Neck and Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer New York, New Jersey, Philadelphia

The Mayo Clinic estimates that about 11,000 Americans suffer spinal cord injuries each year. Approximately 50 percent of new spinal cord injuries result from motor vehicle accidents, the leading cause of spinal cord injuries.

A spinal cord injury occurs when a traumatic event causes damage to the cells within the spinal cord or severs the nerve tracts that relay signals throughout the body. When a spinal cord or severe neck injury occurs, the affected area may lose sensation or the ability to function. At the Locks Law Firm, our team of personal injury attorneys has helped spinal cord injury victims throughout the tri-state area obtain fair compensation. Indeed, we have many significant verdicts and settlements to our credit.Contact a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania or Cherry Hill, New Jersey neck and spinal cord injury lawyer to schedule a free consultation. We are dedicated to providing each of our clients with the personal attention they deserve.

• Spinal Cord Injury
• Consequences of Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal Cord Injury

The spinal cord is the column of nerve tissue, protected by the bones of the spine, which delivers messages between the brain and the rest of the body. Thus, spinal cord injuries may damage or destroy the ability of the brain to communicate with the body. When a spinal cord injury occurs, the part of the body controlled by the affected area of the spinal cord may lose its ability to function. Many spinal cord injuries result in permanent disability or paralysis. Paralysis can involve all four extremities (quadriplegia) or only the lower body (paraplegia).

The closer a spinal cord injury occurs to the head, the more likely it is that a larger area of the body will be affected. A complete spinal cord injury occurs when the affected area loses all sensation and muscle control, whereas partial injuries leave these functions intact to some degree. Most spinal cord injuries occur due to bruising rather than a severing of the spinal cord.

At the Locks Law Firm, we litigate neck injury claims throughout the tri-state area and can help you obtain compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and rehabilitation costs. Contact our Philadelphia, Pennsylvania or Cherry Hill, New Jersey offices for a consultation with a neck and spinal cord injury lawyer. Our attorneys will help you through every step of your personal injury lawsuit. We handle the complicated legal matters, allowing you to focus on recovery.

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Consequences of Spinal Cord Injury

The effects of a severe neck or spinal cord injury may extend beyond the obvious physical impairments. Adapting to life with a disability — often in a wheelchair — is not easy. Victims commonly experience emotional pain and suffering. Victims have very valid concerns about how their injury will affect their lifestyle, their financial situation, and their personal relationships. Grieving and emotional stress are normal and common. The consequences of spinal cord injury include:

• Paraparesis: Partial paralysis of the lower extremities.
• Paraplegia: Complete paralysis of the lower extremities and usually the lower trunk.
• Quadriparesis: Partial paralysis of all four extremities.
• Quadriplegia: Complete paralysis of all four extremities.

Millions of Americans each year suffer less disabling, but still painful and at times disabling, injuries to the neck and the structures surrounding it.  The whipping forces that affect the body in many types of trauma are often concentrated in the neck because of its position between the larger and heavier trunk and skull.  Muscular pain, herniated discs, arthritic spurring, nerve stretching and nerve impingement cause significant pain and often require extensive medical treatment and physical therapy.  These injuries commonly occur in automobile accidents and falls.

Evaluating the full effects of your injury is an important first step in setting goals for rehabilitation. At the Locks Law Firm, we help clients obtain the compensation that they deserve. Victims should not bear the financial cost of accidents that were not their fault. We will work to hold the liable party accountable for its actions and help you obtain the monetary settlement to which you are entitled. Contact our Philadelphia, Pennsylvania or Cherry Hill, New Jersey offices for a consultation with a neck and spinal cord injury lawyer.

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Contact a Neck and Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer

If you have suffered a spinal cord injury, our spine and neck injury attorneys are here to help. With decades of collective experience and hundreds of significant verdicts and settlements, the Locks Law Firm provides clients throughout the tri-state area with diligent, personalized representation. We meticulously prepare each claim and are willing and able to go to trial for justice. Contact the Locks Law Firm; schedule a free consultation with a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Cherry Hill, New Jersey neck and spinal cord injury lawyer. Our personal injury lawyers work on a contingency basis; if we don't obtain a favorable verdict or settlement on your behalf, we won't charge legal fees.

