Spinal Cord Injuries: How To Get The Compensation You Deserve From ICBC

By 2012, there were over 24 million licensed Canadian drivers on the road. With roads getting busier and more hectic, the amount of motor vehicle accidents that occur have also been climbing as well. Due to the angle of the collision and the force of the impact, many car accidents result in partial or total spinal cord injuries that may be either permanent or temporary. Getting the compensation that you deserve from ICBC claims may be difficult. Hiring an injury lawyer to represent you can help simplify all of the legal proceedings while you focus your efforts in recovering.

What Is a Spinal Cord Injury?

The spinal cord can be injured either through lacerations, dislocations, distractions, compressions or contusions and concussions. The severity of the injury will affect the amount of disability that the affected individual may experience and the levels of pain associated with the injury. ICBC has categorized different types of spinal cords into unique categories. For example, bony cervical spine injuries will include compression fractures at C-7, T-1 and T-2, avulsions of the C-7 spinous process and even facet subluxation at C-7 to T-1.

Spinal cord injuries negatively affect and damage your nerves. This means you may lose some mobility and become disabled or you may experience extreme pain. Your injury lawyer will want to make sure you obtain a correct diagnosis regarding the type and extent of spinal cord injury you are suffering from, as this will influence the amount of compensation you are entitled to.

What Type of Proof Do You Need?

Spinal cord injuries that have resulted from motor vehicle accidents may often stimulate the onset of a predisposed genetic disorder. As a result, the party at-fault for the accident may claim they are not entirely at fault. To fight off any defenses that may come up, it is important to collect and gather strong evidence with the injury lawyer. You will want to:

  • prove the other party is at-fault. This can be done through witness statements, analyzing the dynamics of the accident, and other types of evidence, like dashboard cameras or security cameras nearby that may have documented the entire accident.
  • prove the accident caused the spinal cord injury. It is important to have a clean bill of health that can show you were not dealing with any spinal cord injuries before the accident, and to also have medical reports regarding how the accident may have caused the injuries, and the consequences to follow.
  • prove you have taken diligent efforts in limiting overall liabilities. To ensure your injuries were not worsened through your neglect to get medical attention, make sure you can prove you have taken the medications the general practitioners have prescribed, gone to rehabilitative treatments recommended, and also taken time to rest.
  • prove the extent of the severity of the injuries and the pain and suffering you have experienced as a result. Are the effects of the spinal cord injury temporary or permanent? In addition, make sure you have medical reports documenting where you feel pain and the severity of the pain.

What Can You Sue For?

Those who are dealing with spinal cord injuries will want to take their time in settling their case since chances are their condition will not improve with time. Make sure you are justly compensated for:

  • medical expenses. The cost of the medications and rehabilitative treatments needed to improve conditions related to spinal cord injuries can take a long time. Regenerating nerve fibers in the spinal cord grows by approximately 0.8 mm per day. In short, you can expect long recovery times.
  • caregiving or maid expenses. If you were responsible for caregiving duties and for taking care of the house, you can receive compensation for these added expenses coming out of your own pocket since you will no longer be able to partake in these duties.
  • wage loss, since you will be taking a long time off of work to deal with your injuries, and will no longer be able to earn an income. It is also important to factor in how the injury may involve your income earning abilities in the future.
  • pain and suffering. For the emotional duress you are experiencing, make sure you are rightfully compensated.

Conclusion

Dealing with a spinal cord injury can be tough, especially since nerve damage is difficult to recover from and is also time-consuming. Instead of spending more time and effort on your case and dealing with ICBC, hire an injury lawyer to help you negotiate the terms and conditions of your settlement, so you can focus more on recovering and relaxing. You'll definitely need it.


Share