If you have been involved in a car accident, you may be suffering from serious spine trauma. The force of impact from a collision can cause your neck and back to whip violently back and forth or could even cause lacerations of the spine or other damage.
When this occurs, your spine and discs may become misaligned, which can put pressure on the nerves, discs, and spinal cord. This can cause many painful and debilitating symptoms, such as weakness, shooting pain, tingling, numbness, or even loss of bowel or bladder control.
If the injury is very severe, or if other treatments fail to control it, your doctor may recommend a laminectomy. This is a type of surgery that removes the lamina, a bony piece of the spinal cord called the vertebral arch. The purpose of the procedure is to remove pressure on the nerves and spinal cord and relieve pain.
Procedures like these are expensive, often totaling up to $15,000 or more after hospital fees. Additionally, most patients require physical therapy and medical care before and after the surgery, which adds to the cost. And a serious surgery like this can cause you to miss work while you recover, or could even permanently affect your ability to do your job.
All in all, a laminectomy can have a significant impact on your health and finances. So, if you require surgery due to injuries from an accident, it’s worth investigating whether a settlement or verdict could help you recover some of the costs. If your accident was caused by another person’s recklessness or negligence, it’s possible you could be eligible for compensation through a legal case.
Below, we’ll provide you with a guide to laminectomy injuries and answer some common legal questions.
Damages in a Laminectomy Injury Case
Medical costs are the most obvious category of damages in a laminectomy case. However, calculating past costs, as well as estimating future medical expenses, can be difficult. Additionally, there may be other damages — economic and otherwise — that you may not have thought of. Some common damages include:
- Medical care. Surgery is not usually a doctor’s first recommendation in a spinal injury unless it is very severe. So medical costs for a laminectomy case may include the cost of unsuccessful treatments you tried before surgery, as well as rehab and future medical care related to your accident.
- Lost income/earning ability. A spinal injury that is severe enough to require a laminectomy may have an impact on your work. Pain and weakness may make it difficult to do your job before your surgery. And you will need to take time off to recover after your procedure. In some cases, a spinal injury may make it impossible for you to ever return to work (if your job requires heavy lifting, for instance). Lost earnings and/or lost future earnings experienced as a result of an injury are typically claimed in a laminectomy case.
- Out-of-pocket expenses. A serious injury may require you to hire outside help, such as ridesharing services if you are unable to drive or a cleaning service to maintain your home. You may be able to claim these expenses in your case.
- Pain and suffering. If you have experienced serious pain, it’s possible that you may be eligible for compensation for non-economic damages. A laminectomy injury lawyer can help you decide if you are eligible for this category of damages and assign a value to your pain and suffering.
What Factors Can Affect Your Laminectomy Injury Case?
There are several factors that can affect your likelihood of receiving compensation in a laminectomy injury case, including the circumstances of your accident and your actions following your injury.
- How severely you are injured. Severe injuries usually require more extensive treatment, which means higher medical bills. A serious spinal injury may also have a greater impact on your life and your ability to work. This can affect your case in two ways: one, it may increase the possible value of your settlement or verdict; two, it may mean you and your legal team will need to work harder to secure any compensation you may be entitled to.
- How quickly you receive treatment. If you have been in a serious accident, it’s always best to see a doctor right away. The sooner you can get treated, the more likely you are to obtain the fullest measure of compensation for your injuries. Additionally, your doctor can begin assessing your injuries to see if surgery is necessary.
- Who is responsible for your accident. In some accidents, both drivers (or more, if the accident involved multiple vehicles) share liability for the accident. If this is true for your case, it may limit the amount of compensation you can recover for your injuries. On the other hand, if the driver that caused your accident exhibited gross negligence — for example, if they were driving drunk — then you may be able to file for more compensation in the form of punitive damages.
How a Lawyer Can Help with Your Laminectomy Injury Case
Consulting with an accident and injury attorney can be very helpful in cases where invasive procedures like surgery are required. For one, it may be difficult for you to estimate the cost of future medical care without an expert. A lawyer can also work with your doctor to document your injuries, which will serve as valuable evidence in your case.
Additionally, a lawyer can coordinate claims with insurance providers and other parties on your behalf and offer advice on how to communicate with these parties to protect your rights.
Lastly, it’s much more likely that you will receive the fullest measure of compensation available to you if you hire an experienced laminectomy injury lawyer. Evidence shows that injury cases that are handled by legal experts tend to be valued much more highly.
Why Hire FVF to Help with Your Laminectomy Injury Case?
While it’s important to consult with an attorney after your accident, hiring a lawyer you can trust is just as important. FVF Law has decades of combined experience with spinal injury cases and has a record of obtaining high-value settlements for our clients. But we also adhere to ethical values to ensure that you get transparent, straightforward representation. Specifically, here’s what we strive to offer potential clients:
- Compassion and trustworthiness. We understand that this is a very difficult time and will work to treat you with the empathy and respect you deserve. Our focus is on providing you with the knowledge and support you need to care for yourself during this challenging period.
- Reputation for excellence. At FVF Law, our Austin laminectomy injury lawyers have a long history of successful verdicts and settlements in even the most complicated cases. To learn more, review our list of notable recoveries or read our reviews on Google, Yelp, and AVVO.
- Education-first approach. Our firm’s first goal is to ensure that you understand your rights and options in a laminectomy injury case. We never try to pressure potential clients into hiring us. Instead, we simply present the facts and your options as clearly as possible.
- Free case consultation. Your best first step in a laminectomy injury case is to consult with a legal expert. That’s why we offer a free case consultation so you can decide how to proceed with your case without the obligation to hire our firm.
Our accident and injury lawyers would be happy to consult with you to help you understand your best path forward. Contact us today to schedule your free case evaluation.