Virginia Lawyers Advocate for Victims of Paralysis Injury

Alexandria firm assists with legal aftermath of life-changing accidents

Motor vehicle crashes and other accidents can cause catastrophic injuries, and among the worst is paralysis. Brain or spinal cord damage caused by trauma can limit control of bodily organs, disable muscular movement, and prevent the use of fingers or limbs.

Although no amount of money can fully compensate for such ruinous harm, a personal injury attorney with a depth of knowledge and experience in paralysis cases can help you obtain justice in the form of full and fair financial compensation from the negligent person or business causing the injury. Tom Curcio and the team at Curcio Law have represented victims of paralytic injuries in the Northern Virginia courts for more than 37 years.

What is paralysis?

Paralysis is the debilitating loss of muscle function in parts of your body. There are several types and degrees of paralysis, depending on what parts of the body are affected:

• Monoplegia — Limitation of movement of a single arm or leg
• Hemiplegia — Restriction of both an arm and a leg on one side of the body
• Paraplegia — Disabling of both legs
• Quadriplegia — Limitation of movement in both arms and both legs
• Localized paralysis — Muscular damage of the face, a hand, or some other area of the body

Paralysis of any of these types can be temporary or permanent. Even temporary paralysis may require long-term and painful rehabilitation.

What causes paralysis?

Paralysis is most often caused by damage to the nervous system. Paraplegia and quadriplegia are usually caused by a traumatic head injury or by an impact to or severance of the spinal cord, which transmits messages between the brain and other parts of the body. A recent study reported that 42 percent of spinal cord injuries are caused by car accidents, 27 percent by falls, 15 percent by gunshots and other violence, and 8 percent by recreational sports accidents. Pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcycle riders, and truck accident victims are at particular risk of paralysis caused by traffic accidents.

Damages for paralytic injuries

If you or a loved one are paralyzed as the result of another’s negligence, the financial consequences are potentially ruinous, and the physical, psychological, and emotional effects can be forever life-altering. While such harms and damages cannot ever be undone, the injured victim is entitled under the law to be fully and fairly compensated for them. These damages include the following:

• Medical and other health-related expenses — this includes not only the cost of any treatment and care already received but also the cost of projected treatment and care for as long as the disability is likely to continue.
• Loss of earnings and earning capacity — not only are you entitled to recover wages you have already lost but the loss of earnings you would have received in the future but for your paralysis.
• Physical Pain — This includes compensation for having endured physical pain in the past due to the injuries, but also physical pain to be endured in the future due to the injuries. In addition to any pain you experience from your injuries, you may be entitled to recover for the mental distress caused by your paralysis.
• Mental anguish — This element of damages is distinct from and in addition to the physical pain caused by the injuries, and is to compensate the injured person for the mental and emotional pain caused by the paralysis and its effects, both past, and future.
• Inconvenience — A victim of an accident sustaining paralysis is forced to endure endless inconveniences daily due to his or her injuries, and the law rightfully recognizes this and allows for financial compensation for such inconveniences, both past, and future.
• Scarring or Disfigurement — Catastrophic injuries resulting in paralysis, or the medical care needed to treat such injuries, can result in disfigurement or scarring with associated humiliation, all for which the law allows financial compensation.

Recognizing each of these elements of damages, developing them, and effectively communicating them to an insurance company or a jury requires not only knowledge but the skill and resources to assemble a team of experts often consisting of medical doctors, rehabilitation specialists, psychiatrists or psychologists, vocational specialists, and economists. Tom Curcio and the lawyers and team at Curcio Law have such experience as they have successfully represented the seriously injured for many years.

Trusted representation for paralyzed accident victims

When you or your loved one is paralyzed as a result of another’s negligence, make sure you have an experienced personal injury attorney to seek justice for you. Call Curcio Law at 703-836-3366 or contact us online for a free consultation at our Alexandria office.