Paralysis is the partial or total loss of muscle function in someone’s body. It occurs because messages passing between the brain and muscles have been interrupted. This interruption often happens as a result of spinal cord injuries, strokes, a broken neck, nerve diseases, or autoimmune diseases. Paraplegia is a type of paralysis involving the lower half of the body, while quadriplegia is the paralysis of arms and legs. If you suffer from paralysis due to someone else’s negligence in the Ocala area, the injury attorneys at the Dean Law Firm can aggressively pursue compensation for you.
Paralysis can arise out of many different kinds of accidents, including car, truck, and motorcycle crashes as well as dangerous property conditions. The common thread in all these claims is the importance of proving negligence. You can potentially pursue compensation for your paralysis from any other party that was negligent up to that party’s percentage of fault for the accident. For example, if you were in a wide turn accident with a truck, but both you and the truck driver were distracted, the jury may award $1 million but assign the truck driver 50 percent responsibility and you 50 percent responsibility. In that case, you might be able to seek $500,000 from the truck driver.
If you have been permanently paralyzed due to someone else’s negligence, you can potentially recover not only your immediate costs, such as the bill for the ER, but also your long-term damages. You may try to recover compensation for lost wages and earning potential, the costs of ongoing rehabilitation and prescription medication, the cost of medical devices such as a wheelchair and installation of ramps in your home, long-term diminishment in the quality of your lifestyle, emotional distress, and pain and suffering.
Your spouse may be able to make a claim for loss of consortium. This refers to the comfort, services, and attention provided by a spouse. Loss of consortium is available when a person’s spouse suffers an injury due to someone else’s negligence. Often, paralysis results in severe burdens on a spouse that should be borne by the negligent party, rather than the paralyzed person’s family.
The burden of proving loss of consortium is on the spouse claiming it. For example, your spouse may have had to take on more housework or take care of the children completely, and you can no longer be intimate and no longer do physical activities you enjoy together, such as dancing or traveling because you are paralyzed. The jury will determine the amount of damages, but it is important to present this claim carefully, since it is not an automatic award but one that must be proven by showing the marital relationship before and after the accident causing the paralysis.
If you have been in a motor vehicle collision or another accident in the Ocala area, the lawyers at the Dean Law Firm can help you pursue compensation for your present and future damages. We have experience advocating for victims of catastrophic injuries in negotiations with insurers and before a jury. Call us at 352-387-8700 or contact us via our online form. We represent people throughout the state, including in Sumter, Lake, Marion, Citrus, and Levy Counties.
