Seattle Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer

The spinal cord is the conduit that your brain uses to relay information to the rest of your body. In many cases, when the spinal cord is injured, large portions of the body could be severely impacted. Spinal cord injury victims could experience partial or total paralysis, among other debilitating conditions, depending on the location of the damage to the spinal cord.

Spinal cord injuries turn victims’ lives upside down. Most will require the use of a wheelchair and have to modify their homes to accommodate their newfound living limitations. Accepting the limitations that come with this type of injury is understandably difficult. Though no amount of money that can replace your loss of function, the experienced spinal cord injury lawyers at Caffee Law can help you get the critical compensation that you need to live your life.

If you or your loved one suffered a spinal cord injury as the result of an accident caused by another party’s negligence in Seattle or the surrounding areas, do not hesitate to retain legal counsel. An experienced lawyer will know how to help you recover all of the compensation you need and deserve.

The Caffee Law can work closely with you so you can receive all of the care that you need while our firm handles all of the necessary legal paperwork. Our Seattle injury attorneys can discuss your rights when you call (206) 312-0954 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation.

Do I Need a Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer?

People who have suffered spinal cord injuries often know that their injury claims are serious, but insurance companies do not make claims easy for victims. Insurers can take several months to conduct their investigations of your accident.

When a representative from an insurance company does contact you, they may seem friendly and appear to be concerned about your health. You should decline any offer from an agent or claims adjuster to provide a recorded statement until you have legal representation.

It is usually best to let an attorney handle all conversations with insurance companies on your behalf because representatives often trick people into making statements that later damage their injury claims. Any recorded statement a victim makes about their own negligence will likely be used to reduce the amount of money they ultimately receive.

Another common tactic that insurance companies use is to offer a lump-sum settlement, with most agents reminding people that accepting the offer will allow them to keep more money for themselves. The truth is, most settlement offers are lowball amounts that don’t come close to what victims are actually entitled, and you will be best served by a lawyer who knows what your case is worth and who is willing to fight to recover that amount.

Why Choose the Caffee Law to Handle My Case?

Jeffrey R. Caffee was named one of the Top 100 Trial Lawyers in the country by The National Trial Lawyers in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. He was honored by the International Academy of Trial Lawyers in 2009 with an Award for Advocacy for distinguished achievement in the art and science of advocacy.

Mr. Caffee is a member of the Washington State Bar Association, the King County Bar Association, and the Tacoma-Pierce County Bar Association. He earned his Bachelor of Science from Saint Leo University before receiving his Juris Doctor from the University of Notre Dame Law School, and he was the recipient of the American Bar Association Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section Trial Academy Scholarship in 2011.

In addition to health issues, you are likely to be dealing with numerous financial issues after sustaining your spinal cord injury, and the Caffee Law believes that hiring an attorney should not be another source of stress. For this reason, we represent clients on a contingency fee basis, so you do not have to worry about paying anything until you receive a monetary award.

Our firm will attempt to negotiate a fair and full settlement that covers every expense you have incurred or will incur because of your injury. When an insurance company does not make a satisfactory offer, then the Caffee Law will file a lawsuit to try your case in court.

Types of Spinal Cord Injury Cases We Handle

Spinal cord injuries can vary depending on the kind of damage that is done to the spinal cord. Compression injuries are the result of excess pressure being placed on a spinal cord, but spinal cords can also be bruised, torn, or severed.

There are  33 vertebrae divided into five regions, and the general rule is that the higher up the spinal cord the injury the more significant the damage. Most serious spinal cord injuries involve damage to vertebrae in one of the three following regions:

Cervical Vertebrae (C1-C7) — Injuries to the high-cervical nerves (C1-C4) in the neck can cause reduced ability to speak, paralysis in the arms, hands, or legs, and difficulty breathing and controlling bowel or bladder movements. C5-C7 injuries are not as severe but can still lead to loss of control of the arms or hands and an inability to control bowel or bladder movements.

Thoracic Vertebrae (T1-T12) — T1-T5 injuries in the upper back affect a victim’s legs and trunk (the central part of their body) and may require a wheelchair, while T6-T12 injuries also affect the trunk, but several victims can walk again with braces.

Lumbar Vertebrae (L1-L5) — Injuries to the lumbar nerves in the lower back affect the hip and legs. Wheelchairs may be required in some cases, while other people can walk with braces, and some victims may experience loss of bowel and bladder control.

The sacral vertebrae (S1-S5) and the coccyx are the other two regions of the spinal cord. Injuries to the S1-S5 vertebrae near a person’s pelvis can cause loss of bowel and bladder control, but most victims can walk again.

The coccyx is commonly referred to as the tailbone, and injuries to this region can cause pain but do not typically involve the complications associated with other areas of the spinal cord.

Seattle Spinal Cord Injury Statistics

The annual incidence of spinal cord injury is approximately 17,000 new spinal cord injury cases annually, according to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center. The number of U.S. residents living with spinal cord injuries in the United States could be as low as 243,000 and as high as 347,000 people, but it is estimated to be about 282,000.

Motor vehicle crashes were the leading cause of spinal cord injuries with 38.3 percent of cases since 2015, followed by falls with 31.6 percent. The NSCIC stated that estimated average yearly expenses for high tetraplegia victims (C1-C4) are $1,102,403 for the first year and $191,436 for each subsequent year, while low tetraplegia victims have expenses of $796,583 in the first year and $117,437 each subsequent year. Paraplegia victims incur costs of $537,271 in the first year and $71,172 each following year.

Worldwide, as many as 500,000 people suffer a spinal cord injury according to the World Health Organization. The organization also claims that people with a spinal cord injury are two to five times more likely to die prematurely than people without a spinal cord injury.

Contact a Seattle Spinal Cord Injury Attorney Today

Did you or your loved one sustain a spinal cord injury in an accident caused by another party’s negligence in the Greater Seattle area? You deserve compensation for the many expenses you will face in your journey toward recovery.

The Caffee Law fights to help injury victims obtain every last dollar of compensation that they are entitled. Call (206) 312-0954 or contact us online for your free consultation.