The Cost of Recovery: How an Orlando Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer Can Help You

As a leading Florida personal injury law firm, our attorneys have witnessed the devastating effects of spinal cord injuries. Whether caused by a car crash, medical error or other accident, spinal cord injuries can impair a victim’s ability to work, socialize and pay for much-needed medical care. At Morgan & Morgan, our attorneys are dedicated to holding the parties responsible for our clients’ injuries accountable for their actions. By taking legal action, we can help spinal cord injury victims in Florida recover the compensation they need to readjust to life following an unexpected accident.

If you or a loved one suffered a spinal cord injury, you may be able to file a lawsuit to recover compensation for medical bills, lost wages and other damages. Fill out our case review form to have your claim evaluated by an Orlando spinal cord injury attorney today—at no cost to you.

Medical Malpractice

If you were injured by a medical professional, and believe he or she directly caused your injury, you may be able to file a claim for negligence. To prevail in a negligence case, your attorney must prove: the doctor had a duty of care; this duty of care was breached in some way; you suffered a spinal injury; and the breach was the cause of the injury.

For example, assume a patient undergoes surgery on dislocated discs in their spine. The patient’s surgeon has a duty of care to perform the procedure with due care, as any other surgeon would under similar circumstances. During the surgery, the surgeon becomes distracted and nicks a different part of the patient’s spinal cord. He either fails to notice his mistake or believes it is insignificant. The patient suffers a spinal cord injury as a result and, left untreated, the injury worsens, resulting in partial paralysis. If the patient can prove the surgeon acted negligently and this directly caused their paralysis, they may be able to make a claim for damages.

The most difficult factor to prove in a spinal cord injury case is causation—that the negligent party’s action directly caused the injury. If you move forward with a spinal cord injury lawsuit, an attorney can gather evidence to prove causation by reviewing medical documents and procedure notes; interviewing witnesses; investigating the surgeon’s background; and consulting with medical malpractice experts to obtain their opinions.

Car Accidents

Negligence

If you suffered a spinal cord injury in a car accident in Florida- or near one of our other offices in Atlanta, Lexington or Memphis- and believe your injury was caused by another's action or failure to act, you may be able to recover damages for your losses. While product liability is also a possible course of action, most cases will be brought under the theory of negligence. In a negligence claim, your attorney must prove four elements: the defendant owed you a duty of care, this duty was somehow breached, you suffered an injury, and the breach was the direct cause of your injury.

For example, a red car speeds through a red light and hits a blue vehicle at the intersection. Drivers have a duty of care to act carefully and exercise awareness of their surroundings to prevent harm to others with whom they share the road. By speeding through the light, the driver of the red car has breached this duty. When the blue car is struck, the driver suffers injuries to his left hand and leg. To treat his injuries, the driver of the blue car has to undergo costly surgery and rehabilitation. If the driver of the blue car can prove that the red car’s breach of duty was the direct cause of his injuries, and that he suffered damages as a result, he may be able to recover compensation for his losses.

Collecting Evidence

If you have been injured due to another’s negligence, a car accident attorney can help collect information and evidence which may be vital to your claim’s success. Our attorneys have access to experts who can assist in the fact-finding stages of your claim which may involve:

• Evaluating the crime scene;
• Interviewing witnesses;
• Reviewing traffic footage, if any;
• Reviewing information taken by an insurance company; and
• Consulting experts in the car accident field, including accident recreationists.

Product Liability

Strict Liability

If you were injured in a car accident and believe a product in either car contributed to or caused the crash, you may have a product liability lawsuit against the manufacturer. In a product liability case, a manufacturer can be held strictly liable for its defective products, without proof of negligence. Your attorney must show that a defect exists and an injury resulted; however, if your car was purchased second hand—or used—strict liability in not a viable cause of action.

Negligence

If you believe the car or one of its parts was responsible for the crash, you may be able to recover compensation from the manufacturer. To prevail, your attorney will have to show:

• The manufacturer had a duty to sell a safe product;
• The manufacturer breached this duty (knew or should have known of defect); and
• The defect caused the injuries sustained.

In preparing a claim against a product manufacturer, your attorney may review the company’s manufacturing process, determine whether other manufactured parts were defective, and establish how the defect could cause your injuries.

Who is Liable When You Suffer a Back Injury at Work in Florida?

Workers who sustain a spinal cord injury at work may have concerns about their job and how they will continue to provide for their families. Fortunately, Florida law allows these employees the opportunity to collect workers’ compensation while they are unable to work. Workers’ compensation provides benefits for medical bills and lost wages. In exchange for workers’ compensation, these workers cannot sue their employer; however, they may be able to file a lawsuit against a third-party, whose negligence caused their injury. Workers who have been denied workers’ compensation should contact an attorney immediately to discuss their claim.

