Did you or a family member sustain a spinal cord injury in Tampa, FL? An experienced Tampa spinal cord injury lawyer at Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers can fight to protect your legal rights. You may deserve significant compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
Since 1996, we’ve been putting our skills to work for accident victims in the Tampa Bay area. We’ve helped our clients recover over $200 million in compensation--and counting.
We offer a free consultation to all potential clients. Call our Tampa, Florida law offices at (727) 787-2500 anytime, day or night, to schedule yours.
How Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help With a Spinal Cord Injury Claim in Tampa
Spinal cord injuries can cause the most extreme complications imaginable. You may have to undergo painful medical treatment and rehabilitation to regain even basic functions. Some victims never return to their “normal” lives.
If someone else was responsible for these dramatic changes, you deserve to hold them accountable. Spinal cord damage often leads to high-dollar settlements. You can expect insurance companies to fight hard to avoid paying fair compensation. Our Tampa personal injury lawyers are here to fight for you.
Our lawyers at Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers are Board Certified in personal injury law and have over 60 years of combined experience. That means we understand the legal process in-depth and know what it takes to negotiate the highest possible settlement with the insurance company.
Hiring Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers means your lawyer will:
- Investigate and gather evidence to support your claim
- Consult with experts to help us determine causation and liability
- Assess the true value of your injury claim
- Challenge any allegations that you caused your own injuries
- Negotiate with the insurance companies and defense lawyers to maximize your compensation award
Recovering fair compensation can make an important difference in your recovery. Our personal injury lawyers in Tampa, FL know the stakes are high. We’ll do everything possible to make sure you walk away with the money you deserve.
Ready to learn more? Call for a free consultation today.
Overview of Spinal Cord Injuries
The spinal cord is a column of nerves, cells, tissue, and bone that extends from the base of the brain to the tailbone. The nerves and cells are protected by three layers of tissue, called “meninges.'' The rings of bone surrounding the nerves and meninges are called vertebrae.
The spinal cord is responsible for sending signals from the brain throughout the rest of the body. Because of this, when the spinal column is damaged, the injury typically manifests in another area of the body.
Complete vs. Incomplete Spinal Cord Injuries
Initially, all spinal cord injuries are classified as complete or incomplete. With a complete injury, the victim suffers a complete loss of function below the level of injury.
If the injury is incomplete, you may retain some level of sensation or function below the injury. The level of function depends on the severity of the damage. Some victims retain some motor function. Others may retain sensation in some body parts but be unable to move them.
Types of Spinal Cord Injury
The spine is divided into four primary regions. Each region is made up of several different vertebrae, including:
- Cervical spine, beginning at the base of the skull (C1-C7)
- Thoracic spine, which sits below the cervical spine in the upper and middle back (T1-T12)
- Lumbar spine, located in the lower back (L1-L5)
- Sacral spine, which is a triangular-shaped bone located at the base of the spinal cord (S1-S5)
The type and severity of the injury will depend upon the area that is damaged.
What are the Signs and Symptoms of Spinal Cord Injuries?
The signs and symptoms of spinal cord damage can vary dramatically. If you experience any of these symptoms, it’s important to seek medical attention--especially if you’ve recently been involved in an accident:
- Muscle weakness
- Loss of muscle movement or feeling in the chest, arms, or legs
- Difficulty breathing
- Loss of sensation or tingling in the hands or feet
- Acute pain in the neck or back
- Problems with balance or difficulty walking
If you suffered a spinal cord injury in an accident, our lawyers are here to fight for you. Call our personal injury law firm to schedule a free case evaluation with an experienced attorney today.
What are the Long-Term Consequences of Spinal Cord Injuries?
The long-term consequences of a spinal cord injury depend largely upon the location of the injury.
Damage to the cervical spine tends to cause the most severe long-term consequences. Victims can suffer:
- Quadriplegia (paralysis from the neck down)
- Respiratory problems
- Inability to regulate bodily functions, such as heart rate, blood pressure, and metabolism
- Digestive problems
Damage to the thoracic spine can cause paraplegia, or paralysis from the waist down. Additional long-term consequences may include:
- Loss of bladder and bowel function
- Changes in sexual function
- Loss of fertility
- Diminished sensation and loss of muscle strength in the limbs
- Chronic pain caused by nerve damage
- Extreme spasms
Even when victims of spinal cord injuries retain their ability to move, the consequences can change a life forever. If someone else was responsible, you deserve to be compensated.
Our Tampa spinal cord injury attorneys at Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers are prepared to handle even the most complex injury claim. Give us a call today to learn more about how we can help you pursue the fair compensation you deserve.
What Causes Most Spinal Cord Injuries?
Spinal cord injuries can happen in many different ways. Often, someone else’s careless acts or negligence are the root cause of a spinal injury.
Some of the most common causes of spinal cord injuries include:
- Slip and fall accidents
- Motor vehicle accidents, including car accidents, motorcycle accidents, bicycle accidents, and pedestrian accidents
- Trucking accidents
- Sports and recreation accidents
- Violence
- Construction accidents
- Workplace accidents
- Dog bites
- Birth injuries
- Defective products
- Medical malpractice
Any type of traumatic blow can cause a spine injury. In many cases, the damage may continue to worsen in the days following the accident due to bleeding, swelling, or inflammation.
How Much Is a Spinal Cord Injury Case Worth in Tampa?
How much is a spinal cord injury case worth in Tampa? There is no cap on damages in a Florida spinal cord injury claim. You can recover the full value of your economic and non-economic losses, including the lifetime cost of your care. Those future care costs are documented in a life care plan and submitted as economic damages.
