Gainesville Spinal Cord Injury Lawyers
Filing a Spine Injury Claim in Florida
Spinal cord injuries are catastrophic injuries that often have significant and long-lasting effects on the lives of victims and their loved ones. If you or someone you care about suffered a spine injury due to the negligent or wrongful conduct of another, you could be entitled to financial compensation for your damages, such as medical expenses, lost wages, pain and suffering, lost earning ability, and more.
With more than 126 years of combined experience, our Gainesville spinal cord injury lawyers at Schackow & Mercadante are prepared to help you fight for the full, fair recovery you are owed. Our firm is known for its aggressive approach to negotiation and litigation, and we are always ready to take cases to trial whenever necessary.
As your legal team, we will provide you with personal attention and direct, one-on-one access to your attorney. We take the time to truly get to know our clients, better understand their situations, and develop innovative legal strategies tailored to their unique needs, concerns, and goals.
For a no-cost, no-obligation consultation, call (352) 261-6767 or contact us online today.
Let Our Spine Injury Lawyers Fight for You
After a spinal cord injury, you should spend your time focused on getting the medical care you need. You shouldn’t have to worry about fighting with the insurance company or submitting evidence along with your claim. Instead, allow our team at Schackow & Mercadante to handle the legal details of your situation for you so that you can focus on what matters most: healing.
When you trust our firm, you can trust that we will be there for you every step of the way. Our attorneys are happy to answer your questions and will provide direct, honest communication regarding the status of your case and any other concerns you may have. As a client, you will be in direct contact with your attorney throughout the legal process and will have access to our large, friendly, and knowledgeable support staff.
Request a free consultation with one of our Gainesville spinal cord injury lawyers today; call (352) 261-6767 or contact us online to get started.
Awarded & Recognized What Our Clients Are Saying
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I met with Marie Banks to go over Car Accident Preparedness. She was awesome and so full of knowledge. Patient with all my questions and I left her office feeling good about the insurance I had and felt prepared if an accident were to happen. She treated me like family. Thank you! 10 out of 10 would definitely recommend.- Pranish Sharma
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“Marie was able to explain my coverage in a way that made it digestible and understandable. With Marie's help I was able to fix my insurance coverage to a policy that included the best protection and I now also rest easier knowing I'm in good hands if I eve”- Josh Talmore
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I'm a UF student who got injured on campus. Schackow & Mercadante handled my case extremely well. Everything was settled in about a year. I highly recommend them for any personal injury case.- Jenny Haber
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“The lawyers and staff at Schackow & Mercadante are professional, courteous and above all treat you like the person you are. You are not a number, you are not just a paycheck, but you are a friend, a guest, dare I even say, a family member.”- Ashley Wilson
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I would absolutely trust Schackow & Mercadante to handle any injury claim. After several meetings with their staff, I'm 100% comfortable with their positive outlook and trust they want what's best for their clients.- Rob Matthews
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They treated me with great respect and negotiated a settlement for me far beyond my expectations. They answered my calls promptly and were available each time I needed them throughout my case. I have recommended this law firm to others I know because I trust the attorneys and staff here immensely.- T Harrison
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I highly recommend Schackow & Mercadante, P.A.!!! The office staff is very polite and professional. Attorneys were great and treated me like a family member.- Kevin Drye
Types of Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries are classified into the following two categories:
- Complete Spinal Cord Injuries: A complete spinal cord injury occurs when all communication is lost between the brain and the body below the point of injury.
- Incomplete Spinal Cord Injuries: With an incomplete spinal cord injury, some communication is retained between the brain and the body below the point of injury.
In general, complete spinal cord injuries are considered more severe than incomplete spinal cord injuries. This is because complete spinal cord injuries typically result in complete paralysis, known as quadriplegia or tetraplegia. However, even an incomplete spinal cord injury can lead to numerous physical complications, which may seriously impact the victim’s life.
Some examples of incomplete spinal cord injuries include:
- Paraplegia
- Triplegia
- Anterior cord syndrome
- Central cord syndrome
- Posterior cord syndrome
- Brown-Sequard syndrome
- Cauda equina
Spine injuries can also result in various secondary injuries, such as nerve damage. Some of the effects of these injuries include numbness, swelling, bleeding, immobility, loss of function, chronic pain, sexual dysfunction, incontinence, and more.
What Are the Most Common Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries?
Spinal cord injuries most frequently occur due to serious accidents and traumatic events. However, disease and alcohol are also some of the most common causes of spinal cord injuries in the U.S.
Common accidents and traumatic events that often lead to spinal cord injuries include:
- Motor vehicle accidents, such as car, motorcycle, and truck accidents
- Collisions between pedestrians or bicyclists and motor vehicles
- Falls, including slips, trips, and falls, as well as falls from heights
- Sports and recreation-related accidents, such as boating or ATV accidents
- Work-related accidents and injuries, including falls
- Violence, including gunshot wounds and attempted suicide
A common theme among the leading causes of spinal cord injuries is negligence. Far too often, people suffer severe, life-changing injuries because someone else acted carelessly, recklessly, or wrongfully.
Although nothing can take away the trauma of such an incident, the good news is that victims of negligent and wrongful conduct are typically entitled to file personal injury claims or lawsuits against the liable parties. This allows them to seek fair financial compensation for their damages, such as medical expenses, future care costs, pain and suffering, lost wages, lost earning ability, and more.
How Much Is a Spine Injury Case Worth?
Many people understandably want to know how much their spinal cord injury claim might be worth. Unfortunately, it is impossible to determine the potential value of your claim without first reviewing the specific details involved.
Many factors influence how much your claim is worth, including:
- The type and severity of your injury
- The cost of your medical expenses
- Projected future medical expenses
- Your overall recovery time
- Whether your injury resulted in permanent disfigurement or impairment
- How much time you had to take off work due to your injury
- The amount of income you lost due to missed work
- Your degree of physical and mental pain and suffering
- Whether you were at fault for the incident that caused your injury
- Your degree of fault (if any) in causing the injury
- Available insurance coverage
Additionally, many factors also influence how long it will take to resolve your case, including the amount of time it takes for you to recover or reach maximum medical improvement, the liable party’s cooperation and willingness to settle your claim, whether or not your case goes to trial, and more.
At Schackow & Mercadante, we always strive to settle our clients’ claims as quickly and efficiently as possible. We work hard to build powerful, evidence-based cases and negotiate aggressively with insurance adjusters and other liable parties. However, in some cases, it is simply not possible to achieve a fair outcome by settling; when this occurs, our Gainesville spinal cord injury attorneys are fully prepared and willing to go to trial.
Learn more about how our Gainesville spinal cord injury lawyer by contacting us online or by calling (352) 261-6767 today!
Why Clients Trust Us
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Personalized Advice & Concierge Level Experience
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Direct Communication With Your Attorney
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Over 125 Years of Combined Experience
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Practicing in The Gainesville Area 55+ Years