Bergen County lawyers guide you through your claim for a spinal cord injury
A back injury seriously can harm the spine and spinal cord. A spinal cord injury is generally caused by a blow to the back that fractures or dislocates the vertebrae in the spine. Additional damage can be caused when the vertebrae or fractured pieces of the spine tear into cord tissue or damage the nerves. The most severe injuries cause paralysis below the site of the injury.

If you sustained a serious back injury or spinal injury in Bergen County or northern New Jersey because of the negligence or wrongful acts of another, it’s in your best interests to find an attorney who can help you recover compensation for your medical bills, rehabilitation, permanent injuries, lost wages, loss of earning capacity, pain and suffering, and other harm. At the Law Offices of Richard S. Greenberg, we are dedicated to helping you obtain the full compensation you need and deserve under the law. Our highly experienced lawyers personally handle your case to ensure the best quality of service and results.

What are the symptoms of spinal injuries?
Because spinal injuries are internal, they are not always easily recognized or diagnosed. If you or a loved one was in a car or truck accident, a slip and fall accident or otherwise injured your spine, seeking medical treatment is the best way to diagnose the injury and minimize the harm. Many symptoms indicate a spinal cord injury, including:

Pain or pressure in the neck, head or back
Tingling or loss of sensation in the hand, fingers, feet or toes
Partial or complete loss of control over any body part
Urinary or bowel problems
Balance and walking problems
Bands of pain or pressure in the area between the head and abdomen
Difficulty breathing
Unusual lumps on the head or spine
Signs of weakness or brain injury
Unconsciousness or semiconsciousness

What kind of back injuries can you sustain in an accident?
Our lawyers help you recover compensation for all types of serious injuries to the back, neck and spine, including:

Herniated disc injuries
Fractures
Spinal cord injury
Slipped vertebrae
Broken or fractured spine
Pinched or damaged nerves
Numbness, pain or weakness
Blood pressure problems
Loss of muscle, lung, bowel or bladder control
Reduced mobility
Paralysis, including paraplegia and quadriplegia

What are the causes of back and spinal injuries?
Diseases and accidents both can cause a spinal injury. Alcohol is a factor in about one out of four accidental spinal injuries. At the Law Offices of Richard S. Greenberg, our attorneys assist victims in recovering compensation from negligent parties in all types of accidents that cause an injury to the spine:

Auto accidents and motorcycle accidents are the leading cause of spinal cord injuries. They cause more than 40 percent of new injuries in the United States each year.
Trip and slip and fall accidents and falls from heights cause more than 25 percent of spinal injuries. If you are over age 65, falling is the most common way to injure your spine.
About 15 percent of spinal cord injuries are caused by gunshot wounds, knife wounds and other violent acts.
About 8 percent of back injuries are caused by athletic and recreational activities, including impact sports, such as football and diving in shallow water.

How attorneys can help after an accident
If you have sustained a severe herniated disc in an accident in northern New Jersey because of the negligence of another, our lawyers at the Law Offices of Richard S. Greenberg can help you obtain relief. Medical treatment can be costly, and a painful slipped disc may make you miss work or render you unable to do the job you did previously. The pain and suffering can be excruciating and affect all aspects of your life. Our attorneys understand your situation, and we put our knowledge and vast network of professionals to work to help you obtain the medical care you need and the monetary damages for your harm that you deserve.

What are the causes of herniated discs?
The spine is made up of individual bones, called vertebrae, which have rubbery cushions, called discs, between them. The discs are soft inside with a harder exterior. In an accident, the exterior may crack and the soft inside the disc may push out, creating a herniated disc, also called a slipped or ruptured disc. Herniated discs can irritate nearby nerves and cause severe pain, numbness or weakness, not only in the back but also in the arms and legs.