Because spinal cord injuries often require care for the rest of a person's life, these claims are among the highest-value personal injury cases in Florida. The value of your case depends on:
- The level and completeness of your injury, and your long-term prognosis
- The projected lifetime cost of your medical care, attendant care, and equipment
- How the injury affects your ability to work and your future earning capacity
- The long-term impact of your injury on your quality of life
- The trauma you've suffered, including emotional suffering
- Available insurance coverage and whether more than one party is liable
Two limits can affect recovery. Punitive damages, which are awarded only in cases involving intentional misconduct or gross negligence, are subject to statutory caps.
Claims against government entities are limited by Florida's sovereign immunity law to $200,000 per person and $300,000 per incident, unless the Legislature approves a claim bill for the excess.
How a Life Care Plan Proves Your Future Costs
A life care plan is a detailed report estimating the cost of every medical service and support you are expected to need over your lifetime. It is usually prepared by a certified life care planner working with your doctors and rehabilitation specialists. A typical plan for a spinal cord injury covers:
- Future surgeries, hospitalizations, and physician care
- Physical, occupational, and respiratory therapy
- Attendant care and in-home nursing
- Wheelchairs, mobility devices, and their replacement over time
- Home and vehicle modifications
- Medications and medical supplies
- Treatment for foreseeable complications, such as pressure sores, infections, and respiratory problems
An economist then calculates the present value of those costs, and the total is presented as future economic damages. Florida law restricts what evidence can be used to prove medical expenses, so the plan has to be built with those rules in mind from the start.
For catastrophic injuries, lifetime care costs alone can reach into the millions of dollars.
Insurance companies will go to great lengths to diminish the value of your claim, often by attacking the life care plan itself.
Our lawyers work with qualified life care planners, medical experts, and economists to document your future needs and defend them against insurer challenges.
What Compensation Can I Recover for My Spinal Cord Injuries in Tampa, Florida?
Our lawyers at Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers will fight to recover damages to compensate for your economic and non-economic losses.
Your economic damages should compensate for all past and future costs, including:
- Past and future medical expenses, including hospitalization, doctor’s visits, medication, and more
- Lost wages
- Lost future earning capacity
- Physical therapy
- Rehabilitation
- Long-term care
- Medical devices
- Home modifications and in-home assistance
- Added transportation costs and vehicle modifications
- Property damage
We’ll also work to put a dollar value on your non-economic losses.
We’ll fight to recover compensation for your:
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Depression and anxiety
- PTSD
- Diminished quality of life
- Loss of your independence
- Loss of consortium
Serious spinal cord injuries can be catastrophic or fatal. If you’ve lost a loved one in an accident, our lawyers can help you file a wrongful death lawsuit to recover additional damages.
How Long Do I Have to File a Spinal Cord Injury Lawsuit in Florida?
The Florida statute of limitations in personal injury cases is generally two years. If you don’t file a personal injury lawsuit within two years of your accident, you’ll forfeit your right to seek compensation.
Florida personal injury cases used to have a four-year statutory deadline, but the law changed on March 24, 2023. Thus, you're subject to the two-year deadline if your spinal cord injury in Tampa happened after that date. If your injury happened before 3/24/23, you'll likely have four years to pursue your claim.
The statute of limitations in medical malpractice and wrongful death cases is two years.
Before we go to court, we’ll always work to negotiate a fair settlement with the insurance companies. We can get started right away, even if you’re still receiving treatment. To learn more, call our law firm today.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tampa Spinal Cord Injury Claims
Is there a cap on damages in a Florida spinal cord injury case?
No. Florida does not cap economic or non-economic damages in a spinal cord injury claim against a private party. You can recover medical costs, lost income, and pain and suffering without an arbitrary limit. The exceptions are punitive damages, which are capped by statute, and claims against government entities, which are limited by sovereign immunity.
What is a life care plan in a spinal cord injury case?
A life care plan is an expert report that projects the cost of all the medical care, equipment, and support you will need for the rest of your life. In a Florida spinal cord injury claim, it is the main evidence used to prove future medical expenses. Those costs are recoverable as economic damages.
Can I recover compensation if I was partly at fault for my spinal cord injury?
Yes, as long as you were not more than 50% at fault. Florida uses a modified comparative negligence rule. Your compensation is reduced by your percentage of fault, but if you are found more than 50% responsible, you cannot recover damages. Insurers often use this rule to shift blame, so it is important to have evidence of what actually happened.
How long do I have to file a spinal cord injury lawsuit in Tampa?
For most negligence claims arising after March 24, 2023, you have two years from the date of the injury to file a lawsuit in Florida. Medical malpractice and wrongful death claims also generally have two-year deadlines. Claims against government entities have additional written notice requirements, so speak with a lawyer as soon as possible.
How long does a spinal cord injury case take to settle?
Most spinal cord injury cases take longer than typical injury claims. This is because the full extent of the injury and your future care needs must be understood before the case can be valued accurately. Settling too early can mean accepting far less than your lifetime costs. Cases that go to trial take longer still.
Should I accept the insurance company's first settlement offer?
Usually not. Early offers in spinal cord injury cases rarely account for lifetime care costs, lost earning capacity, or future complications. Once you accept a settlement, you cannot reopen the claim if your needs turn out to be greater. Have an attorney review any offer before you sign.
Can I sue if a government vehicle or public property caused my spinal cord injury?
Yes, but different rules apply. Florida's sovereign immunity law allows claims against state and local government entities. However, it limits payment to $200,000 per person and $300,000 per incident unless the Legislature approves more through a claim bill. These claims also require written notice to the agency before a lawsuit can be filed.
Contact a Tampa Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer for a Free Consultation
If you’ve suffered an injury to your spinal cord, call Roman Austin Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation today. An experienced personal injury lawyer in Tampa, FL is standing by to help you fight for the maximum compensation you deserve.