Spinal Injuries In Florida Car Accidents
Most people do not want to contemplate the possibility, but the fact remains that spinal injuries are surprisingly easy to sustain, with statistics showing a plethora of origins for the most recently reported conditions. Some of the most common include falls, sports injuries, and physical trauma from being a victim of violence, but by far the most common cause of spinal injuries in the United States is vehicle crashes. If you have an injured spine after a car accident, you may be able to seek damages from the person who allegedly caused your injuries.
Serious For All Demographics
Statistics from the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC) show that in 2020 (the most recent available data), vehicle crashes caused over one-third of new spinal injuries (about 39 percent), with falls causing another third, and multiple events causing the last 30 percent. Approximately 80 percent of the newly injured are male, with a disproportionate number of them being non-Hispanic people of color. However, the most common type of injury, incomplete tetraplegia (that is, having reduced – not absent – motor function in all four limbs), was found to be most prevalent across racial and gender lines.
While sometimes it can be difficult to determine the extent of a spinal injury (particularly if it is to the vertebrae and not to the cord itself), the fact remains that if another person’s negligence can be shown as the direct cause of your injury, that person may be held liable for the damages you have sustained. The long-term effects of a spinal injury can be anything from broken bones to permanent, complete tetraplegia, and even the mildest harm to that area of the body can take months or even years to recover from.
You Can File Suit
If you have sustained an injury to your spinal cord after an auto accident, you have the right to file suit against the person who allegedly caused the accident. Florida is a no-fault state when it comes to auto insurance, and a tort immunity is in place for minor injuries in car accident cases – in other words, if a person sustains minor injuries after a car accident, they are barred from filing suit against the person who allegedly caused them; rather, they must seek compensation from their insurer. However, most spinal injuries are seen as sufficiently “significant and permanent” that the tort immunity will be lifted.
If you do decide to seek damages for a spinal cord injury in court, be aware that Florida does have a statute of limitations for personal injury cases, and the time can pass much more quickly than one might think. Florida law holds that a personal injury case may be brought within 4 years of the date of the accident – this may seem like a lot of time, but the discovery process can eat up a lot of that time, and very often, an injured person may not even realize the extent of the damage until months or years have passed.
Contact An Orlando Spinal Injury Attorney
A spinal injury can derail a person’s life; knowing that it is occurring due to the negligence of another person can be the insult on top of injury. If you have been injured, contacting an Orlando back injury attorney from the Hornsby Law Group can be the first step you take toward recovering money for what you have been through. Contact our office today for a free consultation.
Source:
nscisc.uab.edu/Public/Facts%20and%20Figures%202020.pdf
