A spinal cord injury is often the result of physical trauma to the head, neck, or back. A spinal cord injury can be devastating, as this type of injury often leaves patients permanently paralyzed. The majority of all spinal cord injury accidents are preventable. Many are the result of another party’s recklessness, carelessness, or negligence. When a spinal cord injury results from another party’s wrongdoing, the injured and aggrieved have the legal right to seek compensation for their losses and suffering.

Motor vehicle accidents are the most common cause of spinal cord injury. Physical violence (particularly gunshot wounds), falls, and sporting are other major causes of spinal cord injury. Excluding those who die at the scene of an accident, approximately 11,000 people suffer spinal cord injury each year. According to official statistics, about 250,000 people are currently living with a spinal cord injury in the United States. Young people and the elderly are most likely to suffer spinal cord injury. Men between the ages of 16 and 30 comprise the largest group of spinal cord injury patients.

The consequences of spinal cord injury largely depend on the location and severity of the injury. The spinal cord is a bundle of nerve fibers that transmits information back and forth between the brain and the body. It is made of 31 segments: eight cervical, 12 thoracic, five lumbar, five sacral, and one coccygeal. When the spinal cord is damaged, it disrupts the messages between the brain and body resulting in a partial or complete loss of movement and feeling in the affected areas. The affected areas of the body depend on the location of the spinal cord injury.

When the spinal injury occurs to the thoracic, lumbar, sacral, or coccygeal segments, it leads to a type of paralysis called paraplegia. Paraplegia involves loss of sensation and movement in the lower extremities and some portion of the lower trunk. Cervical spinal cord injuries are called quadriplegia or tetraplegia. This type of spinal cord injury paralyzed the legs, arms, and most or the entire trunk. Breathing problems, bowel and bladder control loss, and a reduction in blood pressure can also occur as a result of quadriplegia. Paraplegia and quadriplegia can be complete or incomplete. This distinction is based on the extent of movement and sensation loss after the initial recovery period.

Caring for a person with a spinal cord injury is often a life-long endeavor. Less than one percent of people recover completely from a spinal cord injury. Spinal cord injury treatment and rehabilitation involves a team of medical professionals specializing in the various aspects of patient well-being. The cost of caring for someone with a spinal cord injury can be significant. Just the first year of cervical spinal cord injury treatment can total more than $700,000. Lifetime care for a person with spinal cord injury can reach over two million dollars. While caring for a loved one is pursued regardless of cost, this can place a tremendous burden on family and friends. If spinal cord injury is the result of another party’s wrongdoing you may be able to seek compensation for all your losses and suffering. If you would like to learn more about your legal rights and options after spinal cord injury, please contact us.