The injury lawyers in New York City at Queller, Fisher, Washor, Fuchs & Kool and The Law Office Of William A. Gallina, LLP have dedicated our careers to helping individuals who have suffered serious injuries. Whether you or a loved one has been harmed in an accident, at work or by medical malpractice, we can seek compensation for your losses. Our injury lawyers have experience handling cases involving a variety of different injuries. Below are just some of the types of injury claims we handle:
Amputation Accidents
An amputation will cause significant, long-term consequences for the injury victim and his or her family. Some people will be unable to return to their previous jobs or complete daily tasks, while many will experience considerable physical pain and psychological trauma. Some victims suffer from reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD), also known as complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS), which can create the sensation of pain at the location of the missing limb.
While some amputations are the result of an illness or medical malpractice, many are caused by traumatic accidents such as car accidents, workplace accidents, construction accidents and falls. No matter the cause, you will need an experienced injury lawyer to pursue your claim and collect damages from the negligent party. We represent individuals who have suffered all types of amputations, including:
Amputations Of The Arm Or Hand:
- Amputation of the fingers or thumb
- Metacarpal amputation and wrist disarticulation (loss of the hand)
- Transradial amputation (loss of the forearm)
- Elbow disarticulation (loss of the elbow and forearm)
- Transhumeral amputation (loss of the arm above the elbow and below the shoulder)
- Shoulder disarticulation (loss of the arm and shoulder)
- Forequarter amputation (loss of the arm, shoulder blade and collarbone)
Amputations Of The Leg Or Foot:
- Foot amputation
- Syme amputation and ankle disarticulation (loss of the ankle and foot)
- Transtibial amputation (loss of the leg below the knee)
- Knee-bearing amputation (loss of the lower leg and knee)
- Transfemoral amputation (loss of the leg above the knee)
- Hip disarticulation (loss of the entire leg)
What Are The Consequences Of Amputations?
Amputees may face a lifetime of pain and long-term medical treatment. Typical effects of amputations include phantom pain, wound pain, depression, shortening of the muscles, tissue necrosis or skin death, failure to heal and prosthetic complications. In addition, traumatic amputation victims may suffer serious secondary complications such as bleeding, shock, infection or wrongful death.
After amputation surgery, patients require long-term rehabilitation, which may include strengthening the remaining muscles and relearning skills such as grasping objects or walking. Furthermore, the expenses associated with medical care and prostheses after an amputation are considerable. You may also need compensation to cover the cost of modifying your home and vehicles. Our injury lawyers will fight for the maximum damages you are entitled to receive.
Arm Injuries
Arm injuries can be the result of traumatic accidents, such as a car accident or a slip and fall. These types of accidents often cause fractures of the forearm, wrist, elbow, upper arm or shoulder.
Forearm And Wrist Fractures:
- Distal radius fracture/Colles’ fracture (a break in the wrist caused by falling on outstretched arms)
- Distal ulnar fracture (a break caused by falling on outstretched arms)
- Intra-articular fracture (a break that extends into the wrist joint)
- Extra-articular fracture (a break that does not extend into the wrist joint)
Elbow Fractures:
- Distal humerus fracture (a break of the humerus bone, near the elbow joint)
- Radial head fracture (a break of the lower arm bone in the joint)
- Olecranon fracture (elbow fracture)
Upper Arm And Shoulder Fractures:
- Proximal humerus fracture (a break of the humerus bone, near the shoulder joint)
In the most catastrophic cases, amputation of all or part of the arm may be necessary. If you need surgery for a broken arm, the surgeon may use pins, screws, plates or external fixation to repair the break. In some cases, the patient may not recover full range of motion or full use of the arm after surgery. Depending on your occupation and lifestyle, losing full use of your arm may considerably impact your life. Our New York City injury lawyers can work with medical experts and economists to demonstrate the effect your injury has on your life and your family.
Back Injuries
Back injuries are fairly common among accident victims. These types of injuries typically occur as a result of vehicle accidents, constructions accidents or slip and fall accidents. A back injury can be extremely debilitating and may force victims to miss time at work and undergo expensive treatments. Our injury lawyers can help you recover damages if your back injury was caused by another’s negligence.
What Are Some Common Causes Of Back Injuries?
Some of the most frequent causes of back injuries are:
- Slip And Fall Accidents
- Car Accidents
- Pedestrian Accidents
- Bicycle Accidents
- Construction Accidents
- Bricklaying And Masonry
- Failed Back Surgery
What Are Some Common Types Of Back Injuries?
