Stockton Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer

A spinal cord injury can feel like the world has stopped. In a single moment, your life, your family’s life, and your future are all thrown into uncertainty. The physical pain, emotional trauma, and financial pressure can be devastating. At Legal Fighters, we understand that this is more than just a legal case—it's your life.

We are here to offer guidance, support, and dedicated legal advocacy. To learn how our Stockton spinal cord injury lawyer can help you explore your rights and legal options following a spinal cord injury, please call us for a free, no-obligation consultation.

Understanding Spinal Cord Injuries

A spinal cord injury (SCI) is a life-altering event that occurs when there is damage to the spinal cord or the nerves at the end of the spinal canal. This damage can disrupt the communication between your brain and the rest of your body, leading to permanent changes in strength, sensation, and other bodily functions below the site of the injury.

The toll of an SCI extends far beyond the physical limitations. It creates a ripple effect that touches every aspect of your life and the lives of your loved ones. Families are suddenly faced with staggering medical bills for emergency care, surgeries, hospitalization, and ongoing rehabilitation. 

You may be unable to return to work, resulting in a significant loss of income that your family depended on. Your home may require extensive modifications, such as ramps and accessible bathrooms, and you might need specialized vehicles and assistive devices. 

The emotional and psychological impact, including depression, anxiety, and a loss of independence, is profound, affecting not only you but your entire family. At Legal Fighters, we see the whole picture and understand the true, long-term impact of these catastrophic injuries.

If your injury was caused by the careless, reckless, or wrongful actions of another person or entity, you may have the right to pursue financial recovery through a personal injury claim. This legal process is designed to help you secure the resources needed to manage the immense costs associated with your injury and to hold the responsible party accountable for their actions.

Types of Spinal Cord Injury Cases We Handle

Spinal cord injuries are a devastating outcome of many types of preventable accidents. Our legal team has deep experience investigating and litigating cases that arise from negligence in various forms. We are prepared to help clients who have suffered an SCI due to:

• Car Accidents (including high-speed collisions and rollovers)
• Truck Accidents (involving commercial semi-trucks, tractor-trailers, and delivery vehicles)
• Motorcycle Accidents
• Drunk Driving Accidents
• Pedestrian Accidents
• Bicycle Accidents
• Rideshare/Taxi Accidents (involving Uber or Lyft)
• Slip and Fall Accidents (premises liability)
• Construction Site Accidents

If you or a loved one sustained a spinal cord injury in any of these or other similar circumstances in the Stockton area, we encourage you to contact us to discuss your situation.

Do I Have a Spinal Cord Injury Case?

This is one of the most common and important questions we hear. The foundation of most personal injury lawsuits in California, including those for spinal cord injuries, is the legal concept of negligence. In simple terms, negligence occurs when a person or entity fails to act with reasonable care, and that failure causes harm to another person.

To have a successful spinal cord injury case, our legal team must work to establish four key elements:

1. Duty of Care: We must first show that the person who caused your injury (the defendant) owed you a legal duty of care. For example, every driver on the road has a duty to operate their vehicle safely and follow traffic laws to avoid harming other drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. Property owners have a duty to keep their premises in a reasonably safe condition for visitors.
2. Breach of Duty: Next, we must prove that the defendant breached, or violated, that duty of care. This is the specific act of negligence. Examples include a driver who was texting while driving, a trucking company that failed to maintain its vehicle’s brakes, or a store manager who ignored a dangerous spill on the floor.
3. Causation: We then must establish a direct link between the defendant's breach of duty and your spinal cord injury. In other words, we need to show that "but for" the defendant's negligent actions, you would not have been injured. For example, the driver running a red light directly caused the T-bone collision that resulted in your SCI.
4. Damages: Finally, we must demonstrate that you suffered actual harm, or "damages," as a result of the injury. These damages include a wide range of losses, such as your medical expenses, lost wages, future care costs, and physical and emotional suffering.

Proving all four of these elements requires a thorough investigation, compelling evidence, and skilled legal arguments. The team at Legal Fighters has the experience and resources to build a strong case aimed at demonstrating the negligence that led to your injuries.

The Insurance Company Made Me an Offer. Should I Take It?

If the at-fault party's insurance company has contacted you with a settlement offer, it is crucial that you proceed with extreme caution. While the offer might seem substantial at first glance, especially when bills are piling up, it is almost always in your best interest to consult an experienced lawyer before you accept anything or sign any documents.

Insurance companies are for-profit businesses. Their primary goal is to protect their bottom line by paying out as little as possible on claims. The initial offer they present is often a "lowball" offer, calculated to be just enough to make you go away quickly, before you understand the true, lifelong cost of your injury.

Insurers use several tactics to shortchange victims:

• Pressuring for a Quick Settlement: They may try to settle your claim within days or weeks of the accident, long before the full extent of your medical needs, rehabilitation requirements, and long-term disabilities are known.
• Requesting a Recorded Statement: An insurance adjuster may ask you to provide a recorded statement about the accident. They are trained to ask questions designed to get you to say something that they can later use to downplay your injuries or shift blame onto you.
• Downplaying the Injury's Severity: They may dispute the severity of your SCI or argue that your need for future medical care is exaggerated.
• Disputing Liability: Even in clear-cut cases, they may try to argue that their policyholder was not at fault or that you were partially to blame for the accident.

When you hire Legal Fighters, you get a shield and an advocate. We immediately take over all communications with the insurance companies. We prevent them from harassing you and protect you from their tactics. 

Our team will conduct an independent investigation, work with medical and financial experts to calculate the full, long-term cost of your injury, and build a comprehensive demand package that reflects the true value of your claim. We will then negotiate forcefully on your behalf, prepared to take your case to court if the insurer refuses to offer a fair and just settlement.

What if I’m Partly to Blame for My Accident Injury?

It’s not uncommon for accident victims to worry if their own actions might affect their claim. Under California’s comparative negligence law, you can still recover damages even if you bear partial responsibility for the accident. However, your compensation will be reduced by the percentage of your fault.

For example, if you are found 20% at fault for the accident, your final compensation will be reduced by 20%. This is why it’s crucial to have skilled legal representation like Legal Fighters. Our attorneys can help minimize claims of shared fault through meticulous evidence gathering and strategic arguments. We’ll ensure that liability is assessed fairly so your recovery isn’t unnecessarily limited.

How Our Lawyers Can Help with Your Spinal Cord Injury Case

When you’ve suffered a spinal cord injury, the last thing you should have to worry about is dealing with the complex and demanding legal system. When you entrust your case to Legal Fighters, we lift that burden from your shoulders. Our team manages every aspect of your claim so you and your family can focus on healing and adapting to your new reality.

Here’s how we can help:

• Investigation: We’ll dig deep to uncover the facts, from accident reports to witness statements and medical records.
• Case Building: Our team will establish the four elements of negligence, building a compelling argument that holds the responsible party accountable.
• Expert Collaboration: Collaborating with leading professionals, such as accident reconstructionists and medical experts, to strengthen your case.
• Negotiation with Insurers: Handling every interaction with insurance adjusters to stand against lowball offers and unfair tactics.
• Court Representation: Should your case proceed to trial, we’ll advocate tirelessly to present your case to a judge or jury.

Legal Fighters operates with a singular focus on doing what’s right for you. When you partner with us, you gain a team committed to providing compassionate support and relentless advocacy.

Stockton Spinal Cord Injury FAQs

Here are answers to some of the most commonly asked questions we hear about spinal cord injury claims: