If you have survived a spinal cord injury, your life has been permanently altered. Because the spinal cord connects a large part of the peripheral nervous system to the brain and is unable to regenerate, and injuries to the spinal cord are considered catastrophic. Although spinal cord injury experiments show that the future holds increasing hope for recovery if you suffer a spinal cord injury, life as you currently know it will definitely change.
At Cummings Law, we are very familiar with the challenges you and your family will face after you suffer a spinal cord injury. If your injury was the result of someone else’s negligence, recklessness, or malice, our team is here to help. We know that your physical and emotional pain, coupled with your financial worries, can be overwhelming and we are dedicated to seeing you through this terrible time.
Our lead personal injury attorney, Brian Cummings has an exceptional track record of winning tens of millions of dollars in damages in spinal cord injury cases. Nothing would please him more than to lift the burden of legal and insurance matters from your shoulders and to win you the substantial monetary damages you have the right to receive. Moreover, you do not owe any attorneys’ fee until after we get you the compensation you deserve.
Types of Spinal Cord Injuries
The particular location and severity of your spinal cord injury will determine which part of your body is affected and in what way. You may lose sensation or ability to move in certain areas of your body, resulting in numbness, pins and needles or complete or partial paralysis. You may lose bowel control or experience urinary incontinence or sexual dysfunction. You may also be plagued by respiratory disorders. In any event, you will need long-term care and rehabilitation which will be extremely costly, as will the adaptive devices, such as a rollator or wheelchair you may need to use either during recovery or for the foreseeable future.
Common Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries
In the United States, the most common cause of spinal cord injuries, listed in order of frequency are:
- Traffic accidents involving, cars, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians
- Falls, particularly in patients over the age of 65
- Violent assaults with knives or guns
- Diving into water that is too shallow
- Contact sports such as hockey and football
- Individual sports involving balance, like skiing, gymnastics and horseback riding
- Industrial accidents
Although some individuals are responsible for their own injuries, a great many are injured as a result of another person’s negligence. Individuals Cummings Law may be able to file a lawsuit against on your behalf include: negligent coaches or instructors, careless homeowners, inattentive supervisors of construction sites, remiss owners of buildings or stores, reckless, distracted, or impaired drivers or employers who left their floors slippery and unmarked.
Modified Comparative Negligence in Hawaii
Each state has its own legal standards for personal injury cases. In Hawaii, we follow the principle of modified comparative negligence which means that we consider the possibility that the defendant may be partially to blame for his/her injury. The opposing attorney may accuse you of being partially at fault, stating, for example, that at the time of the accident you were:
- Impaired by alcohol or drugs
- Had balance or cognition issues
- Had a disease condition that made you more likely to fall or sustain serious injury
- Engaging in risk-taking behavior
If the court finds that you bear a portion of responsibility for your accident, it will assign you a percentage of blame, for example 10 percent. What this means is that if we win your case and you are awarded $1 million, you will actually receive $900,000. While it may seem unlikely that you contributed to your own injury, take note — 25 percent of individuals who suffer spinal cord injuries are intoxicated or impaired at the time of the accident.
How Brian Cummings Will Win Your Case
Brian Cummings has excellent credentials, a keen legal mind, and an overall sense of integrity and justice. If someone else is responsible for your spinal cord injury, he will be able to prove it. Whether you have have been directly assaulted (even if the defendant is not found guilty of a crime), been in a car accident that was the fault of the other driver, or have been the victim of a slip and fall in which another bears premises liability, Brian Cummings will investigate your case thoroughly. He will listen carefully to your account of the incident, examine any first responder information and all medical records, and interview witnesses. Our firm also has the resources to bring in any necessary experts to testify.
Contact Cummings Law as Soon as Possible
It is important that you call us promptly so that we can investigate while evidence is fresh and there has been no attempt to cover up the facts. Also, there is a 2-year statute of limitations for personal injury claims in Hawaii. We want to obtain the highest settlement or verdict possible and will work both efficiently and effectively to see that you recover compensation for:
- Medical and rehabilitation costs
- Nursing care
- Household help and/or childcare
- Lost income (present and future)
- Pain and suffering
- Permanent disability
- Loss of consortium
In cases in which the defendant was incredibly reckless or even malicious, we may be able to obtain punitive as well as compensatory damages.
Contact Our Honolulu Spinal Cord Injury Attorney
Brian Cummings has sharp negotiation and litigation skills and is able to create a winning strategy. He is knowledgeable about how to calculate your expenses to ensure that he obtains a sum substantial enough to support you and your family for the rest of your life. He and the whole Cummings Law team will empathize with your situation and will work diligently to help you heal from your trauma and restart your life. Call us today or fill out the contact form on our website.
