At Nagel Rice LLP, our personal injury attorneys are dedicated to helping victims paralyzed due to the negligence of others. We fight hard to obtain the damages our clients need to restart their lives after paralysis. During our 30 years in practice, we have recovered over $1 billion in settlements and verdicts for New Jersey residents.
If you have suffered paralysis due to another’s negligent or reckless behavior, you are entitled to substantial compensation. Contact our office for a free consultation. We will vigorously fight for your right to maximum damages and will charge you no attorney fees until we win your case.
We know all too well how devastating paralytic injuries can be for individuals and their families, burdening them not only with physical and psychological trauma but with financial woes as well. That’s why we are committed to leveraging our legal skills and experience to bring them the compensation they need and deserve.
How Negligence and Recklessness of Others Can Result in Paralysis
Most often, paralysis is caused by a sudden blow that severs the spinal cord. Such an injury can be the result of another party’s action in a number of ways, including:
- Slip and fall accidents due to premises liability (at an amusement park, pool, etc.)
- Traffic accidents (car, truck, motorcycle, bicycling, and pedestrian) due to another’s reckless, impaired, or distracted driving
- Medical malpractice that results in birth injuries or surgical errors
- Defective devices (e.g. electrical appliances, vehicles, tools, trampolines)
No matter what category your personal injury case falls into, our talented paralysis attorneys will provide you with powerful legal advocacy, personal attention, compassion, and respect.
Paralysis Injuries Are Caused by Damage to the Spinal Cord
Because the spinal cord controls both sensation and mobility, injuries to the spinal cord affect both your ability to feel and your ability to move. Paralysis is defined by how much of your body is affected by the injury which in turn depends on where on the spine the damage occurred. The body becomes paralyzed below the site of the injury, resulting in either paraplegia or quadriplegia.
- Paraplegia is the loss of use of limbs and extremities below the waist, also affecting the nerves of the torso, legs, and pelvic organs. Patients who suffer from paraplegia injuries most often require surgery, physical therapy, and lifelong medical care. Depending on the age, physical health, and nature of the paralytic injury, some paraplegics are able to become quite self-sufficient, while others may require ongoing assistance or nursing care.
- Quadriplegia is the loss of use of limbs and extremities below the neck, so it affects the mobility and sensation of almost the entire body — arms, hands, torso, pelvic organs, legs, and feet. Quadriplegic injuries are life-threatening since they affect the lungs, heart, and other organs. They usually require surgery with ongoing medical treatment, and quadriplegics require medical assistance to breathe.
Nonetheless, it is important to note that those with either paraplegia or quadriplegia do not lose their cognitive abilities. Though at this time paralysis is irreversible, medicine is making great strides, some through the use of stem cells and some through epidural electrical stimulation (EES). It is possible that some paralyzed patients will regain some sensation and mobility in the foreseeable future.
What Makes Living With Paralysis So Challenging
Depending on the location and nature of your paralytic injury, you will have to cope with:
- Impaired mobility
- Ongoing medical care
- Inability to be gainfully employed
- Use of assistive devices (e.g. wheelchairs)
- Needing alterations to make your home accessible
- Using replacement services for tasks you can no longer perform (e.g. cleaning, cooking, driving)
- Needing medical assistance for breathing and other functions
- Sexual dysfunction/major changes to sexual function
Having to rely on caregivers to go about your daily routine is extremely difficult if you have been previously independent, and can interfere with mood and self-image. Just about everyone who becomes paralyzed can benefit from psychiatric/psychological intervention.
All of the many kinds of care needed to cope with paralysis, from home care to vehicles that accommodate wheelchairs are expensive, so working with a keen paralysis attorney to maximize the compensation you receive is absolutely essential.
Why Nagel Rice Paralysis Attorneys Have a History of Positive Outcomes
Our lawyers have what it takes to successfully interact with opposing attorneys, insurance adjusters, judges, and medical experts. Each member of our team:
- Has sharp investigatory skills
- Pays close attention to detail
- Is a strategic negotiator
- Has strong communication and personal skills
- Is closely tied to a network of experts in various fields who will be able to testify on your behalf
Though most paralysis cases are settled through negotiations, our lawyers are well-prepared for aggressive litigation if it becomes necessary.
Damages We Will Fight to Recover for You and Your Family
You deserve monetary compensation commensurate with the gravity of your paralysis injury. Therefore, we will fight to recover damages for:
- Medical and rehabilitation costs
- Lost income, present and future
- Loss of earning power
- Extended nursing care
- Alterations to your home to make it accessible
- Replacement services (e.g. house cleaning)
- Psychological counseling
- Pain and suffering
- Permanent disability
- Loss of consortium
- Loss of enjoyment of life
Modified Comparative Negligence in New Jersey
Modified comparative negligence is the principle under which you can sue for damages even if you were partly at fault for the accident, as long as you weren’t more at fault than the other party. So, for example, if you were hit by an impaired driver while you were speeding, the court will assign both you and the defendant percentages of fault.
As long as your fault is deemed to be 50 percent or less, you can still receive compensation, though it will be lessened by your percentage of fault. Thus, if you are found to be 20 percent at fault and are awarded $1 million by the court, you will actually receive $800,000.
Contact Our Experienced New Jersey & New York Paralysis Attorneys Today
There is no question that paralysis is a catastrophic injury. In order to survive it and continue to lead a productive and pleasurable life, you need a strong support system. At Nagel Rice, we are ready and able to provide moral as well as legal support. Contact us now so we can start building a case that will provide for you and those you love when you need it most.
Nagel Rice LLP helps its clients with claims throughout New Jersey including Bergen County, Essex County, Middlesex County, Monmouth County, Morris County, Passaic County, and Sussex County. We also represent clients in New York.