Evidence in Spinal Cord Injury Cases

Spinal cord injuries can result in serious symptoms such as tingling, loss of sensation, numbness and paralysis. Paralysis can occur quickly or develop over time; it can occur when inflammation and bleeding from an injury impacts the spinal cord and places pressure on the neck, head, or back. If you suffered injuries through the fault of another, you should call the seasoned Syracuse spinal cord injury lawyers of DeFrancisco & Falgiatano Personal Injury Attorneys.

Spinal cord injuries may permanently alter how you live. These types of injuries can result in long-term changes to your strength, sensation, bowel movements, urination, and motor coordination. They can alter your emotional wellbeing and social contact. The ability to control your limbs after a spinal cord injury will depend on where the injury occurred on your spinal cord, the neurological level of the injury, and how severe or complete the injury is. While scientists hope that repair of spinal cord damage will eventually be possible, the research is ongoing, and existing treatments, medical equipment and medication are expensive, which can place pressure on accident victims and their families.

The circumstances under which you suffered a spinal cord injury will determine whether our Syracuse lawyers can establish the defendant or defendants’ liability for the accident. For instance, if you suffered a spinal cord injury as the result of a car crash, we may need to establish another driver’s negligence; we would need to show you were owed a duty of reasonable care that the other driver breached, and that this breach caused your injuries.

Evidence to support liability could include testimony, medical bills, percipient or eyewitness testimony, and expert testimony from an accident reconstruction specialist. On the other hand, if you suffered a spinal cord injury due to medical malpractice, we would likely need to show that your health care provider deviated from the professional standard of care, thereby causing your injuries. Evidence to establish liability could include medical records, medical bills.

The extent of harm done to your spinal cord will determine whether you can recover damages. Among the symptoms are loss of bowel and bladder control, loss of movement, exaggerated reflexes, alterations to sexual function, difficulty breathing or clearing secretions from the lungs, balancing challenges, impaired breathing, a twisted neck or back, pain, and stinging.

If our lawyers can prove liability by a preponderance of the evidence, or evidence that shows it is more likely than not your version of events is true and creates legal responsibilities, we may be able to recover compensatory, and in some cases, punitive, damages. Any damages we claim on your behalf must be supported by evidence; they cannot be speculative. Proof of the harm done to your spine may include medical records including lab tests and imaging studies, receipts, testimony, and other documentation. However, in addition to economic damages, our lawyers may also recover noneconomic damages on your behalf. To award these, a jury would look at what intangible harms would naturally flow from injuries of the kind you suffered. The more catastrophic a spinal cord injury you suffered, the larger the award is likely to be.

If you suffered spinal cord injuries, you should call the seasoned Syracuse spinal injury attorneys of DeFrancisco & Falgiatano Personal Injury Attorneys. With more than 30 years of experience seeking best results, we represent clients with spinal cord injuries in Wampsville, Watertown, Herkimer, Utica, Rochester, Albany, Canandaigua, Cooperstown, Binghamton, Lowville, Auburn, Buffalo, Oneida, Oswego, Lyons, Ithaca, Elmira, and all of Upstate New York. For a free consultation, complete our online form or call us at 833-200-2000.