How Does a Spinal Cord Injury Affect Your Body?
An injury to the spinal cord may also damage the nerve fibers that carry signals to and from the brain. When the spinal cord is severely damaged, the spinal nerves below the injury may still receive signals, but they will be unable to communicate with the brain.
A severe spinal cord injury can result in permanent loss of sensation and strength below the point of injury. In the unfortunate event that you or a loved one has suffered a spinal cord injury as a result of the negligence of an individual or corporation, you do not have to deal with it by yourself.
What Accidents Can Cause a Spinal Cord Injury?
There are few injuries as life-changing as spinal cord injuries. The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis reports 17,810 new spinal cord injuries annually in the U.S. This is a staggering number. Spinal cord injuries can cause paralysis and many other complications that are very costly for the victims to deal with.
There are many causes of spinal cord injuries, including:
Car Accidents
Car accidents cause many spinal cord injuries (SCI). Although many of us take driving for granted, driving is risky. SCIs don’t only happen in tragic accidents – even seemingly minor collisions like whiplash or airbag deployment can cause spinal cord damage.
In Florida, there is a no-fault system, meaning that the driver’s insurance pays for their medical bills and other economic losses. Suppose a driver causes another person’s injury due to negligence (e.g., drunk or careless drivers). In that case, they may be held liable in a lawsuit for additional damages, such as pain and suffering.
Slip and Falls
Almost anyone can suffer a spinal cord injury from a slip and fall, but unfortunately, the elderly are most vulnerable. Additionally, a fall that occurs with an elderly person can have devastating effects on that individual’s health and well-being. A nursing home or other facility might be legally liable for medical expenses and other damages if a fall caused an SCI.
Medical Malpractice
Sometimes, a person visits a health provider or undergoes surgery or a procedure for an injury or illness, only to sustain worse damage through negligence or mistake which is considered medical malpractice.
Any number of errors a doctor makes can cause SCIs, including:
- Failure to follow proper safety measures, resulting in a fall
- Failure to diagnose or treat a spinal infection
- A stroke or tumor that goes undiagnosed or untreated
- Errors during neurosurgery or orthopedic surgery
- A mistake in administering a spinal anesthetic or block
- Delaying surgery
- Contributing to birth injuries
Assault and Violence
When a person injures you intentionally or due to gross negligence, you may be eligible for compensation if you file a lawsuit. Injury caused by fights, sexual assaults, gun or weapon violence, etc., falls into this category.
In addition to motorcycle and pedestrian accidents, boating accidents, sports injuries, defective products, and premises liability, there are many other ways in which an SCI can occur. Our spinal injury lawyers can guide you through the complicated legal process so you receive compensation for your losses regardless of the cause.
The effects of spinal cord injuries can be dramatic. Our spinal injury attorneys have experience handling the different types of lawsuits that can arise from a spinal cord injury, notably those involving negligence or defective products. Regardless of how minor the impact is, an acute spinal cord injury can result from an accident.
Types of Spinal Cord Injuries
A spinal cord injury can occur in an accident, no matter how minor. There are many possible ways your spinal cord can be injured, including:
Complete Spinal Cord Injury
If the spinal cord is completely damaged, it can no longer communicate with the brain. A person who suffers such an injury will lose all motor and nerve functions and sensation and movement below the injury. They will suffer total paralyzation. This is called paraplegia.
Incomplete Spinal Cord Injuries
When some degree of movement and sensation remains after a spinal cord injury, some signals can still travel from the spinal cord to the brain. The severity of the spinal cord injury entirely determines the amount of movement.
The five categories of spinal cord injuries are:
Spinal Bruising/Nerve Damage
Usually, there is a quick recovery process after a temporary spinal cord injury.
Spinal Cord Injury Symptoms
- Legs, arms, or chest are numb.
- Inability to move
- Exaggerated reflexes and spasms
- Inability to control bladder and bowel movements
- Weakness or loss of function of muscles
- Breathing difficulties that may require a ventilator
- Sexual dysfunction
- Burning pain caused by nerve damage.
Treatment for a Spinal Cord Injury
Checking the victim’s breathing is the first step in treating spinal cord injuries. Using a ventilator or breathing tube may be necessary if a spinal cord injury occurs in the upper neck.
The next step is to immobilize the victim by using a cervical collar backboard to prevent any movement to the spine, which may lead to further damage. Medical care will then be limited to forming a correct diagnosis by emergency medical technicians.
A doctor may prescribe a very high dose of steroids to reduce swelling and inflammation, which can mitigate some spinal cord damage.