What Damages Can You Receive in a Spinal Cord Injury Lawsuit?

In a spinal cord injury lawsuit, an attorney may be able to help you recover the following damages:

Medical Bills: Plaintiffs can recover money for any medical bills resulting from the injury, including hospital bills, prescription drugs, doctor visits and rehabilitation, as well as any future medical expenses.

Lost Wages: Compensation for time spent away from work, as well as a loss of earning capacity may also be awarded.

Pain and Suffering: When an individual suffers a spinal cord injury, they can experience lasting physical and emotional pain. These victims can receive monetary damages for this pain and suffering.

Wrongful Death: When a spinal cord injury results in death, the victims’ family may be able to sue the negligent party. In these cases, the family may be eligible for damages based on the pain and suffering of the victim, as well as money to ease the financial burden left by their loved one’s absence.

If you or someone you love suffered a severe spine or back injury, please fill out our free, no-obligation case review form. Our Orlando spinal injury attorneys will evaluate your case to determine how we may be able to help you.

Spinal Cord Injuries

Spinal cord injury (SCI) occurs when a traumatic event results in damage to cells within the spinal cord or severs the nerve tracts that relay signals up and down the spinal cord. The most common types of SCI include contusion (bruising of the spinal cord) and compression (caused by pressure on the spinal cord). Other types of injuries include lacerations (severing or tearing of some nerve fibers, such as damage caused by a gun shot wound), and central cord syndrome (specific damage to the corticospinal tracts of the cervical region of the spinal cord). Severe SCI often causes paralysis (loss of control over voluntary movement and muscles of the body) and loss of sensation and reflex function below the point of injury, including autonomic activity such as breathing and other activities such as bowel and bladder control. Other symptoms such as pain or sensitivity to stimuli, muscle spasms, and sexual dysfunction may develop over time. SCI patients are also prone to develop secondary medical problems, such as bladder infections, lung infections, and bed sores.

The leading causes of SCI vary by age. Among persons under age 65, automobile and other motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause. Among persons over 65, falls cause most SCIs. Other causes include:

• Workplace accidents
• Diving accidents
• Electric shock
• Bullet or stab wounds
• Extreme twisting of the trunk
• Sports injuries (landing on head)

Spinal cord injuries can be severe and life altering. Our firm understands that your immediate goals after going through such trauma are to get your medical bills paid and covered, make sure you do not suffer financially through any lost wages, and make sure your insurance company will pay for future treatment relating to your injuries. Our experienced injury lawyers will discuss your situation and go over the options available to you, as well as work with insurance companies and other parties involved in your case to make sure all your needs are handled quickly and appropriately.

At Levin & Perconti, we have extensive experience with all types of cases involving spinal cord injuries and have won numerous multimillion dollar verdicts and settlements for our clients, including a $5.77 million verdict for woman who became paralyzed as the result of a Veterans Administration physician's failure to perform timely surgery, and a $3.5 million settlement for a 46-year-old man who was paralyzed as a result of his physicians' failure to diagnose and treat a spinal epidural abscess.

Your Legal Rights

A spinal cord injury (SCI) may affect your legal rights and lifestyle in many ways.   It has been shown that the length of stay and hospital charges are higher where admission to the SCI system is delayed beyond 24 hours, meaning that proper decision-making at this juncture is critical to future care and costs of care.  However, the average hospital stays for both acute and rehabilitative care are significantly shorter than they were a decade ago.  Is this a result of improvements in medical care, or is it the influence of insurance companies and HMOs in trying to control costs at the expense of patient care? 

Even after discharge, fully one-third to one-half of SCI victims find themselves re-admitted to the hospital each year.  Moreover, sixty-three percent of people with SCI remain unemployed eight years after their injury.  Single people with SCI or more likely to stay single than their non-impaired counterparts, and married persons with SCI are more likely to get divorced.

For the victims of SCI, perhaps the most pressing and immediate concern is the ability to access and pay for proper treatment.  Medical expenses in the first year following an SCI will often exceed $100,000, and over a lifetime, can exceed one million dollars.  Significantly, these figures are just medical expenses and do not include lost wages.  The emotional trauma of a spinal cord injury and the often daunting prospect of lengthy rehabilitation are difficult enough without the added stress and anxiety over whether you will be able to afford the best, or even adequate, care and treatment.  A qualified attorney can help in this arena in a number of ways.