At the Law Offices of Richard S. Greenberg in Bergen County, we help accident victims obtain compensation for all types of back injuries resulting from accidents caused by another, such as:

Sciatica, a lower back injury that causes pain and numbness in the buttock and down the leg
Cauda equina syndrome, a serious herniated disc injury in which the bundle of nerve roots at the end of the spinal cord is squeezed, causing bowel, bladder, genital or intestinal problems, tingling or loss of feeling to the lower pelvic area and legs, or loss of function in leg muscles

How are herniated discs treated?
After an accident, if you suffer ongoing pain or numbness in the spine or limbs, you need to seek medical attention. A doctor may diagnose a slipped or ruptured disc through a physical exam or need to conduct tests, such as:

X-rays
CAT scans
MRIs
Myelograms
Nerve tests, such as electromyograms
Once the location and severity of the injury is determined, you may need treatment, including:

Over-the-counter pain medications
Narcotics, such as codeine or Vicodin
Nerve pain medications
Muscle relaxers
Cortisone injections
Physical therapy
Heat or ice
Traction
Ultrasound
Electrical stimulation
Short-term bracing for the neck or lower back
In a few severe cases, you may need surgery if other treatments fail and a disc fragment is pressing on a nerve, causing progressive weakness, or you have trouble performing basic activities, such as standing or walking. A surgeon may need to remove a portion of the disc or the entire disc and fuse the vertebrae together or implant an artificial disc.

Treatment for spinal cord injuries may be costly and time-consuming, resulting in significant financial harm. Our attorneys strive to help you recover compensation from any negligent parties that will cover your initial and long-term treatment and your lost income from missed work and other damages. Whether you were in car or motorcycle accident, slip and fall accident or construction accident, we have the knowledge and skills to help you through your lawsuit or settlement.

Focusing on legal and financial problems after a deadly accident
An accident that takes the life of a loved can devastate you and your family. Often, families are too grief-stricken after an unexpected fatal auto accident, workplace injury or fall to think about monetary compensation for their lost loved ones. However medical bills, burial costs and other financial problems can mount quickly, particularly if your loved one was a wage earner. The financial repercussions of your loved one’s death can soon overwhelm you and your family.

Our lawyers at the Law Offices of Richard S. Greenberg understand what a difficult time this is for you. We work hard to help you obtain the money you need and deserve after an accident to help make your loss less of a financial struggle. Through personalized service, accessibility and a passion for justice, we are proud to have obtained more than $100 million in settlements for our clients in Bergen County and northern New Jersey over our years of practice.

Who can file a wrongful death claim in New Jersey?
When loved ones are killed in fatal accidents, certain family members may recover compensation for their resulting financial losses under New Jersey laws. Surviving family members who may file for wrongful death include the heirs under intestate law:

Spouse
Children and grandchildren
Parents
Siblings
Dependents
If you are an heir who was dependent on the deceased victim at the time of his or her death, you may recover an award as if you were the sole heir in a proportion determined by the court, which considers such factors as the age of all dependents, physical and mental condition, educational needs, finances and other sources of support. In any case, beneficiaries can only recover monetary damages for their own losses, including:

Loss of current and future financial support, including wages and benefits
Loss of assistance, guidance and companionship
Medical costs
Funeral expenses
In addition, a survivor’s action can be joined with a wrongful death lawsuit to recover damages that the deceased suffered. When a person is killed because of a wrongful act, neglect or default, the administrator of the deceased’s estate can sue to recover damages the deceased would have been able to recover if he or she had lived. These are basically personal injury damages and include the pain and suffering the deceased victim went through before death.

What types of wrongful death cases does our firm handle?
At the Law Offices of Richard S. Greenberg, our attorneys have experience and skills in all types of wrongful death claims in New Jersey. If you lost a loved one in any type of accident caused by a wrongful act, neglect or default of another, we can help you seek compensation for your loss. Some of the most common fatal accidents that may give rise wrongful death claims involve all types of motor vehicles collisions:

Auto accidents — There were 17,442 fatal auto accidents involving passenger cars recorded in 2011.
Motorcycle accidents — The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) recorded 4,749 fatal motorcycle accidents in 2011.
Truck accidents — There were 16,740 fatal accidents involving light trucks and 3,608 large truck accidents in 2011.