Doctors place spinal cord injury victims in traction or a cervical halo to prevent further spinal injuries. Surgery is the next step in spinal cord injury treatment.
Spinal cord surgery aims to relieve pressure on the spinal cord by removing fractured vertebral segments that may be compressing it. Doctors use rods, plates, and screws to stabilize the spine during spinal cord surgery.
They hold all vertebral segments together until the bones have healed. Healthcare workers administer physical and occupational therapy to restore function as much as possible after surgery.
All of this can cost thousands—if not millions—of dollars that you shouldn’t have to pay if someone else caused your injury. That doesn’t even come close to including the pain and suffering your spinal cord injury caused you.
Call Boohoff Law to find out how to recover compensation for all these damages.
Who Can I Hold Liable for an SCI?
These parties can cause SCIs due to their misconduct or negligence:
- An employer or driver who is negligent in causing a traffic accident
- A surgeon who injures the spinal cord during a procedure or surgery
- A doctor who does not act immediately to treat an infection, clots, or injury to the spinal cord when they discover it on x-rays or radiology imaging
- Landlords who don’t fix hazardous conditions in buildings that can cause people to fall or become injured
- Medical staff misdiagnosed a broken back, causing paralysis when improperly moved.
What if You Suffer Spinal Injuries at Work?
If you suffer a spinal cord injury at work, can you continue to work and provide for your family? Workers’ compensation covers lost wages and medical bills that you might incur.
While workers’ compensation does not allow you to sue your employer, it does allow you to sue any third-party responsible for your injury.
Spinal Cord Injury Damages You Can Recover
A settlement or judgment that our spinal cord injury attorneys can obtain for you after an accident can help cover many expenses, including:
- Medical expenses: Expenses related to this accident, such as doctor and hospital bills, medication, and future medical bills
- Lost wages: From the time you may have missed or if you’re unable to work
- Pain and suffering: Injury victims will receive payment for long-lasting emotional and physical suffering.
- Rehabilitation: Costs for rehab after the accident
- Wheelchairs and similar devices: if necessary
- Home modifications: if necessary
Why Hire Our Spinal Cord Injury Lawyers?
Among the most severe injuries a person can suffer are spinal cord injuries. The damages caused by spinal cord injuries are therefore particularly severe. Seeking compensation for spinal cord injury damages can involve complicated legal procedures
Our spinal cord attorneys can help you. We can provide you with the skills and resources you need to deal with the many curveballs these cases can throw and get the compensation you deserve for spinal cord injuries.
In spinal cord injury lawsuits, the damages can be very serious, so insurance companies will do everything to fight the case. If you don’t have an attorney, you’ll find yourself in a position where the insurance company has all the power.
Unless you understand the common conventions and procedures of such cases, you can make mistakes that can damage your case and reduce the compensation you may deserve. Our experienced attorneys can level the playing field so the insurance company does not take advantage of you and takes your case seriously.
Our legal team can provide you with the insight and tools necessary to give your case the best possible chance at securing fair compensation for spinal cord injury damages.
Gathering Evidence of Your Spinal Cord Injury
Most people with spinal injuries cannot gather evidence themselves at the accident scene. Instead, medical professionals usually immobilize them for protection and transport them directly to the hospital. The good news is that our attorneys can gather the evidence necessary to prove your claim after the fact.
Here are a few examples of beneficial evidence of liability and damages:
- Traffic or security cam footage
- Police reports and records of criminal charges against the driver
- Eyewitness testimony
- Medical bills
- Accident reconstruction reports
We Fight for Spinal Cord Injury Victims
As attorneys, we aggressively seek compensation for your pain and suffering. You can suffer spinal cord damage for the rest of your life. In the United States, thousands of people suffer from spinal cord injuries per year.
A spinal cord injury can cause permanent pain and suffering. In severe cases, spinal cord injuries may result in herniated discs, which require surgery, or even paralysis in the lower body or above the waist.
Don’t deal with medical expenses and legal issues on your own after an accident resulting in a spinal cord injury. This is where we come in. The stakes are too high. After all, an SCI can have an impact that lasts a lifetime. Hire an attorney with experience with spinal cord injuries.
Our firm, Boohoff Law, has years of legal experience to help you through this difficult time. You have limited time to file your claim; the sooner you do so, the better. We will review your case and provide you with a free consultation and case evaluation.
Boohoff Law’s North Port Spinal Injury Lawyers
Boohoff Law is a nationally recognized and award-winning personal injury law firm. Attorneys at our firm have years of experience handling injury cases in Florida courts. Let us help you get the compensation you deserve after suffering a spinal cord injury. Contact us today at (941) 888-0848.
