When a traumatic incident leaves its mark on a person’s brain or spinal cord, the consequences go way beyond the immediate crisis. We’ve seen firsthand the lives of people who’ve been turned upside down in an instant and know just how tough it is for them to come to terms with a whole new reality that’s got them dealing with physical constraints, a brain that’s not quite working the way it used to, emotional turmoil and financial worries that seem utterly overwhelming. These injuries don’t just hit the person who got hurt, they also slam into the whole family too, who now have to navigate the frustrating medical system, figure out how to be caregivers for the first time, and try to cope with the pain of losing the person they love, even though that person’s still alive. Pedestrian accidents can cause severe injuries due to the lack of protection for those on foot. Drivers who fail to follow traffic laws may be held responsible. Legal guidance can help injured pedestrians recover damages.
Brain injuries are happening all the time, every single day. They occur in serious car crashes, in pedestrian accidents, in falls at work, on construction sites, bike crashes, and, sadly, in violent assaults. And because the brain is the command center that makes us who we are, damage to it can manifest in loads of different ways, and some patients end up with some pretty nasty physical symptoms like headaches, dizziness, vision problems, or just not being able to move easily. Some people struggle with all sorts of cognitive stuff too, like memory loss, trouble concentrating, a slower processing speed, or poor judgement. Meanwhile, the people who get hurt often have emotional and behavior changes too, which can make everything from everyday life to relationships a huge struggle. They might feel totally down, anxious, snappish, get mood swings, or have other personality changes that make relationships really tough and make daily life really hard to get through. Bicycle accident claims involve injuries caused by negligent drivers or unsafe road conditions. Cyclists often suffer serious harm in collisions. A claim can help recover medical expenses, repair costs, and lost wages.
Injuries to the spinal cord are often the kind that can have a really devastating impact on a person. It works kind of like a super-highway for messages from the brain to the rest of the body. These messages control movement, feeling, and things like breathing, heart rate, and digestion. When this pathway gets damaged, the consequences can be pretty dire. Complete spinal cord injuries basically stop all movement and feeling below the level of the damage. Partial injuries can still result in a lot of damage, even if they’re not as dire as a complete injury. The position of the damage determines which bit of the body gets affected. Higher up injuries usually result in much more severe disability, like the possibility of losing the use of all four limbs and needing help breathing.
The medical costs associated with brain and spinal cord injuries are going through the roof and just keep on rising for the remainder of the person’s life. Emergency care, surgery and critical care are just to get the ball rolling. Long term rehabilitation programs use all sorts of therapy to help people get back as much function as they can and learn to live with the new limits they’re stuck with. Wheelchairs, hospital beds, elevators and communication devices are some examples of the specialized medical equipment that can easily cost tens of thousands of dollars and will need to be replaced every now and then. Most people will need to have their homes modified to make toilets, entrances and living spaces wheelchair accessible. Many folks also need ongoing help with basic tasks like showering, getting dressed, eating, taking their meds, and of course many other things. This kind of care can easily cost hundreds of thousands of dollars a year for many many years.
At Singer Katz we help people who’ve been seriously hurt get the money they need to cover both the short term and long term care needs that have come about because of their injuries. We know no amount of money can ever truly make up for the loss of health, the loss of freedom, and the loss of quality of life that these kinds of injuries bring. But having enough money can make a huge difference, it means we can make sure that the people who’ve been hurt and their families have access to the best medical care, the equipment they need, and all the home modifications they need to keep them safe and comfortable. And it gives them peace of mind not having to worry so much about money all the time so they can focus on adapting and improving their quality of life.
To get compensation in brain and spinal cord injury cases, you need to put together a strong case with a lot of hard evidence and expert testimony that people will actually trust. We work with medical experts who can tell us how the injury happened, what therapy was done, what the person’s limits are now and what the future holds. Then there are the life care planners who know a lot about catastrophic injuries, they can help figure out how much all the medical care, equipment, prescriptions, therapies and attendant care is going to cost over the course of the person’s life. Vocational experts can work out how much money the injury has cost the person. Economists can put it all together and give us a precise calculation of the overall damages. This super detailed approach makes sure we account for every way the injury has changed our clients’ lives and seek compensation that accurately reflects the damage they’ve suffered and the ongoing needs they have.
Insurance companies know that brain and spinal cord damage cases can end up in settlements or verdicts worth millions, that’s why they throw everything they have at these claims and try to fight them as hard as they can. Sometimes they’ll bring in their own doctors to try and downplay the severity of the injuries or claim that the person will recover faster than we think they will. They’ll also dig into the person’s past to see if they had any health issues beforehand and try to find other reasons for their troubles. They often make settlement offers that sound pretty big but when you crunch the numbers don’t come anywhere close to what our clients will actually need to cover their costs. And they often hope that people who are hurting will just accept these lowball offers without really knowing what the future holds. If you have a lawyer however you don’t have to deal with all that, and you can be sure that someone with a lot of experience is fighting to make sure your rights are protected.
There are time limits on all personal injury claims, even those with very serious injuries. There are strict deadlines that limit how long you have to start a case. If you wait too long you may miss out on your chance to get any money at all. And there are also practical reasons to act fast, as time goes on it can get a lot harder to get evidence from accident scenes, witnesses can move or forget important details, and paperwork can get lost. Getting legal help right away after a brain or spinal cord injury preserves your rights and gives us the best chance to gather the evidence we need to make a strong case.
We know that dealing with legal stuff can be a huge hassle when you’re already dealing with serious injuries and everything that comes with them. You’ve got medical visits to get to, therapy sessions to go to, learning to live with new limits, dealing with pain and problems, just trying to get through each day. We take care of the legal stuff so you can focus on what really matters. We deal with the insurance companies, look into how the accident happened, get all the medical records and other paperwork, talk to experts, work out settlements, and if necessary take your case to court. You shouldn’t be fighting this fight alone.
A lot of people who are hurt don’t get the legal help they need when they need it most because they’re worried about the cost. We work on a contingency fee basis, which means you don’t have to pay any legal fees unless we win you some money. This way it’s in our best interests to get you the compensation you deserve, and it means that everyone can get good legal help no matter how much money they have right now. It works out pretty well for everyone, our success is closely tied to yours.
We founded our firm in North York on a commitment to compassion, a deep well of knowledge, and a genuine passion for helping people who’ve been hurt in ways that leave a lasting impact on their lives. We get it, brain and spinal cord injuries are just brutal for both body, mind, and bank account, and we approach each case with the level of care, dedication and attention to detail it deserves. We don’t just fight hard to get the maximum compensation possible, we also believe in treating our clients with respect, patience and understanding when they need it most, because let’s face it, this is a hard time.
Singer Katz is of the view that people who are seriously hurt because of someone else’s carelessness deserve strong and robust legal help and the chance to get the support they need to put their lives back together as best they can. If you or a loved one has been in an accident and suffered a brain or spinal cord injury in North York, we’d love to hear from you. We’d like to sit down and talk through what happened, answer any questions you’ve got, explain your rights and help you make sense of all this at a time when it’s all feeling a bit overwhelming.
