When a Florida resident suffers injury due to the negligent or unlawful actions of another person, he or she is able to file a claim in a civil court to seek restitution for damages sustained. A personal injury can be very severe, sometimes resulting in permanent disability, such as those who suffer spinal cord injuries due to gunshot wounds. In such circumstances, a surviving victim often requires daily living assistance and a lifetime of medical care.
One man in another state who took a bullet near his spine while attending a barbecue party where a gun fight broke out said that he has been hospitalized 14 times in the past year due to ailments and situations that have arisen because of his condition. Spinal injury victims apparently tend to be vulnerable to pneumonia and various skin infections. The cost of ongoing medical care for those in such circumstances can be astronomical, amounting to millions of dollars over a lifetime.
Baltimore, Maryland, is a city where gun violence is the leading cause of spinal cord injuries. In most other cities, this type of injury is more than likely to occur as a result of a motor vehicle accident or a fall. Either way, those who survive such injuries often need help to function on the most basic level, including eating, bathing, or changing catheters and other medical tubes.
A Florida personal injury attorney would be able to offer guidance to someone who has suffered serious injury due to another person’s negligence. If one is considering filing such a claim, a first logical step to take in the process would be to contact an experienced lawyer in the area to arrange for a consultation. A successfully litigated case can provide court-awarded compensation that can be used to help alleviate ongoing costs associated with an incident.
Source: wbaltv.com, “Gun violence often leads to spinal cord injuries in Baltimore“, Lisa Robinson, Accessed on Nov. 9, 2015