Brandon Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer

These victims need and deserve substantial compensation.

The lifelong economic costs of a severe spine injury could exceed $5 million. Medical bills, along with physical alterations to living spaces, like wheelchair ramps, make up the bulk of these costs. Vehicle collisions cause most spine injuries. Falls, either a slip-and-fall or a fall from a height, are a rather distant second. As outlined below, these incidents usually are not “accidents.” Negligence, or a lack of care, usually causes a spine injury or other personal injury.

If negligence causes injury, the diligent Brandon spinal cord injury lawyers at Carman, Bevington & Finegan, P.A. can obtain substantial compensation for these victims. This compensation usually includes money for economic losses, such as medical bills and physical alterations, and noneconomic losses, such as emotional distress and loss of enjoyment in life. Additional punitive damages are also available in some extreme cases.

Vehicle Collision Liability

Most drivers have a duty of reasonable care. They must be at their best, mentally, physically, and otherwise, when they get behind the wheel. Then, as they drive, they must obey all written and unwritten rules of the road.

Impaired driving, like driving while fatigued or under the influence of alcohol, and aggressive driving, like speeding and failing to maintain a proper lookout, breach this duty. The compensation is available if that breach of duty substantially and proximately caused physical damage.

Substantial cause is basically the primary cause. Many causes contributed to the Civil War, but slavery substantially caused it. The proximate cause is foreseeability (possibility). When Jarrol steps in the shower, it’s possible, albeit unlikely, that he’ll slip and fall.

Sometimes, a third party is financially responsible for spine injury and other damages. Respondeat Superior is a good example. If a commercial driver, like a delivery driver, truck driver, or Uber driver, causes a crash, the tortfeasor’s employer is on the hook for damages.

To a Brandon spinal cord injury lawyer, vicarious liability is important for two reasons. Florida has one of the highest numbers of underinsured drivers in the country. Vicarious liability creates an additional source of recovery. Furthermore, respondeat superior holds employers accountable for the actions of their employees.

Premises Liability

Falls and gunshot wounds also cause many spine injuries. Frequently, property owners are legally responsible for damages in these cases.

Once again, the foundation of a negligence case is a duty of care. Usually, the same basic duty of care that applies to drivers also applies to property owners. A lesser duty of care typically applies if the victim’s presence didn’t benefit the owner (e.g., a guest of an apartment resident) or the victim was a trespasser (no permission to enter and no benefit).

Owners have a legal duty to create and maintain safe and secure places for their invited guests. They must immediately address and remove injury hazards, like wet spots on floors, dimly lit stairways, propped-open security doors, and broken security cameras.

Additionally, a Brandon spinal injury lawyer must prove, by a preponderance of the evidence, that the owner knew about or should have known about the injury-causing hazard.

Work With a Thorough Hillsborough County Attorney

Injury victims are entitled to substantial compensation. For a confidential consultation with an experienced personal injury lawyer in Brandon, contact Carman, Bevington & Finegan, P.A. Virtual, home, and hospital visits are available.