The Ultimate DC Car Accident Guide
Have you been injured in a car accident in Washington, D.C.? You may be wondering what to do next, especially if you are dealing…
Because the spinal cord is part of our central nervous system, spinal cord injuries interfere with communication between the brain and other parts of the body. Paralysis, whether partial or complete, often results from such injuries. Victims may find their lives turned upside down, unsure of what to do next. Compensation recovered through an injury claim may provide an essential lifeline to injury victims and their families after a serious accident. If your spinal cord injury was caused by someone else, you may have the right to bring a claim for compensation. Contact a dedicated Washington, D.C. spinal cord injury lawyer from our firm today to learn more about what we can do for you.
Our team is here to explain your options and how you can start seeking justice today. We’ve helped over a thousand happy clients find justice after suffering a severe injury caused by someone else’s negligence. Reach out to a dedicated Washington, D.C. injury lawyer from our firm now to see how we can help you, too. Simeone & Miller, LLP is proud to serve injury victims in Washington, D.C., and throughout the nation.
The spinal cord is relatively fragile, protected only by our vertebrae. A traumatic impact or puncture wound can damage its tissues easily. These cells, when they die, cannot replicate like other cells. This is why an injury to the spinal cord often will not fully heal—once a cell is destroyed, it (and the functions it fulfilled) is lost forever.
The most common causes of spinal cord injury are:
If you believe your injury was caused by another party’s negligence or purposeful wrongful action, our attorneys can investigate your claim. We want to help you find any compensation you may be able to recover.
Because spinal cord injuries are so serious, patients are eligible to recover multiple types of damages from at-fault parties. Depending on the severity of your injury and factors in your life, we can help you determine what a fair settlement looks like.
It may include expenses like:
Treatment and other losses from a spinal cord injury may exceed $1 million in the first year after an injury and reach tens or even hundreds of thousands in the years following. Insurers, well aware of the challenges spinal cord injury patients face, often try to convince patients to accept settlements that are much lower than they deserve.
Our attorneys work with medical and life care consultants to lay out the full extent of our clients’ injury costs so we can demonstrate, to an insurance adjuster or a judge and jury, what fair compensation really requires.
Aside from helping you understand the amount of compensation you should expect in a fair offer, our attorneys can provide other valuable services to your spinal cord injury claim.
Washington, D.C. is one of the few places in the U.S. that evaluates injury cases under contributory negligence rules. This means if a plaintiff was at all to blame for their injuries, they may be ineligible to recover any compensation. When you’re facing severe losses after a spinal cord injury, winning a settlement or verdict may literally be a financial lifeline.
There are exceptions to the doctrine of contributory negligence, including specific exceptions in many jurisdictions for:
All other accident victims must prove the defendant was solely responsible for their injuries. Our attorneys can investigate the facts and circumstances of your accident and gather the evidence you need to support you on this point.
Filing an injury claim involves significant back-and-forth with the insurance company that insures the at-fault party. Dealing with paperwork and phone calls while trying to recover from a severe injury takes more energy than many patients have.
Furthermore, insurance adjusters may try to lead you into making unclear statements they can use to raise questions about whether you shared fault for an accident. They are not afraid to use your words against you, and the wrong statement can cause a court to consider you ineligible to file a claim at all.
Our attorneys know how to speak clearly and concisely on your behalf to avoid any potential for misinterpretation. We also know how to keep your claim moving, should an insurance adjuster attempt to stall so they can frustrate you. Such tactics are unfortunately common among these professionals, but we do not let them stand in the way of our clients’ claims.
The team at Simeone & Miller, LLP understands how to use your story and the evidence we’ve gathered to negotiate with insurance adjusters for a fair settlement. Most accident victims have never dealt with an insurance company in this way before, which means they are at a disadvantage.
Our attorneys are professionals who have handled thousands of injury claims, and we know how to prove a client’s case and stand strong to get the settlement they need. We are also ready to litigate your claim if the insurance company refuses to offer a settlement you find acceptable.
Filing a lawsuit is sometimes the only way to get an insurance adjuster to take your case seriously. Whether they take the threat of litigation as motivation to improve their settlement offer or we are forced to take your case to court, we are ready to do whatever it takes for you.
After a life-changing injury, it can be difficult to figure out what your future may look like. Recovering compensation can give you a financial safety net as you heal and determine what your new day-to-day will be.
It can also help you continue to care for yourself and your loved ones despite having to take a lower-paying job or no longer being able to work at all. If you or a loved one has suffered a spinal cord injury, our team wants to help you find justice by filing an injury claim.
Our compassionate attorneys care about helping you obtain the justice you need. Reach out to a spinal cord injury lawyer today to learn your legal rights and options if you were seriously injured in an accident.
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