When an accident results in an injury to the spinal cord, the victim can experience the effects for a lifetime. At The Fine Law Firm, our lawyers are dedicated to helping spinal cord injury victims and their families seek justice and fair compensation when someone else’s actions are responsible for the injury. Contact us to discuss your legal rights in detail with our attorneys in Hobbs during a free consultation.
Why Select The Fine Law Firm?
- We have over 50 years of personal injury case experience in Hobbs. Our attorneys understand the details and nuances of spinal cord injury cases in Hobbs.
- Our law firm has a long track record of success, with millions of dollars secured in settlements and verdicts for our clients. Clients trust us when case results matter most.
- We operate our law firm on a contingency fee basis, meaning you won’t be charged anything for our services unless we win your spinal cord injury case.
How Can a Hobbs Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer Help?
If you or a loved one gets diagnosed with a spinal cord injury after a traumatic accident in Hobbs, hiring a team of personal injury lawyers can be transformative to your legal experience. Your lawyer can help you understand your rights, seek justice through an insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit, and negotiate for the financial compensation you deserve for a serious injury.
An insurance company may try to take advantage of you, but a lawyer will work for you and you alone. You can trust your lawyer to pursue the best possible case results while you focus on your medical care and healing. A law firm will have the resources to investigate the incident, determine fault, collect evidence, hire medical and accident reconstruction experts, take on an insurer on your behalf, and bring your case to court, if necessary.
What Is a Spinal Cord Injury?
The spinal cord transfers messages from the brain to the body through a bundle of nerves that run down the center of the back. The spine includes a column of vertebrae, cushion-like disks in between each vertebra, muscles and soft tissues, and nerves.
There are five parts of the spine; from bottom to top, they are the coccyx (tailbone), sacrum, lumbar spine, thoracic spine and cervical spine. A spinal cord injury describes harm or damage to any part of the spine.
The effects of a spinal injury on the victim will depend on the location and severity of the damage. Common symptoms include muscle weakness, loss of movement, loss of or altered sensations, muscle spasms, loss of bowel/bladder control, chronic back pain, and trouble breathing.
Common Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries are classified based on the type of injury and the location on the spinal column. Common types of spine injuries suffered in traumatic accidents in New Mexico include spinal cord concussion, contusion, compression, tears or lacerations, partial or complete severing (transection), bulging or herniated disks, neck injuries, and nerve damage.
Major spine injuries can result in paralysis, or the loss of feeling and function from the point of injury down. Damage to the upper portions of the spine can result in quadriplegia (paralysis of all four limbs and the trunk of the body), while lower spine injuries can cause paraplegia (paralysis from the waist down).
What Accidents Cause a Spinal Cord Injury?
Serious damage to the spinal cord can occur in a wide range of accident types in Hobbs, New Mexico. Sudden trauma that impacts the spine, such as an object hitting or piercing the spine, can cause irreversible damage.
The most common causes of spine injuries include:
- Motor vehicle accidents
- Bicycle and pedestrian collisions
- Serious falls
- Workplace or construction accidents
- Medical malpractice
- Contact sports or recreational activities
- Acts of violence
Many spinal cord injuries in New Mexico are caused by negligence, or someone’s failure to exercise a reasonable degree of care. In these situations, the injured victim has the right to seek financial compensation to be made whole again through a personal injury claim with a qualified Albuquerque spinal cord injury lawyer. Learn how our attorneys can help victims recover compensation regardless of where they were injured in the New Mexico area.
Do You Have Grounds for a Spinal Cord Injury Claim?
A spinal cord injury claim in Hobbs requires proof that the injury could have – and should have – been prevented. If one or more parties caused or contributed to the spine injury through an act of negligence, the victim may be eligible for financial compensation through a personal injury claim. In a spinal cord injury case, the burden of proof is placed on the victim or plaintiff.
The elements of negligence that must be proven are:
- Duty of care: the accused party (defendant) had a legal responsibility or obligation to act with an ordinary degree of care to prevent harm to the victim.
- Breach of duty: the defendant committed an act or omission that represented a breach or violation of the required standard of care.
- Causation: the defendant’s act of negligence was the actual or proximate cause of the plaintiff’s spinal cord injury.
- Damages: the plaintiff suffered specific, compensable losses because of the accident and spinal cord injury, such as medical bills.
Evidence of these four elements can lead to a strong personal injury claim that results in financial compensation for a variety of related losses, such as past and future medical bills, lost wages and future capacity to earn due to a disability, pain and suffering, property damage, and loss of enjoyment of life.
What Is the Statute of Limitations on a Hobbs Spinal Cord Injury Case?
If you wish to seek justice by filing a spinal cord injury claim in Hobbs, you must do so before the expiration of your statute of limitations. A statute of limitations is a law in New Mexico that gives a strict deadline on the right to file a personal injury claim.
In most cases, the statute of limitations is three years from the date of the harmful accident or the date that you discovered you had a spine injury. However, you may have more or less time to file, depending on the circumstances. Consult with an attorney as soon as possible to avoid missing your filing time window.
Request Your Free Case Evaluation in Hobbs Today
After suffering a spinal cord injury in any type of preventable accident in Hobbs, contact The Fine Law Firm to discuss your legal rights and options with one of our knowledgeable and compassionate attorneys. Our lawyers have over 100 years of combined experience in personal injury law and have been helping accident victims recover in New Mexico since 1975. Call (505) 889-3463 today to schedule your free case evaluation in Hobbs.