While all catastrophic injuries are debilitating, some injuries are more devastating than others. Costs of care can be exorbitant. To cover expenses, most people must take legal action against the parties who caused their personal injury. Greensburg catastrophic injury attorneys can help you hold negligent parties accountable and recover compensation.
The U.S. Code defines a catastrophic injury as one involving “consequences of an injury that permanently prevent an individual from performing any gainful work.” Back and spinal cord injuries are common types of catastrophic injuries. The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham released a publication in February 2012 that highlighted important facts about spinal cord injury. Approximately 12,000 new spinal cord injury (SCI) cases occur every year, not including those who die at the scene of the accident. Since 2005, vehicle accidents have remained the major cause of SCI cases at 39.2 %. Falls are the next major cause (28.3 %), followed by violence (14.6 %) and sports (8.2 %). The study estimated that there are upwards of 327,000 persons in the United States today suffering from spinal cord injury. Lifetime care and living costs for someone with tetraplegia (paralysis from the neck down) are estimated at $4,543,182 for someone 25 years old and are $2,496,856 for someone 50 years old. These figures did not take into account wage loss, fringe benefits or productivity lost because of the individual’s condition.
When fighting for compensation in SCI cases, you are typically up against insurance companies. Greensburg back and spine injury lawyers have access to experts who can investigate, gather evidence and prove evidence so you can recover damages.
Long & Long personal injury attorneys work diligently with clients from Westmoreland, Allegheny, Indiana, Jefferson and Fayette counties. Call us at 724.834. 9300 or fill out this contact form to schedule a call back today.