Negligence

If you were injured in a motor vehicle or other type of accident, another party may be at least partially responsible for your injuries.  The negligent or reckless driving of another may have caused or contributed to the accident, or a vehicle may have been defectively designed or manufactured, either causing the accident or causing the injuries to be much more serious than they should have been.  Rollovers and roof crushes and seat back failures are especially prone to causing spinal cord injuries.

In almost all states, even if your behavior contributed to the accident, you may still recover a portion of the damages from another party who was also negligent.  Different states have different standards of contributory negligence or comparative fault, so it is important to speak with an experienced attorney who is familiar with the laws in your state. 

SCI can also occur as a result of improper medical treatment in a surgery or other procedure involving the spinal area.  In these cases, the doctor and the hospital may both be liable for committing medical malpractice.

In a personal injury, products liability, or medical malpractice lawsuit, you are able to recover for present and future medical expenses, lost wages for work missed due to the injury now and in the long-term, and non-economic damages such as emotional distress and pain and suffering.  The precise nature of available damages differs from state to state and often differs between medical malpractice and general liability.

Insurance

Even if you were the only one responsible for the accident or injury, you probably maintain different types of insurance to compensate you in the event of an injury.  Health insurance is the immediate source of payment for your medical expenses, treatment and care.  Apart from your deductibles and co-pays, the insurance company pays the hospitals and doctors directly without forcing you to pay the entire bill out of your pocket.  Medical payment coverage (Med Pay) is another type of insurance intended to cover current medical expenses incurred as a result of an injury.  Statistics show, however, that 48% of all SCI victims are not covered by private health insurance, so for nearly half of all SCI patients, other avenues must be explored to pay their medical bills.

You or the entity responsible for causing the injury may also have some form of liability insurance that applies to your injury.  All drivers are required by law to carry liability insurance, although the rates of uninsured drivers on the road can still range from 10 to 20 percent, depending upon which state and locality you are in.  To guard against this fact, insurance companies are required to offer uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, which will pay you in the event you are hit by an uninsured driver or one whose coverage does not adequately compensate you for your injuries.  Other types of insurance which may be applicable include homeowner's and umbrella coverage.  Liability insurance may compensate you for the cost of present as well as future medical expenses.

Other sources of payment include workers' compensation if you were injured on the job, social security disability (SSD) and other disability plans, ERISA, Medicare, and Medicaid, depending upon your eligibility. 

Experienced Legal Representation

All of these instances require the assistance of an attorney to maximize your recovery.  Even when dealing with your own insurance company or a government agency, aggressive negotiations or effective representation by someone who "knows the ropes" may be necessary to make sure your claim is adequately addressed and dealt with in a timely fashion.  Just because you are dealing with "your" insurance company, do not be mistaken in thinking they are looking out for your best interests; all insurance companies are looking out for their bottom line, which may motivate them to downplay the nature and cost of your injury.  Government agencies and insurance companies often seem set up to make the job of obtaining compensation so difficult that many people simply give up without getting what they deserve. 

Whether dealing with another's insurance company in settlement talks or in the courtroom, your own insurance company or the government, make sure that your attorney is a skilled negotiator and experienced litigator.  While trial is not always necessary, being prepared to take a case all the way to judgment is essential to effective advocacy in many settings.  Equally important is that your attorney be particularly experienced in spinal cord injury cases.  An experienced SCI attorney will make sure that the proper medical experts examine and diagnose your condition and estimate the anticipated costs of your rehabilitation.  An attorney will know how best to deal with critical issues of damages, liability, and fault in a lawsuit, and understand the proper parameters in obtaining compensation from an insurance company or other bureaucracy.

The Cartwright Law Firm has decades of experience in dealing with spinal injuries in the courtroom and at the negotiating table.  Our skilled trial lawyers are available to represent clients anywhere in the country.  If you or a loved one has experienced a spinal cord injury, and you are concerned about medical payments or your legal rights, contact the Cartwright Law Firm today for a free initial consultation.

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Treatment Warnings

Spinal cord injuries (SCI) are permanent in nature, and while intensive rehabilitation efforts may restore function to varying degrees, there is at present no "cure" for SCI; there is no way to repair nerves in the way that muscle, bone, and other body tissue may be repaired.

Given this somewhat dim outlook for a full recovery, it is not surprising that a plethora of alternative treatments are advertised on the Internet, promising cures or recoveries far beyond what conventional medicine can offer.  Although legitimate alternative treatments do exist, it takes a lot of research and understanding to determine which alternatives offer benefits and which ones merely take your money.

