Collingswood Personal Injury Law Blog

The world moved in slow motion as emergency room doctors informed you that your loved one had suffered a spinal cord injury. Everything changed from that moment, and you knew that life as you knew it was over, and a new reality was beginning. Whether your loved one's injuries resulted from an auto accident, a fall on dangerous property, an act of violence or some other cause, the road ahead is sure to be long and painful.

More than half of spinal cord victims lose the use of their arms and legs, and about 42 percent become paraplegic, which is paralysis of only the legs. Paralysis is the hallmark of a spinal cord injury, and your loved one will have a strenuous period of adjustment. However, as tragic as paralysis may be, your loved one is likely to suffer in many other ways.

You've probably driven the same route numerous times. You know the road like the back of your hand and remember making it home safely countless times. When the other vehicle slammed into yours, it came as a surprise.

You suffered serious injuries. Perhaps you suffered a serious bone fracture, crush injuries or a severely bruised muscle in an arm or leg. At some point, you begin experiencing severe pain in the muscles around the injury. Upon examination, your doctor tells you that you suffer from acute compartment syndrome and may need surgery to avoid further or permanent damage to the area.

Most people know cervical acceleration-deceleration syndrome by its more common name: Whiplash. Hollywood and television portray this literal pain in the neck as a way to obtain compensation from someone after an accident. The characters alleging this condition often end up portrayed as con artists or opportunists.

This puts a negative light on people who legitimately suffer from this condition, which most often occurs in rear-end collisions. During the impact, your neck moves violently forward and backward. The most common symptom does involve neck pain, but can involve other symptoms as well.

Many people who need an attorney after being injured in an accident actually put little thought into the process. Maybe they open up the Yellow Pages and select the one with the flashy ad that stands out, or perhaps they do a quick Google search for the closest one in their community. But the bottom line is that they invest very little research into their choice of who will best represent their interests.

It's not that the clients are remiss in their duties when selecting their attorneys. Consumer laws against false advertising restrict attorneys from claiming to "specialize" in certain areas. While this is a good thing in most cases, to a layperson with little experience in dealing with the law, it can make the selection process more confusing.