Houston Paralysis Injury Lawyer

If you were recently hurt in an accident that left you paralyzed, you may not know where to turn.

Paralysis changes your life forever and will undoubtedly lead to ongoing medical treatment, emotional trauma, and expensive retrofitting in your home. You may need personal care and be unable to perform your job, losing your paycheck indefinitely. Let our catastrophic injury attorneys help you fight back for significant compensation that can make your life more comfortable and productive. A Houston paralysis injury lawyer could champion your cause.

The Dynamics of Paralysis

The body’s nervous system instructs muscles to move, and if the signals are interrupted, paralysis can occur. Paralysis can be localized to the face, feet, or hands, but when a more significant portion of the body becomes paralyzed, the extent of the paralysis is categorized, including the following:

• Diplegia is paralysis of matching sides, like arms, legs, or both sides of the face
• Hemiplegia paralyzes one side of the body
• Monoplegia refers to paralysis of one leg or arm
• Paraplegia paralyzes the lower body
• Quadriplegia, or tetraplegia, paralyzes everything below the neck

Paralyzing accidents devastate the person affected because their life is compromised by the inability to move. If someone else acted recklessly and put a person in this position, they should compensate the person for what they have lost, both financially and emotionally, as they face permanent disability. Our Houston paralysis injury attorneys can inform injured parties about their rights and what they might expect from insurance settlements and personal injury lawsuits.

Compensation After a Paralysis Injury

Most paralysis injuries occur in motor vehicle crashes and alcohol contributes to about 25 percent of them. The plaintiff’s attorney could establish whether the motorist that caused the crash was legally intoxicated to prove negligence. Motorists have a duty to drive responsibly; and if they breach that duty by driving intoxicated, causing an accident that paralyzes another person, the elements of negligence are met.

The plaintiff’s attorney can also negotiate with the at-fault motorist’s insurer using this information to extract a substantial settlement. Because Texas automobile insurance is based on tort liability, the motorist who acted negligently and caused an accident is responsible for compensating the paralyzed party. Should the insurer refuse to settle for enough to cover losses, a Houston paralysis injury attorney can file a lawsuit.

Damages Awards Caps

Although most people paralyzed in an accident will not face a cap unless punitive damages are involved, some personal injury awards are capped in Texas. If the paralysis results from medical malpractice, the injured party cannot receive more than $250,000 in non-economic damages from each treating physician or more than $500,000 from all hospitals and other medical facilities. Non-economic damages are subjective and include pain and suffering, emotional stress, and disfigurement for loss of the paralyzed limb. Economic damages are not capped and include quantitative losses, such as medical bills and lost wages.

Under the Texas Tort Claims Act, if an on-duty government employee or facility such as a veteran’s hospital negligently causes an accident, then economic and non-economic damages are capped at $250,000 from each person involved, $500,000 for one event, and $100,000 in property damage.

Punitive damages punish egregious behavior and are not available in most cases. When both economic and non-economic damages are awarded, punitive damages are capped at twice the amount of economic damages plus non-economic damages, up to $750,000.

Find a Houston Paralysis Injury Attorney to Advocate for You

All it takes is one moment of inattention for an accident to happen. You might share the road with a distracted driver who careens into you or a physician botches your back surgery, causing you to be paralyzed. While you regain your strength and continue rehabilitation, let us help you with the legal aspect of your situation. The at-fault party owes you for your losses.

Schechter Shaffer & Harris can advocate for you with insurance companies and in court before a jury. Our mission is to get you the most favorable settlement or award possible. Call us to learn what our Houston paralysis injury lawyer could do for you.