According to the World Health Organization, up to half a million people suffer spinal cord injuries each year. Sadly, most of these injuries are from preventable causes including work-related accidents.
Spinal cord injuries come at a great personal and economic cost. The high medical costs, loss of wages, loss of mobility, and the long road to recovery are all issues that need to be addressed. However, in your legal claim, missing one detail of the staggering amount of information can have dire consequences. Our Myrtle Beach back and spinal cord injury lawyers are here to help.
At Maguire Law Firm, our staff is dedicated to your case, allowing you to focus on your recovery, your family, and your future. Our workers compensation lawyers understand the complex workers compensation laws, as well as the many medical terms that may be a part of your claim. We are aggressive advocates for you, seeking to get you the justice you deserve.
Back and spinal cord injury lawyers near Myrtle Beach
Our law firm represents injured victims in the following locations:
- Myrtle Beach
- North Myrtle Beach
- Conway
- Horry County
- Georgetown County
- Marion County
- Dillon County
- South Carolina state courts
- North Carolina state courts
- South Carolina federal courts
- North Carolina federal courts
Our founder, Ian D. Maguire, has been representing work injury victims in South Carolina and North Carolina for more than two decades. Contact us at 843-894-3502 for a review to see how we can help you get justice after a spinal cord injury.
Compensation for On-the-Job Spinal Cord Injuries
If you are hurt on the job, you may receive compensation for your spinal cord injury. There may be two avenues to claim compensation: workers compensation and a personal injury claim.
Workers’ Compensation for a Spinal Cord Injury
Workers’ compensation may be available for a spinal cord injury. If you’ve been injured in the course of your employment, you may make a claim through the workers’ compensation system.
Most employers are required to carry workers’ compensation insurance. The purpose of the insurance is to provide compensation no matter who is at fault. Even if the accident is not the employer’s fault, you may receive workers’ compensation benefits.
Workers’ compensation benefits may include:
- Emergency care
- Medical treatment up to the maximum medical improvement
- Vocational rehabilitation
- Replacement income
- Temporary and permanent disability
- Total and partial disability benefits
Our Myrtle Beach spinal cord workers’ compensation lawyers understand the complicated system for calculating benefits. We know how impairment ratings are determined and how to examine your case to see if you are receiving the benefits that you deserve.
For workers’ compensation, you don’t have to prove who caused the accident or even how exactly it occurred. You must show that you were in the course of your employment at the time of the accident. Our spinal cord injury lawyers fight aggressively on your behalf to ensure that your rights are protected.
Personal Injury Claim for a Spinal Cord Injury
Even if a spinal cord injury occurs on the job, you may be able to bring a personal injury claim. As far as your employer is concerned, workers’ compensation is the only remedy. However, if another party played a role in causing the accident, they may be liable through a traditional personal injury claim for compensation. Liable parties may include:
- Other companies that work with your company
- Companies that are physically nearby that may have caused the accident
- A party that owns or maintains the premises you are working on
- Motor vehicle drivers traveling through a work zone
- Equipment manufacturers
Our lawyers can help you examine whether a third-party claim is available. If it is, it can allow you to claim pain and suffering compensation. It’s important to evaluate the differences between the two types of cases. It’s also important to understand how the third-party claim may impact the workers compensation claim. If a third-party caused an on-the-job injury, then it is essential to have an experienced lawyer that can ensure that a remedy is not mistakenly elected.
Pain and suffering compensation is often significant for a spinal cord injury. For people suffering from spinal cord injuries, both types of claims may be important and beneficial. Our lawyers for on-the-job spinal cord injuries can evaluate the situation and customize a legal strategy for you.
Spinal Cord and Back Injury Information
Spinal cord injury is damage to the thick bundle of nerves, or spinal cord, that runs from the brain all the way down to your lower back. The spinal cord carries sensations and nerve impulses to and from the brain to the rest of the body. This means that a spinal cord injury can affect the whole body.
Spinal cord damages and complications may include:
- Loss of mobility, poor coordination
- Decreased sensation and feeling, numbness
- Poor function throughout the body including bladder and bowel control
- Circulatory problems including low blood pressure, swelling and blood clots
- Pain and pressure
- Increased risk of osteoporosis and fractures
- Respiratory difficulties and an increased risk of pneumonia
- Sexual dysfunction
- Depression, anxiety and other mental health damages
In addition to these physical and mental health complications, spinal cord damages often significantly change the victim’s lifestyle. They may no longer be independent, and instead, need to rely on others for assistance. Sudden changes may be overwhelming.
In general, the higher in the spinal column the injury occurs, the more dysfunction a person will experience.
The spinal cord may be injured if you have an injury to the back that:
- Breaks or dislocates the bones around the spinal cord
- Penetrates through or between the bones (such as a bullet)
- Crushes the disks between the bones, pushing them into the spinal canal
Spinal cord damage is often permanent. Damaged nerves may not be able to grow back. Your legal claim and recovery should reflect the severe harm that you have endured and how it impacts your life.
Free Consultation – Starting Your Case
The Maguire Law Firm understands the overwhelming physical and mental pain and suffering that results when you or someone you know has sustained a serious back or spinal cord injury while on-the-job.
For help with your claim in Myrtle Beach and throughout South Carolina, call 843-894-3502. You can also contact us online. We offer flexible appointment scheduling for your convenience.