Fractures: Debilitating back pain is often caused by an injury to the spinal discs. Fractures of the thoracic and lumbar spine are fractures to the spinal column in the lower (lumbar) and middle (thoracic) back that can cause persistent, disabling pain.
Disc Injuries: Disc injuries may cause chronic pain or, in catastrophic cases, paralysis, paraplegia or quadriplegia. These conditions may cause secondary injuries, including pressure sores, respiratory problems and impaired organ function. Lumbar disc herniation or herniated discs (also called slipped discs or ruptured discs) can also be extremely painful. Cervical disc herniation, which involves discs in the neck, can be just as debilitating. Many serious lumbar and cervical spine injuries require surgical procedures, such as a laminectomy, discectomy, lumbar fusion or cervical fusion.
Secondary Injuries: Back and spinal injuries may also cause secondary injuries to the extremities such as pain, numbness or tingling in the arms and hands. The hips, thighs, legs, knees, ankles and feet may also be affected. Pain and numbness in these parts of the body may cause reduced muscle strength and loss of range of motion.
Brain Injuries
Brain damage can be caused by a traumatic brain injury (TBI), chemical exposure and birth injuries. Regardless of the cause, brain injury victims and their families often find that their lives are irreversibly altered after such an injury. Family life may revolve around medical care or adjusting to living with a person whose personality has changed.
What Is A Traumatic Brain Injury?
Trauma caused by a physical blow to the head or a penetrating head injury may disrupt the brain’s normal function. A blow to the body that causes the head to move rapidly back and forth can bounce the brain off the skull, resulting in a brain injury. TBI is often difficult to diagnose because the symptoms may not present themselves until weeks or months after the trauma that caused the injury. Diagnostic tests such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), CAT scans and electroencephalograms (EEG) can be helpful in diagnosing brain injuries. However, a person can have normal test results and may still have suffered a significant and permanent TBI.
Do Traumatic Brain Injuries Differ In Severity?
A TBI may be classified as mild, moderate or severe depending on the severity of neurological disruption or damage to the brain.
Mild TBI: A mild brain injury can have a serious impact on a person’s life. Even if the person retains most physical and cognitive abilities, he or she may suffer from mood disorders and personality changes. Additional symptoms may include headaches, confusion, lightheadedness, dizziness, vision problems, ringing in the ears, abnormal sleeping patterns and fatigue.
Moderate TBI: A moderate brain injury can include nausea, fatigue, memory loss, dizziness, convulsions, seizures, persistent headaches, vision problems and loss of consciousness. A moderate TBI may also result in mood disorders or personality changes.
Severe TBI: A severe brain injury can cause the symptoms of a moderate TBI, as well as impaired motor skill function and speech. In catastrophic cases, a severe TBI may result in trouble breathing, unconsciousness, a vegetative state, coma or wrongful death.
TBI victims often require long-term medical care. Treatment may include rehabilitative therapy and care from speech pathologists, physical and occupational therapists and neurologists.
Defective Products
Thousands of defective products are reported each year, while thousands more go unreported. Companies sell millions of products to U.S. consumers and collect billions in profits every year. They have a legal responsibility and a moral obligation to make sure their products are safe for use or consumption. When they knowingly or negligently sell products that injure or kill innocent consumers, they can be held liable for damages. Our New York City injury lawyers hold manufacturers accountable for their negligence.
What Are Some Types Of Product Defects?
Each year, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission investigates thousands of reports of serious injury or death caused by defective products, including:
- Vehicle Defects
- Safety Gear Defects
- Children’s Toy Defects
- Defective Fire Alarms
- Defective Carbon Monoxide Alarms
- Defective Sports Equipment
- Defective Medical Devices
- Dangerous Or Defective Drugs
- Contaminated Food
What Is An Example Of A Product Liability Case?
As the Georgia Peanut Corp. recall in early 2009 demonstrated, consumers cannot rely on for-profit companies, or even federal oversight agencies like the Food and Drug Administration, to protect them from dangerous or deadly products. In this case, 8 people died and more than 500 were injured in 43 states because of salmonella contamination that was a known problem at the plant. It was a high-profile incident, but the truth is that many seriously defective or dangerous products are investigated or recalled each year and many more go unreported.
