(201)488-1161
Picture a lady in a car wearing a seatbelt who is stopped at a traffic light with her foot on the brake. Out of nowhere, a truck rams into the back of the car. Her body suddenly jerks forward and is then caught by the seat belt, so she doesn’t go through the windshield. Then, the body slams back into the seat and the headrest. That all took about 2 seconds.
The spine is made up of bones (called vertebrae) that are separated by discs which is a soft material. That is what allows us to bend over and turn around.
When the spine comes under sudden pressure, the discs are stretched and sometimes the disc tissue is damaged.
That disc damage is enough to change the quality of life for many truck crash victims.
Other times, the force of the crash damages the spinal cord so severely that the crash victim loses the control of different parts of the body.
If the spinal cord is not completely severed, the victim might suffer paraplegia and can’t control or feel certain parts of the lower half the body.
An even more severe injury is quadriplegia where the victim loses control and feeling from the neck down.
People who suffer neck and back injuries undergo treatment with doctors who specialize in either pain management, physical medicine and rehabilitation, anesthesia, orthopedics, neurology, or neurosurgery.
There are numerous potential spinal cord injuries from accidents. Treatments can help reduce the pain and increase mobility, but they don’t always bring the patient back to how they were before the crash.
This can cause physical pain and economic loss which should be compensated.
Medical Treatment: Many medical providers do not know how to get paid by insurance when
they treat victims of truck crashes. That is why so many doctors simply don’t treat patients who
were in a car accident. Your lawyer’s office should be able to help you get to a doctor who can
accept your car insurance coverage, so you won’t get bounced around by doctors anymore.
File a Lawsuit: Many lawyers try to negotiate a settlement without filing a lawsuit. That might be
fine with small injuries but not with catastrophic spinal injuries. Usually, a lawsuit needs to be
filed to find out if there are excess or umbrella policies. Without knowing how much money is
available, you won’t know how much money there is to go after. Experienced trial lawyers know
that.
Standard of Living: Spinal injuries can take away how you earn a living. Your income is what
you used to pay your bills and take care of your family. Who is going to pay for the ramp or
build a new room downstairs? That needs to be replaced and you need to secure your financial
future.
Pain and Suffering: This is not the money that should be used to pay the bills. The pain and
suffering money is what is needed to compensate the physical pain and emotional trauma. It
won’t take away the pain or trauma, but it will be used to balance the scales of justice.
Most New Jersey lawyers have no experience in litigating spinal cord injuries caused by careless
truck drivers and reckless tractor-trailer drivers. O’Cathain Law Group has certified civil trial
lawyers who have litigated spine injury cases and have tried spinal cord injuries in front of juries.
Very few lawyers in New Jersey have that experience. That is why other attorneys refer New
Jersey spine injury cases to us. We’ve negotiated settlements before and won verdicts before—
and you can visit our Verdicts & Settlements page for yourself.
If you suffer a spinal injury, whether in an accident on the road or from a slip-and-fall or being
hit by a vehicle, it will not cost you anything to consult with a lawyer at our law firm. If you hire
our firm, we will only get paid if you recover money in a settlement or from a jury verdict. You
can call or email us now to set up a consult over the phone, on Zoom, or in person. It can be done
At O’Cathain Law Group, our motto is Move Forward. It may be hard to picture a new life after
a catastrophic spine injury, and yet that’s where we come in. We can guide you on your journey,
and help you refocus on what really matters: your family, your renewed passions, your life.
Did you or someone you love suffered a tragic spinal injury? Call (201) 488-1161, fill out the
intake form, or email a dedicated Personal Injury paralegal to speak with a New Jersey Spine
Injury Lawyer at O’Cathain Law Group.