Promising Treatments Do Exist

The most heavily-researched areas for treatment include stem cells and drug therapies.  Nerve cell transplantation from embryonic or fetal stem cells may be beneficial to replace neurons in the central nervous system, to regenerate damaged axons, or to form new axon myelin sheaths.  Drug treatments aimed at halting, slowing, or lessening degenerative damage have also shown promise, especially methylprednisolone or other steroids administered shortly after the injury.  Another interesting option being explored is the use of functional electrical stimulation (FES) to stimulate paralyzed nerves.

One major question when considering alternative treatments is whether they are being performed at an established medical facility such as a hospital or reputable doctor's office, or at an alternative health care facility.  When looking at alternative health care facilities, several questions should be considered:

• Is the procedure covered by insurance? 
• Does the doctor performing the procedure have a degree in neurosurgery or other field applicable to the treatment?
• Is the doctor's medical degree from an accredited, reputable medical school?
• Does the doctor maintain membership in accredited, reputable medical organizations?
• Is the doctor board-certified, and if so, by which organization?
• Is the procedure being performed at a hospital or private facility?  Does the doctor have privileges at a hospital in the area?

Stem Cell Buyer Beware

Our page on recent treatment developments contains extensive discussion about stem cell research and the promise of stem cells to differentiate into neurons, perhaps re-establishing connections where the spinal cord has been damaged.   As discussed, stem cell therapy is not approved in the U.S. by the FDA, and research is heavily restricted, so one must travel to other countries to participate in authentic experimental trials or receive stem cell therapy. 

The only established stem cell therapy is a bone marrow transplant for blood and immune system disorders; any other use of stem cells is experimental and unproven as to safety or efficacy.  While our recent developments page notes some promising areas of study by reputable organizations, an Internet search for stem cell therapy will reveal a number of opportunities available worldwide.  While one sure result of these therapies is that you will return several thousands of dollars poorer, whether your health will be improved is less of a certainty, and some therapies could even be harmful.

All we can suggest is that you thoroughly investigate the treatment and providers as much as possible before giving over your body and your hard-earned money to an experimental, risky, or controversial procedure.  Any experimental treatment or clinical trial should only be performed with the informed consent of the patient.  The likely risks and expected rewards should be explained to you to your satisfaction before you agree to any procedure.

If you need further information on alternative treatments, or if you feel you were harmed by treatments meant to benefit you, contact The Cartwright Law Firm today for legal advice or representation from one of our knowledgeable and experienced attorneys.

- See more at: http://www.spinalcordattorneys.com/treatment-warnings/#sthash.ceEASsFN.dpuf

Recent Developments

Stem Cell Research

Recent developments in treatment for Spinal Cord Injury (SCI), especially in the area of stem cell research, offer promising results and an exciting future for victims of SCI. 

In most of the body, old or damaged cells are replaced with new cells manufactured by the body specifically designed to replace them.  Such is not the case with neurons, the nerve cells which make up the spinal cord.  These cells can neither be repaired nor replaced by the body naturally. 

Stem cells are undifferentiated cells; cells that the body has not yet directed to become a certain type of cell, such as a muscle cell, bone cell, red blood cell, or a nerve cell.  If scientists can determine how to coax stem cells into becoming neurons, then they may indeed be utilized to replace damaged nerve cells in the spinal cord.

The main obstacles in stem cell research to date have been the controversy over using stem cells obtained from embryos, and the issue of tissue rejection.  The issue of embryonic stem cells remains controversial, and researchers have investigated the ability to which adult stem cells may be coaxed into differentiating into nerve cells and other types of tissue.  Adult stem cells are more limited, however, than embryonic stem cells in their ability to differentiate. 

Regarding tissue rejection, the body is trained to fight off foreign invaders, such as bacteria and viruses.  Designing stem cells that will not be recognized as foreign by the body has been a major hurdle.  One answer has been to suppress the immune system, which prevents the body from attacking foreign tissue, but also leaves the person open to serious or deadly infection.  Human cloning is a potential answer to the tissue rejection question, although it involves the use of human embryos in an even more controversial and politically-charged debate.

Stem cells obtained from umbilical cords after birth are a less controversial-source.  Cord blood is rich in stem cells and has historically been discarded, although efforts are now underway to save cord blood for experimentation and research, or perhaps for medical use of throughout the "donor's" lifetime.  Cord blood stem cells have been used to treat leukemia, and research is currently underway regarding their use in spinal cord transplantation.

