- Home
- Practice Areas
- Paralysis
Paralysis After Omaha Accidents
Experienced legal representation for survivors of catastrophic injuries
Free Consultation
Tell us what happened.
According to research from the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, over five million Americans are living with some form of paralysis. Anyone who lives with paralysis or cares for a paralyzed loved one knows firsthand just how challenging and costly this condition can be. While some cases of paralysis are linked to health-related causes like strokes and multiple sclerosis, others can be traced back to traumatic accidents and spinal cord injuries.
When a person becomes paralyzed due to an accident-related injury, the accident itself is typically just the tip of a much larger iceberg. Paralyzed patients may require extensive care and often face long-term health challenges. The personal and financial costs associated with these injuries can be incredibly destabilizing for injured victims and their caregivers.
The team at Inserra Kelley Cooper Sewell represents survivors of negligence-related accidents who are living with life-altering conditions like paralysis. We believe that individuals who cause harm to others by failing to exercise reasonable care for their safety deserve to be held accountable for their actions. While not every case of paralysis has legal implications, those that do deserve to be handled with the utmost care.
If you or someone you love was paralyzed in a negligence-related accident here in Omaha, our team would love to listen to your story and talk to you about your legal options. We know that this may already be a difficult time for you and your family, but we believe it can be incredibly valuable just to know that there’s someone out there who is willing to fight for you. Contact us today to learn more about what we do, and let’s discuss how we can help you pursue the compensation and accountability you deserve under Nebraska law.
How We Can Help
- How does paralysis happen?
- Accidents that may cause paralysis
- Determining liability in a paralysis-related injury claim
- The lifetime cost of paralysis
- What compensation is available for paralyzed accident survivors?
- Why work with Inserra Kelley Cooper Sewell?
- Frequently asked questions about paralysis injury claims
How does paralysis happen?
Paralysis can occur for a variety of reasons. A person who is paralyzed is generally unable to perform voluntary movements using certain muscles or muscle groups. The nature and extent of a patient’s paralysis often depend on the underlying cause of the condition and the location of any associated injuries.
In some cases, paralysis is brought on by damage to a specific part of the nervous system. This might include the brain, the spinal cord, or the nerves themselves. Paralysis may be somewhat localized or more widespread depending on the affected area of the body, so there’s really no universal presentation of this condition.
While some cases of paralysis can be linked to chronic illnesses or progressive diseases, others occur because of some sort of trauma. An injury to the brain or spinal cord can significantly affect a person’s functioning and may lead to partial or full paralysis. Because these injuries can occur in many accident scenarios, our team of personal injury lawyers has experience handling cases in which a negligence-related accident results in a victim becoming paralyzed.
Accidents that may cause paralysis
There are many different accident scenarios that could result in a victim becoming paralyzed. Brain and spinal cord injuries can occur in traumatic accidents, which may put survivors at an increased risk of becoming paralyzed.
Blunt-force trauma to the head or spine may damage the nerves that govern certain motor functions, thus leaving a person paralyzed. Similarly, if a person’s spinal vertebrae sustain serious damage due to a direct impact, sudden motion, or compression of some sort, paralysis may be a concern.
As Omaha personal injury lawyers, we commonly represent clients who became paralyzed in accidents like:
- Car crashes
- Truck accidents
- Motorcycle crashes
- Pedestrian accidents
- Workplace incidents
- Falls from heights
- Premises liability accidents
- Violent assaults
While some accidents are unavoidable, many others can be linked to preventable causes. When an investigation indicates that an accident could have been avoided, our team starts asking questions about who can or should be held responsible for the paralyzed victim’s personal and financial losses.
Determining liability in a paralysis-related injury claim
When an accident results in serious injuries like paralysis, survivors and their loved ones are often left wondering whether anyone else can be held accountable for the victim’s suffering. Not every accident has legal implications – sometimes, bad things just happen. If, however, the evidence suggests that another person’s actions or inaction directly caused an accident, injured parties may be within their rights to pursue a claim against the alleged at-fault party.
Many of these cases rely heavily upon findings of negligence. That means we look for signs that the alleged at-fault party owed you a legal duty of care and directly caused or contributed to your paralysis by violating that duty. For example, if you became paralyzed because a drunk driver fell asleep at the wheel and T-boned you in an intersection, you may have grounds to pursue a claim for compensation against them.
Even if you contributed in some way to the accident that injured you, you may still have recovery options available to you under Nebraska law. Our state follows a modified comparative negligence system, which gives accident victims the ability to recover compensation from another at-fault party as long as the injured party was less than 50% responsible for the accident. If you are found to have been 25% at fault for the accident that paralyzed you, you may be able to file a claim against the other involved party, but any compensation you ultimately receive will be reduced by 25% to account for your share of the blame.
