By C. James Williams III, Principal — Burnett & Williams
Being involved in a car accident, truck accident, or other motor vehicle accident can change your life in an instant. One small mistake or negligent action can cause a spinal cord injury for the victim that could severely affect their quality of life. After a catastrophic injury, the goal of any victim is to rebuild their life, and while this can be easier said than done, there are a variety of resources available to victims, starting with experienced spinal cord injury attorneys in Virginia.
The first thing an accident victim must do to maximize their chances of returning to normal life is to seek medical help right away. With many accident-related injuries, the key to a full and speedy rehabilitation is quick intervention.
If you delay seeking medical care, you could risk exacerbating the injury through day-to-day activities and strain. It is important to seek medical care even if you don’t think your injuries are severe. Several types of injuries, such as spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, or whiplash, can go undetected and can only be diagnosed by a medical professional.
Beyond seeking medical care, injury victims will likely want to pursue legal recourse for their spine injury damages. Thankfully, the legal system gives victims legal options to pursue compensation from the negligent party and their insurance company by filing a personal injury claim. Often, these personal injury claims are paid out via a settlement out of court; however, if the victim and the insurance company cannot agree on a fair amount of compensation, the case may proceed to court to be heard by a judge and/or jury.
Important Tips for Spinal Cord Injury Cases
When a spinal injury occurs due to someone else’s negligence, you shouldn’t have to suffer financially for it. The core of a personal injury settlement or jury award is reimbursement for the hard costs you have faced because of your accident, including medical bills, property damage, and lost income. Even for minor injuries, these costs can add up to be thousands of dollars, and for severe injuries or wrongful death, it can be even more.
However, the costs of an injury often are not just tangible expenses. Spinal cord injury victims often face intangible costs as well.
Besides losing work, you may also lose the ability to do things you enjoy. You could also face difficulty with day-to-day tasks such as childcare, cleaning, or cooking, and have to hire paid help to complete them. That’s not to mention pain and suffering. Although it can be difficult to quantify the cost of pain and suffering, most lawyers and insurance adjusters use a multiplier of the tangible costs to determine what fair compensation may be for a particular personal injury case.
A fair personal injury settlement should also account for the future costs that may be incurred as a result of the accident. For example, even if the injury seems minor, if there is a high likelihood that it will worsen over time and require surgery, a settlement should account for that. In severe cases where injuries can result in paralysis or permanent disability, victims should be compensated for their lost earning capacity.
Why Injury Victims Should Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer
Unfortunately, while the legal system is set up to provide accident victims recourse, insurance companies aim to pay out as little as possible. Hiring an experienced personal injury attorney to represent your best interests in negotiations (and potentially in court) can make a meaningful difference in the outcome of your case.
A skilled personal injury lawyer will have extensive experience handling catastrophic injury cases like yours. Their legal team will add credibility to your case and put pressure on the insurance companies to offer fair compensation.
One key guideline in any personal injury case is the statute of limitations, a law that determines how much time a victim has to file a lawsuit to recover damages.
Although this guideline varies by state, many states, including Virginia, have set the statute of limitations for personal injury cases at two years from the date of the accident. If you miss this deadline, you may be barred from recovering any compensation.
Although no amount of money can undo the injuries caused to you by an accident, a personal injury settlement or jury award can compensate you for the financial damages you have suffered and ensure that you do not face further financial burden in your recovery process. If you want to maximize your chances of receiving the best possible outcome for your personal injury case, reaching out to a qualified personal injury law firm is an important first step.
Jim Williams is a summa cum laude graduate of George Mason University School of Law who began his legal career with a prestigious assignment as a law clerk to a US District Court Judge. He practiced at Gentry, Locke, Rakes, and Moore in Roanoke and at Morris & Morris in Richmond before becoming litigation counsel for Progressive Insurance Company. With Progressive, he gained extensive experience as a trial attorney, giving him wide-ranging expertise in the complexities of Virginia insurance law and knowledge of how the defense side approaches litigation. Jim Williams joined Burnett & Williams in 2006 as the lead partner in the Richmond area, with offices in Midlothian and Hopewell, Virginia.
Disclaimer: The content in this article is provided for general knowledge. It does not constitute legal advice, and readers should seek advice from qualified legal professionals regarding particular cases or situations.
