Who Can Be Held Liable for a Spinal Cord Injury in Colorado?

Spinal cord injuries can be devastating. Not only does a spinal cord injury victim experience pain, suffering, and an uncertain future, but the victim’s family suffers as well. If you’ve suffered such an injury, we know that you are going through significant physical pain. But we know that you are also experiencing mental and emotional hardship as you grapple with the potentially life-altering changes that accompany such trauma. Holding all parties responsible for a spinal cord injury accountable is vital to ensuring that you and your family receive a full and just settlement. 

At Sloat, Nicholson & Hoover, P.C., our lawyers have decades of experience holding people responsible for their actions that cause severe, debilitating, and permanent spinal cord injuries. When you engage our law firm, you are enlisting the help of a group that has recovered over $100 million for our clients since we opened our doors. We have the knowledge, ability, and passion needed to get you the compensation you deserve.

What Is a Spinal Cord Injury?

Technically, any injury to the spinal cord or the nerves at the end of the spinal canal is a spinal cord injury. Injuries to these areas often cause significant pain, weakness, and loss of sensation. They can even cause paralysis below the site of the injury. A spinal cord injury can occur from a sudden and traumatic blow to your spine or any injury that severs the spinal cord. Spinal cord injury victims often experience increased damage after the initial injury due to bleeding, inflammation, and accumulation of spinal cord fluid.

Doctors describe spinal cord injuries as complete or incomplete. If you have a complete spinal cord injury, you lose all feeling and ability to control your limbs below the injury. An incomplete spinal cord injury means you have some feeling and motor control below the location of the injury. 

Having a spinal cord injury often makes going about your daily life incredibly difficult. You now have to rely on others to do the things you once took for granted. You may need others to feed you, change you, and help you go to the bathroom. Also, anyone paralyzed from a spinal cord injury may experience pressure or bed sores and develop circulation and breathing problems. Generalized muscle and nerve pain are common complaints, as is sexual dysfunction. Spinal cord injury victims often experience significant depression as a result of these negative consequences converging and possibly worsening over time.

Spinal Cord Injury Liability

Who can be held liable for a spinal cord injury? To determine that, it’s best to speak with a lawyer because there could be multiple responsible parties.

Spinal cord injuries usually occur because of sudden trauma. Car and motorcycle accidents account for almost half of the spinal cord injuries that happen each year. Falls, gunshot wounds, and sports injuries also contribute to spinal cord injuries. 

Any person or entity that played a role in the incident that caused your spinal cord injury could bear some liability. For instance, if a negligent driver hurt you in a car accident, the most obvious responsible person is the negligent driver. But did you know that others could also carry some blame? 

Here are some examples:

• A restaurant could be liable for spinal cord injuries sustained in a drunk-driving car wreck because the bartender over-served the driver;
• A landowner could be responsible for failing to secure their premises if you were attacked while on their property; or
• A product manufacturer could have liability for selling a defective product that contributed to your spinal cord injury.

There are many more examples; these are just a few. It is important to remember that every case is different. A skilled injury lawyer from our firm can thoroughly assess your case to determine every potentially liable party.

Types of Damages in a Spinal Cord Injury Case

You can recover a financial award for economic and non-economic damages in Colorado. Economic damages entail medical expenses, future medical expenses, lost earnings or wages, future loss of economic gain, and the replacement value of any damaged property. 

Non-economic damages include pain and suffering, mental anguish, and psychological trauma. 

We Can Help

At Sloat, Nicholson & Hoover, P.C., we offer free consultations and do not charge a fee unless we successfully recover damages for you and your family. We are a group of deeply committed attorneys who work tirelessly to get our clients the best outcomes and the most compensation possible. We have over 100 years of combined experience that we can put to use to help you today. So don’t hesitate. Call us at 800-873-3202 for more information.