Spinal Cord Injuries

Spinal cord injuries are life altering, sometimes fatal. They're usually due to a blow to the vertebra(e) of the spine. Motor vehicle crashes account for nearly half of the spinal cord injuries in the U.S., but falls, acts of violence (e.g., gunshot wounds), and sports or recreation activities also cause significant numbers of these injuries. The medical malpractice attorneys at The Berkowitz Law Firm represent individuals whose spinal cord injury was caused by the negligence or intentional harm of another person or company.

An SCI Can Happen to Anyone

According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), there are approximately 11,000 new spinal cord injuries (SCIs) every year in the U.S. SCIs happen more often to young adults (average age 28 years) and to males (almost 78% of the SCIs). However, anyone can have the misfortune of suffering a spinal cord injury—babies, toddlers, school-age children, teens, adults and the elderly. The consequences of an SCI can be devastating.

Damaging the Nerve Signals

The spinal cord relays nerve messages to the rest of the body. When the vertebrae of the spine are dislocated or fractured from a blow, pieces of the vertebrae may tear into the spinal cord tissue, or press down on the nerves that carry signals to body parts. The results can be severe, sometimes permanent disabilities and conditions such as:

Paraplegia—complete or partial paralysis of the legs and possibly the trunk
Quadriplegia—paralysis of both the legs and arms
Broken back
Spinal cord compression
Spinal fracture
Disk herniation
Loss of bladder and/or bowel control
Loss of sexual functioning
Depression

Secondary Conditions

Secondary medical conditions may also follow an SCI: respiratory complications, urinary tract infections, pressure sores, spasticity, and scoliosis. Surgery and therapy may help in some SCI cases, but for many people with an SCI, lifelong medical care will be necessary.

The Losses that Accompany an SCI

If you or a family member has incurred an SCI, you know that the medical bills from can be staggering. Emergency room bills, treatment and rehabilitation costs, lost income or future income, the loss of a loved one's companionship, and the emotional drain are some of the damages that accompany a spinal cord injury.

If negligence, recklessness, or intentional harm by another person or company contributed to or is the direct cause of your SCI, you should protect your legal rights. Your losses may be eligible for financial compensation.

Contact a Berkowitz Law Firm spinal cord injury attorney in Stamford, Connecticut or Danbury, Connecticut today.

Stamford, CT Office

1010 Washington Blvd.
9th Floor
Stamford, Connecticut 06901

Phone: 866-314-9352
Fax: 203-324-5067

Danbury, CT Office

57 North Street Suite 206
Danbury, Connecticut 06810-5627

Phone: 203-730-1100

Bridgeport, CT Office

855 Main Street
Bridgeport, Connecticut 06604

Phone: 203-331-1940

$9,000,000.00 medical malpractice recovery against an obstetrician and a hospital whose failure to timely deliver the infant plaintiff, despite signs of fetal distress, left her severely brain damaged.
$6,100,000.00 settlement against a hospital and two physicians on behalf of a client who sustained permanent paralysis following the administration of anesthesia and prior to undergoing an anterior cervical discectomy.
$4,750,000.00 medical malpractice award on behalf of a child who sustained brain damage as a result of a hospital's negligent airway management.
$4,000,000.00 medical malpractice verdict against a gynecologist who caused the plaintiff to undergo a hysterectomy following a negligent surgical procedure and destroyed her ability to bear children.
$3,000,000.00 medical malpractice recovery against an anesthesiologist whose negligent administration of spinal anesthesia left an infant plaintiff profoundly brain damaged.
$3,000,000.00 medical malpractice settlement on behalf of a brain damaged newborn against a hospital as a result of the hospital's failure to timely deliver said newborn despite signs and symptoms of fetal distress.
$2,600,000.00 wrongful death verdict against a family practitioner and a urologist whose failure to timely diagnose prostate cancer led to the plaintiff's death.
$2,500,000.00 settlement against a radiologist for his failure to timely diagnose the plaintiff's spinal tumor which progressed to metastatic late stage cancer.
$2,450,000.00 total award against a hospital for its failure to properly restrain a hospital psychiatric patient who jumped out of a hospital window and fell three stories sustaining a permanent brain injury.
$2,300,000.00 medical malpractice settlement against a hospital following its failure to diagnose a bacterial infection causing a child to go into respiratory arrest and without oxygen for 20 minutes leading to the child's brain damage.

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