Discectomy
A neck or back injury can disrupt your life for weeks, months or the rest of your life. Depending on the location and severity of the injury, you may be unable to return to work, perform daily tasks or care for yourself. You may need discectomy surgery to repair the injury.
What Is Discectomy Surgery?
The higher on the spinal column an injury occurs, the more risk there is for catastrophic complications such as quadriplegia, paraplegia, paralysis, respiratory difficulty and organ failure. When spinal discs or vertebrae are badly damaged, surgery may be required. Discectomy is a surgery to remove a ruptured or herniated disc from the neck or back. A discectomy can be cervical (in the neck region) or lumbar (in the lower back) and may be performed from the anterior or posterior position.
People may need discectomy surgeries because they suffer severe, chronic pain from their injuries. Numbness or tingling in the extremities is another common symptom of back and neck injuries. When the pain and numbness persists, the affected muscles can weaken.
What Necessitates Discectomy Surgery?
Ruptured or herniated discs are often caused by injuries. The below accident types are among the most common causes of discectomies:
- Car Accidents
- Truck Accidents
- Bicycle Accidents
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Pedestrian Accidents
- Hit-And-Run Accidents
- Drunk Driving Accidents
- Slip And Fall Accidents
- Trip And Fall Accidents
Elbow Injuries
Elbow injuries have the potential to seriously limit your mobility. If you have suffered an elbow injury due to another party’s negligence, you should contact our injury lawyers in New York City today. Our firm can help you recover compensation for your losses.
Anatomy Of Elbow Fractures
The elbow is a joint with 3 bones: the radius, ulna and humerus. The end of the ulna that meets with the humerus is called the olecranon. It forms the point of the elbow.
Below are 3 common elbow fractures:
- Anterior and posterior olecranon fractures (broken elbow)
- Distal humerus fracture (a break of the upper arm bone in the joint)
- Radial head fracture (a break of the lower arm bone in the joint)
Elbow fractures often require surgery with pins, screws, wires, plates or sutures. If a piece of the bone is missing or crushed, the surgeon may also need to use bone filler. Pieces of the elbow may break off if the point of the elbow suffers a direct blow. The patient may not regain full range of motion after an elbow fracture. It is common for the person to be unable to fully straighten the arm, even with rehabilitation and exercises. In addition, an elbow fracture may lead to the development of arthritis in the future.
Catastrophic Elbow Injuries
Catastrophic injuries to the arm may result in amputation of the elbow, including:
- Elbow disarticulation (loss of the elbow and forearm)
- Transhumeral amputation (loss of the arm above the elbow and below the shoulder)
What Accidents Typically Cause Elbow Fractures?
Many types of accidents can cause an elbow fracture, including:
- Car Accidents
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Bicycle Accidents
- Slip And Fall Accidents
- Trip And Fall Accidents
- Falls On Snow And Ice
- Construction Accidents
- Ladder Falls
Injuries To Children
When it comes to children, nothing is more important than their safety. As a parent, dealing with the sudden serious injury or death of a child is the most devastating thing imaginable. Injuries to children can involve complex medical issues, including psychological challenges and emotional and physical scarring that can be complicated by the growth process. From a legal standpoint, injuries to children can involve multiple areas of law, including vehicle accidents, product liability, premises liability and liability against businesses or municipalities.
In other situations, the serious injury or death of a child can involve a trusted relative, babysitter or friend of the family. Our injury lawyers in New York City are sensitive about such circumstances; we have experience working with families to collect damages from insurance companies in cases where a child has been seriously injured or killed by a relative or friend.
What Are The Most Common Childhood Injuries?
According to the National Institutes of Health, accidents are by far the leading cause of death in children and young adults ages 1 to 24, with car accidents leading the way. Each year, approximately 5,000 teenagers ages 16 to 19 are killed in car accidents and another 400,000 are injured.
Some common injuries that children may experience include:
- Vehicle Accidents
- Fires
- Playground Or Amusement Park Injuries
- Burns
- Broken Bones
- Spinal Cord Injuries
- Head Injuries
- Birth Injuries
- Poisonings
- Defective Products
- Sports Injuries
- Day Care Injuries
- Firearm Injuries
- Swimming Pool Accidents
- Fireworks Injuries
- ATV Accidents
Knee Injuries
Injuries to the knee can be extremely painful and impede your movement. In severe cases, your mobility may be limited for months or you may need to undergo knee replacement surgery. Surgical repair of the knee usually means spending a few days in the hospital and may require in-home care or staying in a rehabilitative care facility. If you have suffered a knee injury in an accident, our injury lawyers can help you recoup damages to cover the cost of medical bills and lost wages.