The lifetime cost of paralysis
Many paralyzed accident survivors choose to pursue claims against the person who caused their accident to help offset some of the exorbitant costs commonly associated with these injuries. Depending on the severity and extent of a person’s injury, they may require extensive medical care for the rest of their life.
Even temporary or localized paralysis can seriously compromise a person’s quality of life and ability to engage with the world around them. A patient may have to miss work for an extended period of time or may find themselves unable to return to their pre-accident work routine. They may also need to attend regular physical therapy or spend time in a rehab facility that specializes in supporting paralyzed patients.
All of these losses add up over time, making the lifetime cost of paralysis a major consideration in a negligence-related accident claim. A person who becomes a paraplegic at the age of 25 may incur more than $3 million in lifetime costs related to their condition. For many accident victims, the costs associated with these injuries far exceed their financial means and can leave them struggling to meet even their most basic needs. This is why it can be absolutely invaluable for a paralyzed survivor of a negligence-related accident to take action to recover compensation from the person whose actions caused their condition.
What compensation is available for paralyzed accident survivors?
Because these injuries can come at such a high cost, it’s important to pursue a claim that accurately reflects the nature of your losses. Depending on the facts of your case and the extent of your injuries, you may be entitled to compensation for economic damages, non-economic damages, or some combination of the two.
Economic damages like medical bills and rehabilitation costs are often major subjects of these cases due to the high healthcare costs associated with these injuries. However, there are other financial losses to consider, such as lost wages, reduced lifetime earning potential, therapy costs, prescription medication costs, and more.
You may also be able to recover compensation for non-economic damages like pain and suffering, mental anguish, reduced quality of life, and the loss of the use of one or more limbs. Your Omaha paralysis lawyer can work with you, your care team, and other professionals like vocational experts to calculate the value of your past, present, and future losses. Nebraska generally does not impose any damage caps in standard personal injury cases, so you and your legal team can advocate for an amount of compensation that appropriately represents your accident-related losses.
Why work with Inserra Kelley Cooper Sewell?
If you or a loved one became paralyzed in a traumatic accident, we want you to know that you don’t have to navigate any of this on your own. There is so much uncertainty that comes with these cases, particularly when a victim is facing a lengthy recovery process. While we recognize that no amount of compensation can ever undo what happened to you, we believe it’s important for paralyzed accident victims to exercise their rights in order to lay a solid foundation for their “new normal.”
At Inserra Kelley Cooper Sewell, we advocate for accident survivors and their families to help them pursue the compensation they need to move forward. Within the past five years alone, our team has secured over $50 million in compensation for victims of accidents throughout the Omaha area. While past results do not guarantee future outcomes, we are committed to fighting just as hard for our future clients.
Because we have spent so much time with survivors of traumatic accidents over the years, we understand how taxing the legal process can be for those already dealing with serious medical issues and major lifestyle changes. Our goal is to handle the heavy lifting for our clients whenever possible so they can focus on their healing efforts while we advocate for their financial recovery. We don’t charge any attorneys’ fees unless we secure compensation for our clients, and we offer free, no-obligation consultations to community members looking to weigh their legal options. No matter where you are in this process, we would be happy to speak to you about your goals and hopes for the future of your case.
Frequently asked questions about paralysis injury claims
What kinds of paralysis may qualify me for compensation?
Paralysis of any kind may provide you with the basis you need to file a claim for compensation, as long as you can show that your condition happened because of another person’s negligence. Whether you were temporarily paralyzed or are facing permanent, pervasive paralysis, you may have legal options available depending on the facts of your case.
How is the value of a paralysis claim calculated?
Can I recover compensation if I was partly responsible for the accident?
How long do I have to file a paralysis injury lawsuit in Nebraska?
Will my paralysis case have to go to trial?
Speak to an Omaha personal injury lawyer
When a traumatic accident leaves a survivor paralyzed, the future can become uncertain and even frightening. The physical, emotional, and financial toll of these accidents can be overwhelming for injured victims and the people who care about them most. As scary as all of this can be, however, it’s important for you to know that there are people out there who care about you and your fight for justice.
If you or someone you love was paralyzed in an accident in Omaha or elsewhere in Nebraska, Inserra Kelley Cooper Sewell might be able to help. Whether you’re in the early stages of investigating an accident and filing a claim or are dealing with stalled insurance or settlement negotiations, we would love the opportunity to support you in whatever way feels most helpful at this stage.
Give us a call, fill out our online form, or stop by our Omaha office at 6790 Grover Street, Suite 200 to schedule a free consultation, and let’s discuss how our team could play a role in your fight for compensation and accountability.