spinal cord injury

Have you or someone you love suffered a spinal injury in an accident that someone else caused? If so, you shouldn’t have to bear the financial burden of getting treatment and putting your life back together. Carcione, Henderson & Markowitz, LLP can pursue the financial recovery and accountability you deserve as you focus on healing and moving forward with your life.

Let us provide you with the professional, aggressive, and knowledgeable representation you deserve during this challenging time. Contact us today at (650) 367-6811 for a free consultation with a spinal cord injury lawyer. Your case review is fully confidential, and you pay nothing unless we successfully resolve your matter.

Why Choose Carcione, Henderson & Markowitz, LLP for Your Spine Injury Case?

A devastating spine injury can leave you needing significant financial resources to pay for your medical treatment and long-term care. However, getting these resources can be challenging, even when it’s clear that someone else is to blame for what happened. Turn to a San Mateo catastrophic injury attorney from Carcione, Henderson & Markowitz, LLP to help you seek compensation and justice after another party’s negligence has caused your spinal injury.

The following are what set us apart:

  • Our firm has over 45 years of experience representing victims of catastrophic injuries. Since 1981, our lawyers have worked diligently to protect the rights of those who have suffered life-altering accidents.
  • We have a proven track record of success, having recovered numerous multimillion-dollar recoveries for clients, including over $16 million for a Tuolumne County man who suffered a permanent spinal cord injury in a head-on auto collision. Although our past results cannot guarantee future success, our record speaks to our dedication to achieving the best possible outcomes for our clients.
  • Our team limits its caseload to focus on the clients we can best help and to ensure we devote our full effort and attention to everyone we serve.
  • We offer free, no-obligation consultations, and we charge no fees unless we win your case.

Our determination to provide the best legal representation and service to our clients has earned us the trust and respect of many of the people we have worked with. As one client wrote about their experiences with our firm:

“I had a great experience working with Carcione, Henderson & Markowitz, LLP. They helped me file a lawsuit against a company and ultimately secured significant compensation for me. At the beginning, I had no knowledge about the legal process and didn’t even realize I was entitled to compensation for certain items. Their team took the time to guide me through every step, explaining everything clearly and making sure I understood my options. They were very professional, responsive, and detail-oriented throughout the entire process. I felt well-supported from start to finish, and they handled everything efficiently. We were able to win the case without unnecessary stress or complications. I’m very grateful for their help and would highly recommend them to anyone in need of legal assistance.” 

– Scot Zhao

Understanding Spinal Cord Trauma: Complete vs. Incomplete Injuries, Paraplegia, and Tetraplegia

A spinal cord injury can alter a person’s ability to control their arms and legs. The degree of paralysis caused by spinal cord trauma will depend on the nature of the injury and its location on the spinal cord. Doctors classify spinal cord injuries as incomplete and complete. An incomplete spinal cord injury occurs when a person retains some feeling and function below the location of the injury. However, a complete spinal cord injury involves the total loss of feeling and function below the injury.

The extent of paralysis can also classify a spinal cord injury. When a person has paralysis from a spinal cord injury in the abdominal region, pelvis, or legs, doctors classify it as paraplegia. However, when a person has paralysis from the neck or shoulders down, affecting the arms, upper torso, and legs, they have tetraplegia or quadriplegia.

The True Lifetime Cost of a Spinal Cord Injury: Why Accurate Valuation Requires Specialized Life Care Planners

Catastrophic spinal cord injuries can have life-changing consequences for people, especially when injuries leave accident victims with permanent paralysis. A person who has suffered paralysis from a spinal injury may require a lifetime of specialized care and support to manage medical needs and regain independence.

According to the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, the cost of a spinal injury that affects motor function at any level will cost almost $350,000 in its first year and over $42,000 in each subsequent year. Those costs rise to over $1 million in the first year and almost $185,000 in each subsequent year for cases of high tetraplegia.

Assessing long-term care requirements for a spinal cord injury may require analysis from experts in medicine, vocational rehabilitation, and life care planning. These experts can help develop an accurate valuation of lifetime care expenses to ensure that an injury claim seeks a financial recovery that covers those costs. A spine injury lawyer in San Mateo, CA from Carcione, Henderson & Markowitz, LLP also has the in-depth experience in spinal trauma cases to understand your future medical and personal needs to ensure we pursue full compensation.

Common Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries in San Mateo

Spinal cord injuries can occur when a person suffers a violent blow to the body or when something severs the nerve fibers in the spinal cord. Some of the more common causes of spinal cord injuries include the following:

What to Do After a Spinal Cord Injury

When you’ve had a spinal cord injury, you can protect your legal options to seek financial recovery for your injury by taking the following critical steps:

  • Following your doctors’ treatment recommendations and recovery instructions
  • Gathering copies of your medical records
  • Keeping all records of medical and long-term care expenses
  • Collecting your pre-injury pay stubs or income statements
  • Organizing and preserving all evidence you may have from the accident, such as police reports, incident reports, video footage, or eyewitness information

Finally, contact a paralysis lawyer in San Mateo County to discuss the details of your case and to learn whether you may have a claim to compensation from those who bear liability for your injury and losses.

Who Can Be Held Liable for Your Spinal Cord Injury?

You may have legal claims against several different parties who bear liability for the losses you incur due to your spinal cord injury, depending on the circumstances of the accident. For example, after a car crash, you might have a claim against the at-fault driver, and potentially the driver’s employer if the accident occurred in the course of their job. Another instance is if you have a spinal injury from an accident caused by a defective product, you may have a claim against the manufacturer.

What Compensation Can You Seek in a Spinal Cord Injury Claim?

Spinal cord trauma compensation in CA can provide you with financial recovery for losses you incur due to your injury, including the following:

  • Medical treatment and rehabilitation
  • Long-term disability care
  • Home renovations to install accommodations
  • Assistive equipment
  • Lost wages or income from missed work during recovery
  • Lost future earning potential due to disabilities
  • Physical pain and anguish from the injury and subsequent treatment
  • Emotional distress and lost quality of life

How Much Is a San Mateo Spinal Cord Injury Case Worth?

Although no one can guarantee how much you might recover in your spinal cord injury case, various factors can affect the value of a spinal injury case, such as the following:

  • The nature and severity of your injury
  • The course and duration of your treatment and rehabilitation
  • Your ultimate medical prognosis
  • The number of parties at fault for your injury
  • The availability of insurance coverage
  • Whether you share any responsibility for the accident that caused your injury

How Long Do You Have to File a Spinal Cord Injury Claim in California?

In California, the law imposes a deadline for filing a lawsuit after suffering an injury due to another party’s wrongful act or negligence. This deadline, called the statute of limitations, requires you to file a lawsuit within two (2) years of sustaining a spinal cord injury in an accident or incident caused by another party. If you file suit after this deadline expires, the court can permanently dismiss your case.

Don’t wait until it’s too late – speak to a San Mateo personal injury attorney from Carcione, Henderson & Markowitz, LLP as soon as possible to preserve your right to seek compensation.

How Much Does It Cost to Hire a San Mateo Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer?

Spinal cord injuries are expensive, and you’re no doubt worried about the cost of hiring legal representation on top of your medical treatment and ongoing care. However, a tetraplegia accident lawyer in San Mateo typically works under a contingency fee agreement.

In a contingency fee arrangement, an injured client pays nothing up front to hire the attorney. Instead, the attorney gets paid only if they recover compensation for their client in a settlement or at trial. Your lawyer will bear the risks of pursuing your claim so you don’t have to; they will receive an agreed-upon percentage of the total recovery.