In Massachusetts, individuals who suffer a spinal cord injury due to another party’s negligence face permanent physical, emotional, and financial consequences. Boston catastrophic injury attorney Dino M. Colucci of Colucci, Colucci & Marcus, P.C. is providing guidance on how these claims work, how state negligence laws affect recovery, and the compensation available to victims and their families.
Understanding Spinal Cord Injuries
A spinal cord injury requires immediate medical attention and extensive long-term care, and the financial impact can reach into the millions of dollars. According to Colucci, insurance companies frequently attempt to reduce payouts, making knowledgeable legal representation important. The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center estimates approximately 18,482 new traumatic spinal cord injuries occur in the United States each year.
The leading causes nationwide include vehicle crashes at 37.1 percent and falls at 32.5 percent, followed by violence, sports and recreation incidents, and medical or surgical causes. In Boston, these injuries often stem from congested roadways, icy sidewalks and stairwells in older buildings, and the city’s active construction industry.
Financial Scope of Spinal Cord Injuries
The financial scope of these injuries is substantial. First-year costs can range from roughly $472,190 to more than $1.4 million depending on severity, with lifetime costs for a young person with high tetraplegia potentially exceeding $6.4 million. Beyond medical expenses, victims often face lost income, the cost of modifying vehicles and homes, in-home care, assistive technology, and increased transportation costs for ongoing treatment.
To recover compensation in Massachusetts, an injured person must prove duty of care, breach, causation, and damages. A strong claim depends on proof, and evidence must connect the defendant’s conduct to the injury, document the full extent of the damages, and address any argument that the injured person shares fault.
Original reporting: KTBS 3 (Shreveport) — read the source article.
