Thousands of people in Missouri are living with a life-altering medical condition. If you or your loved one experienced a spinal cord injury in a motor vehicle collision, fall, or workplace accident, your mental health could also be suffering, and an experienced catastrophic injury attorney at AW Smith Law could help.
Spinal cord injuries are incredibly serious and could lead to permanent paralysis, loss of sensation, and even life-threatening complications. They can also affect a victim’s emotional well-being. Read on as we delve into the topic of mental health care and spinal cord injuries, and contact our team at AW Smith Law to schedule your case evaluation.
What Do You Need To Know About Spinal Cord Injuries?
Spinal cord injury claims allow victims to seek compensation for damages to both physical and psychological health. State personal injury law considers mental health care a compensable expense, provided there are tangible economic damages to go with it.
While we at AW Smith Law could help you pursue just compensation, there are a few things we want our clients to understand, including Missouri’s statute of limitations. This strict deadline limits the time you have to file a personal injury claim to just five years from the date of the accident.
The state also follows a pure comparative fault rule, meaning you can still recover damages even if you are partially at fault for the accident. However, your percentage of blame directly reduces your compensation. To learn more about how this rule may affect your spinal cord injury case, reach out to our team.
Claiming Mental Health Damages for Spinal Cord Injuries
Because spinal cord impairments often result in permanent lifestyle changes, victims frequently experience mental health challenges such as post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, and a loss of quality of life. Your spinal cord injury settlement or verdict may cover the cost of psychiatric treatment, ongoing psychological therapy, and prescribed medications.
However, to seek non-economic damages for emotional distress, state law typically requires you to link the emotional trauma to your physical injuries. You must present evidence of such to pursue a settlement, such as therapy records, expert testimony from mental health professionals, and documentation of its impact on your daily life. Because mental trauma varies, severe cases that require long-term psychiatric care and cause major disruptions to your ability to work have significantly higher value during settlement negotiations.
Speak With Us About Your Psychological Health and Spinal Cord Trauma
At AW Smith Law, our personal injury lawyers understand mental health care and spinal cord injuries and recognize that mental health recovery after a catastrophic spinal cord injury is challenging. We could help you negotiate with the at-fault party’s insurance company to pursue the settlement state law may entitle you to.
Because we work with you on a contingency basis, you never have to pay us to get your case started. Get to know us and schedule your consultation today.
