Paralyzed After a Car Accident in New Hampshire: What Should I Do Next?
Paralysis comes in many forms, affecting a single limb, one side of the body, the legs, or the entire body from the neck down. Regardless of what type of paralysis you have experienced, it’s important to figure out what to do next after a car accident in New Hampshire. Who will pay for your medical expenses? How will you earn money? What about the psychological issues associated with this injury type? These are questions you can raise with an experienced New Hampshire car accidents attorney.
Focus on Medical Treatment and Learn About Potential Financial Support Options
After you’ve completed the initial, urgent medical treatment needed to stabilize your condition, you may feel overwhelmed with making sure the other parts of your life remain (or get back on) track. Take it one step at a time. If you’re concerned about affording your medical bills, ask your medical provider if they have a social worker on staff who may be able to help you apply for various types of assistance, including Medicaid. If you are catastrophically injured, especially if you can no longer work the same type of job you had been working prior to your injury, you may be surprised that you now qualify for reduced cost medical care and health insurance. If you have student loans or a mortgage, you should also contact your loan servicers as there may be programs to either defer or completely discharge your loans due to your disability. You might also have other insurance that could help, such as short-term and long-term disability insurance. Many people receive these benefits through their employment but sometimes forget about this coverage as it is not needed often.
The costs of future medical care, home modifications, vehicle modifications, and lost income can feel daunting. If your paralysis is the result of another person’s negligence, a personal injury claim or verdict can help you to cover these costs, in addition to compensation for the pain, suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life caused by your injury.
Identify Potential At-Fault Parties
Whether you know what caused your accident or not, it makes sense to investigate the incident in more detail and determine whether you can identify any at-fault parties. New Hampshire allows you to sue those who caused your crash or contributed to it. For example, a drunk driver may have caused your paralysis by colliding head-on with your vehicle. Perhaps someone ran a red light while texting and driving. You may have been injured by an out-of-control street racer.
Even if you partially caused your own injuries, you can still file a lawsuit if you were not the “main” cause of the crash. In other words, you can sue as long as you were 50% responsible for the accident or less. If you’re not sure who or what caused your accident, consider contacting the local authorities responsible for investigating it. If you can’t get any answers, your personal injury attorney may be able to gather more information about the cause of the crash.
Can a Car Accident Lawyer in New Hampshire Help Me?
A car accident attorney in New Hampshire may be able to help if you are recovering from paralysis. Although recovery is always possible, this type of injury has the potential to change your life in various ways. Compensation is critical in this situation. Consider discussing your legal options with a lawyer, as it might be possible to file a lawsuit. Continue this conversation alongside Manning Zimmerman & Oliveira PLLC.
Sources:
brainandspinalcord.org/car-auto-accident/
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9436506/