Anatomy Of The Knee
The knee joint is made of the lower end of the femur (thigh bone), the upper end of the tibia (lower leg bone) and the patella (kneecap). Large ligaments and cartilage (the meniscus) function to cushion the knee and absorb shock.
What Causes Traumatic And Cumulative Knee Injuries?
Knee injuries can be caused by slip and falls, blows to the leg or body, car accidents, motorcycle accidents and construction accidents. An accident with enough force can result in fractures, as well as trauma to the muscles, ligaments and tendons, including:
- Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears
- Posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) tears
- Medial collateral ligament (MCL) tears
- Meniscus tears (tear to the knee cartilage)
- Quadriceps tendon tears
- Proximal tibia fractures (break of the lower leg bone in the knee joint)
- Patellar fractures (broken kneecap)
In addition to fractures and tears, cumulative trauma injuries can affect the knees. Overuse and repetitive motions such as lifting or carrying heavy items, operating heavy equipment and walking on uneven surfaces can cause injuries. A cumulative trauma injury can cause pain, burning, discomfort, tingling, numbness or reduced range of motion that may be significant enough to prevent you from working or doing daily tasks.
Leg Injuries
A broken leg can be much more serious than people initially think. Depending on your age and the type of fracture you suffer, a broken bone can cause problems for many months. In some cases, broken leg bones never completely heal, especially with complex fractures that occur near the ankle. Leg fractures occasionally require additional surgeries to correct the break. In the most catastrophic cases, amputation of all or part of the leg may be necessary.
Femur Fractures: A broken femur (thigh bone) may require weeks in traction, a cast covering the leg and part of the pelvis and surgical options such as plates, screws and rods being inserted to aid in healing. Femur fractures usually take at least 3 to 6 months to heal. If the fracture resulted from a traumatic accident such as a car accident, injuries to the surrounding muscles, tissue and nerves may complicate treatment.
Tibia And Fibula Fractures: The tibia and fibula are the bones in the lower leg. They are subject to numerous types of fractures, including stable, displaced, transverse, oblique, spiral, comminuted, open and compound fractures. Fractures of the lower leg may take 4 to 6 months or longer to heal. Depending on the type and severity of the fracture, surgical remedies may be necessary, including the insertion of plates, screws and rods.
Lumbar (Lower) Spine Injuries
Fractures of the lumbar (lower) spine can cause continual pain, numbness and weakness. In addition to fractures of the vertebrae, people can suffer from lumbar disc herniation, also called slipped discs or ruptured discs. Degenerative disc disease, which can be made worse by an injury, can cause pain when vertebrae rub against one another or a spinal nerve is pinched. Doctors may recommend lumbar fusion surgery for such injuries.
When there is an injury to the spinal cord, the location of the injury plays an important role in the severity of the resulting condition. Typically, the higher on the spine the injury occurs, the more debilitating the effects will be. For example, people who are injured in the lumbar region may retain function of the arms, hands and abdominal muscles, but lose function in the legs. Severe lumbar spinal cord injuries can cause paralysis or paraplegia and loss of control of the bowel or bladder.
What Causes Back Injuries?
Back injuries are often caused by:
- Slip And Fall Accidents
- Trip And Fall Accidents
- Workplace Accidents
- Construction Accidents
- Car Accidents
- Truck Accidents
- Bicycle Accidents
- Motorcycle Accidents
- Pedestrian Accidents
- Hit-And-Run Accidents
- Drunk Driving Accidents
Collect Damages For Your Spinal Injury
If another party was responsible for your injury, you may be entitled to compensation. Our injury lawyers in New York City will seek compensation for past and future medical bills, pain and suffering, lost wages and related expenses like medical equipment.
How Do I Schedule A Consultation With Your Injury Lawyers In New York City?
If you or someone you love has suffered an injury due to another’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation. For a free consultation with our injury lawyers in New York City, call our Manhattan office at 212.406.1700, our Bronx office at 718.892.0400 or contact us online. We will review your case and discuss your legal options with you. The attorneys at Queller, Fisher, Washor, Fuchs & Kool and The Law Office Of William A. Gallina, LLP take all cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning our services are free of charge unless there is a monetary recovery. Our law firm is proud to serve the New York City area, including the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island, as well as the surrounding counties and New Jersey. We offer legal services in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Chinese.