Olfactory Cell Research

Olfactory cells may be a non-controversial substitute for stem cells.  Located in the nasal sinuses, olfactory cells are responsible for our sense of smell.  These cells include neurons as well as stem cells that can become neurons, as well as glial cells, supporting structures in the brain and spinal cord which play significant, vital roles in neural processing and function.  Interestingly, olfactory neurons are able to repair themselves, unlike their cousins in the central nervous system. 

Olfactory cells have been successfully transplanted from the nasal sinus to the spinal cord.  Aside from being non-controversial as compared to embryonic stem cells, olfactory cells may be taken from the SCI patient, thereby avoiding any issues of tissue rejection.  In the experiments performed thus far, improvement has been seen in areas such as increased sensation, decreased pain, and improved motor abilities, bowel and bladder function.  Olfactory transplantation is not approved in the U.S. by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but has been performed at least in Portugal, China, and Australia.

Stem cell and olfactory cell treatments are exciting and offer hope to people with SCI.  However, no treatments have yet been approved in the U.S., and a great deal of further research is still needed.  In the meantime, seeking experimental treatment may offer some improvement and restored function, but the effects may only be temporary, and any surgical scarring created today may make it more difficult for a successful surgery tomorrow, when a more efficacious treatment may be available.

Cost of Treatment

Some of the overseas procedures described above can cost anywhere from $20,000 to $50,000, not including travel and lodging for an extended period.  Health insurance is unlikely (to say the least) to cover experimental or non-FDA approved procedures.  Also, be aware of treatment scams that proliferate on the Internet and don't do anything other than take your money.  Regardless, any procedures, whether approved at home or available abroad, are going to be very expensive.  Whatever treatments are available, hopefully money will not be a barrier.  If you believe you may have a lawsuit against a person or entity at least partially responsible for your injuries, contact the Cartwright Law Firm to speak with an attorney.

- See more at: http://www.spinalcordattorneys.com/recent-developments/#sthash.raAYvHEe.dpuf

Vocational Rehabilitation

Vocational rehabilitation refers to the training necessary to enable an individual to return to work following an injury.  It may include training to enable the individual to return to his or her previous job, or retraining in an entirely new field more suited to a person's differing abilities following a severe injury.  With spinal cord injuries in particular, a long and intense period may be required for an individual to re-learn basic life skills, and to cope and strategize new ways to accomplish old tasks

An entire rehabilitation team, led by a psychiatrist and including occupational therapists, physical therapists, and social workers, and perhaps speech-language pathologists or other therapists, is necessary to restore functioning to an individual, from basic self-care to an independent lifestyle that includes family and social relationships as well as meaningful employment. Breakthroughs in assisted technology, along with advancements in care and treatment and rehabilitation techniques, provide an ever-expanding range of options for people with paraplegia or quadriplegia to re-enter the workforce and daily life in significant ways.

Choosing the Right Hospital

The initial rehabilitation process will most likely take place at a rehabilitation hospital, to which one is transferred upon discharge from the general hospital where emergency and acute care took place.  The initial rehabilitation team will be dictated primarily by the facility where the patient is at.  It is therefore very important to choose a quality facility that is equipped to handle the issues in your particular case.  The best facility for you may not be nearby, and while being near family can be an important element in your recovery, choosing the proper facility is paramount.  The following questions may help you as you explore options:

• How many patients does the facility treat each year with similar spinal cord injuries to mine?
• Is the facility a specialty center with specialty accreditations in the area(s) I need?  How long has it been accredited?
• What are the experience levels of the medical staff, and how long have they practiced at the facility?
• What is the caseload size for nursing staff?
• How many patients are being treated at the facility at this time?
• Which doctor will be my primary physician?  What are his or her qualifications and experience with my type of injury?
• What programs and services are available for families of the patients?  Are low-cost housing and transportation available?

Choosing the Right Attorney

Given that the most appropriate facility may not be near your home, may not be in your insurance company's network, may not be the cheapest option available, etc., it is important to consult with an attorney regarding your legal rights and sources of payment that will enable you to achieve the best recovery available.  The lawyers at The Cartwright Law Firm are experts in handling all types of spinal cord injury cases.  To learn more about your vocational rehabilitation options and your legal rights, contact The Cartwright Law Firm for a free initial consultation.

- See more at: http://www.spinalcordattorneys.com/vocational-rehabilitation/#sthash.7CQ9VO0W.dpuf