Quadriplegia

Spinal cord injuries may have long-term and devastating consequences. If you or someone close to you has been left quadriplegic because of an accident that was not your fault, it is important to speak to a Baltimore catastrophic injury lawyer. At the Arfaa Law Group, we advocate diligently for each of our clients. You can trust that we will examine the facts of your case and pursue the compensation that you deserve for your harm.

Quadriplegia is defined as complete paralysis of all four limbs below the neck. This type of paralysis is caused by trauma to a victim’s spinal cord, which may be a result of medical malpractice, a motor vehicle accident, a slip and fall, or a sports accident, among other events. The Mayo Clinic reports that approximately 11,000 Americans suffer traumatic spinal cord injuries each year.

If your spinal cord injury was caused by someone else’s negligence, you may be able to recover compensation for your harm. Negligence is a failure to exercise reasonable care, which results in harm to someone else. Reasonable care is defined as behaving in the way that a reasonably prudent person would act under the same or similar circumstances. To prevail on a negligence claim, the plaintiff must establish by a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant owed the plaintiff a duty to exercise reasonable care, the defendant violated the duty owed to the plaintiff, the defendant’s carelessness was the direct cause of the accident, and the plaintiff sustained damages as a result.

While any form of paralysis may be debilitating, quadriplegia is particularly likely to be life-altering. In addition to the physical changes to the victim’s lifestyle, there is the emotional toll that the condition may take on a victim. Some patients require round-the-clock care and will require this type of help throughout their lifetime. Fortunately, the law allows victims to recover a broad range of damages from at-fault parties. While no amount of money can undo the harm, compensation may help address the realities of medical expenses, lost income, diminished earning capacity, pain and suffering, and therapy costs, among other costs and losses.

Personal injury cases in Maryland must be filed within a certain time frame, known as the statute of limitations. Typically, a plaintiff has three years from the date of an accident to file a claim. In medical malpractice cases, the statute of limitations is three years from the discovery of the injury or five years from the injury, whichever is earlier. Failing to file within the appropriate time frame could mean losing your right to pursue legal action altogether.

At the Arfaa Law Group, Baltimore catastrophic injury attorney Julia Arfaa understands how quadriplegia may affect every aspect of a victim’s life, and she will make every effort to get you the financial assistance that you need. She is skilled in asserting the rights of her clients both in settlement negotiations and at trial. The Arfaa Law Group proudly represents people throughout the state of Maryland. Call us today at 410-889-1850 or contact us online to set up a free consultation if you need a medical malpractice attorney or are considering another type of personal injury claim.