Las Vegas Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer

• Medical malpractice can cause spinal cord injuries through surgical errors (damage during spinal surgery, improper technique, operating on wrong level), delayed diagnosis or treatment of spinal conditions (fractures, infections, tumors, epidural hematomas), birth injuries (improper delivery techniques causing infant spinal damage), anesthesia errors (improper positioning or needle placement during epidural or spinal anesthesia), failure to properly immobilize trauma patients, and medication errors causing spinal complications. These preventable errors can result in partial or complete paralysis.

A complete spinal cord injury results in total loss of sensation and motor function below the injury site, typically causing paraplegia (lower body paralysis) or quadriplegia/tetraplegia (all four limbs paralyzed). An incomplete spinal cord injury means some sensory or motor function remains below the injury level, with varying degrees of impairment. The level and completeness of injury dramatically affect prognosis, treatment needs, and compensation amounts. Medical malpractice that causes complete paralysis typically results in multi-million dollar settlements due to lifetime care costs.

Spinal cord injuries result in catastrophic lifetime costs including initial hospitalization and surgery (often $500,000+), ongoing medical care and medications, home modifications for wheelchair accessibility, specialized vehicles and mobility equipment, 24-hour attendant care (potentially millions over a lifetime), treatment for secondary complications (pressure sores, infections, pain), psychological counseling, and lost earning capacity. First-year costs can exceed $1 million for high-level injuries, with annual costs of $200,000+ thereafter. Experienced attorneys work with life care planners to calculate these costs accurately and secure full compensation.

Medical malpractice can cause spinal cord injuries through surgical errors during spinal, neck, or back procedures, improper administration of epidurals or spinal injections, failure to diagnose and treat spinal infections promptly, delayed treatment of spinal tumors, improper patient positioning during surgery, negligent chiropractic manipulation, failure to stabilize spinal fractures, and birth injuries from improper delivery techniques. These injuries can result in partial or complete paralysis requiring lifetime care.

Spinal cord injury care costs are substantial and ongoing. First-year costs average $375,000 to over $1 million depending on severity, with annual costs of $70,000 to $200,000+ thereafter. Lifetime costs can exceed $5 million for young victims with severe injuries. Expenses include hospitalization and acute care, rehabilitation and physical therapy, wheelchairs, adaptive equipment, and home modifications, personal care attendants, ongoing medical treatment, and lost income. Our attorneys work with life care planners to document these costs for maximum compensation.

Spinal cord injury victims can recover extensive compensation including current and future medical expenses, rehabilitation and therapy costs, adaptive equipment and home modifications, lost income and permanent loss of earning capacity, pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life and inability to participate in activities, and in medical malpractice cases, amounts within Nevada’s $350,000 non-economic damage cap plus unlimited economic damages. Our attorneys maximize every component of damages for spinal cord injury victims.