Personal Injury Firm
Your brain is the command center for your entire body, and your spinal cord is the conduit by which the brain transmits messages to the rest of the body. These injuries can have profound effects on a person’s mobility, bodily functions, and ability to work to support themselves and those they love.
Some spinal cord injuries are more serious than others, and the severity of an injury will usually depend on the kind of damage to the spinal cord. Recovery is sometimes possible for some victims, but many others will have to deal with the permanent consequences of these injuries.
If you or your loved one suffered a severe spinal cord injury in any accident caused by another party’s negligence in Indiana, Kentucky, or Illinois, get yourself, legal counsel, right away. You are going to want to have a skilled personal injury lawyer by your side so you can be sure that you can recover all of the compensation you are entitled to.
Chapman Injury Lawyers represents residents and visitors all over the Evansville area and is admitted to state courts in Indiana, Kentucky, and Illinois. We can answer all of your legal questions when you call (812) 461-6261 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation.
Many spinal cord injury victims are facing enormous medical bills because of the treatment they require, and insurance companies will usually try to capitalize on a person’s unfortunate circumstances by offering them a lump sum settlement to resolve their case without going to court. As appealing as the sum of money can seem to some people, the truth is that whatever you are being offered is likely to be nowhere near what you are entitled to.
As a general rule, you should avoid speaking to any insurance company until you have an attorney who can deal with the insurer for you. Some insurance companies will feign concern and express a willingness to take care of you before assigning your case to a claims adjuster and likely delaying a resolution for several months as part of their investigation. All the while, the insurer will try to get you to unknowingly make statements in which you admit to some degree of negligence.
You want a lawyer not just for help dealing with insurance companies, but also because of what they are going to be able to do to develop your case. Chapman Injury Lawyers will be able to conduct an independent investigation into your accident that will allow us to determine the cause and collect vital evidence as well as identify all liable parties.
Chapman Injury Lawyers takes pride in working closely with every one of our clients and getting to know them and their personal stories. We will take the time to fully understand all of the ways your injury affects your life so we can present as complete a portrait as possible to a jury.
Neil Chapman earned a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Southern California before earning a Juris Doctor from the University of Notre Dame Law School. He has nearly 25 years of legal experience and is a member of the Indiana Trial Lawyers Association and Evansville Bar Association.
Stephen Thomas received a Bachelor of Arts from Southern Illinois University and earned his Juris Doctor at the Southern Illinois University School of Law. He is a member of the Evansville Bar Association, Kentucky Justice Association, and Indiana Trial Lawyers Association licensed in Indiana, Illinois, and Kentucky.
Our firm can negotiate a fair and full settlement to your case or file a lawsuit when an insurance company refuses to provide appropriate compensation. Chapman Injury Lawyers also represents individuals on a contingency fee basis so you will not have to worry about paying us one cent until you obtain a financial award.
Spinal cord injuries usually occur when the back and spine suffer a blow, puncture, or another impact. Some of the most common causes of spinal cord injuries caused by accidents include, but are not limited to:
The nature of a spinal cord injury is usually determined by the specific vertebrae affected. The general rule with spinal cord injuries is that the higher up the back, the worse the nature of the injury.
The human vertebral column has 33 vertebrae, and some of the most severe spinal cord injuries involve damage one of the three following regions:
The other two regions of a person’s spinal cord are the sacral vertebrae (S1-S5) and the coccyx or tailbone. Sacral vertebrae injuries can cause loss of bowel and bladder control, although most victims are still able to walk. Coccyx injuries can involve pain in some cases, but they typically do have the same far-reaching effects of other spinal cord injuries.
How a spinal cord was severed determines whether a spinal cord injury is complete or incomplete. A partial severance of the spinal cord is an incomplete spinal cord injury and the victim usually retains function below the affected area. A complete spinal cord injury involves a complete severance of the spinal cord and the victim loses all feeling and ability to control movement below the affected area.
Common incomplete spinal cord injuries include central cord syndrome, anterior cord syndrome, and Brown-Sequard syndrome. Examples of complete spinal cord injuries include hemiplegia (paralysis of one arm and one leg on the same side of the body), paraplegia (paralysis of the legs and the lower half of the body), triplegia (paralysis of one arm and both legs), monoplegia (paralysis of one arm or one leg), and tetraplegia or quadriplegia (paralysis of all limbs).
The reduction or loss of motor and sensory function or reflexes below the affected area of a spinal cord injury is known as spinal shock, which is not the same as the medical condition of shock. A person might not even know they are experiencing spinal shock. Spinal shock typically occurs in four phases, with the first phase involving areflexia or hyporeflexia that consists of a loss or weakening of reflexes below the injury, the second phase involving the return of some reflexes, and the third and fourth phases involving possible hyperreflexia which is strong reflexes with just minimal stimulation.
Most spinal cord injury victims are going to require regular ongoing care to manage their injuries. Annual urological assessments are necessary to ensure a person’s kidneys and bladder are healthy and prevent urinary tract infections. Spinal cord injury victims are particularly susceptible to upper respiratory infections and pneumonia, and additional care can also be required for ongoing pain or spasms. Outpatient programs can also be helpful in some cases.
Did you or your loved one sustain a spinal cord injury in an accident caused by another party’s negligence in the greater Evansville area? At Chapman Injury Lawyers, we take spinal cord injury cases seriously, because of how devastating they can be and how deeply they can impact a person’s ability to work, support themselves and their family, and enjoy life as they once did. We work diligently to make sure that the full impact of the injury is evaluated and the present and future costs are calculated correctly to ensure that you do not have to pay out of pocket for someone else’s negligence.
Chapman Injury Lawyers will work tirelessly to make sure that you get the justice you deserve. Call (812) 461-6261 or contact us online to receive a free consultation.
Don’t face this alone.
NEIL CHAPMAN, LAWYER
8124632110 
