate of speed may experience potentially life-altering injuries, including injuries to the spine. Annually vehicle accidents account for nearly half of new spinal cord injuries in the United States. A spinal cord injury is caused when trauma to the spinal cord crushes, fractures, or dislocates one or more of the spine’s vertebrae. A spinal cord injury can lead to permanent paralysis, changing your life forever. Even when a helmet is worn, motorcyclists sometimes experience serious trauma to the head, back or neck leading to a spinal cord injury or brain injury. 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 motorcycle accident, car accident, truck 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 Motorcycle 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.

There 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:

• Pressure or pain in the back, head or neck
• Poor coordination
• Difficulty walking
• Tingling or numbness in the hands, fingers, feet or toes
• Bladder or bowel problems
• Difficulty in breathing
• Muscle spasticity

A 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 motorcycle 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.

Beware that New York law has a specific time limit for filing a claim for a personal injury. If you do not file your claim within the time period, you will be forever barred from collecting damages even if your case has merit. In addition, if the party responsible for your injury was a government entity then there are special procedures you must follow to file a claim.

If you were injured in a motorcycle accident that resulted in a spinal cord injury, contact an experienced attorney who understands both the legal issues associated with personal injury cases and motorcycle 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.