Among the most serious injuries that can occur, spinal cord injuries (SCIs) have an impact on victims physically, mentally, and emotionally. These injuries cause their victims to seek answers concerning their future while also trying to figure out how they will cope with a different way of living.
A person may be entitled to financial compensation for their pain and suffering when they suffer an injury that was brought on by another person. Even if it is clear that the other party is at fault, they will need to hire a Temecula spinal cord injury attorney to represent them in court in order to receive this compensation.
Zucker Personal Injury & Accident Lawyers, APC can assist you if you or a loved one has suffered a spinal cord injury. Our personal injury lawyers in Temecula are available to give you the information and support you require.
Spinal Cord Injury – What is it?
Any damage to the spinal cord or the nerves in the spinal canal constitutes a spinal cord injury. These severe injuries frequently develop as a result of a sharp violent blow or a break in the spinal cord. These spinal cord injuries consequently cause a loss of strength, function, and sensation below the injured area. Although there is no cure, many people with this injury are able to lead independent and fruitful lives thanks to assistive devices, medication, surgery, and rehabilitation services.
Causes Of Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries can have a variety of causes, but the majority of them are the result of many people’s thoughtless actions.
Most statistics indicate that the following are among the leading causes of spinal cord injuries:
- automobile crashes
- sports activities
- slips and falls
- violent actions (like gunshots)
Accidents can occur, but people have a responsibility to take some measures to ensure the safety of others. For instance, if a customer falls in a store and suffers a spinal cord injury, the retailer should be held liable if they neglected to clean up any spills or dropped items from the aisles.
What Happens When the Spinal Cord Is Injured?
The spinal column’s nerves are actually harmed by injuries to the spinal cord. Nerve damage can cause injury victims to lose some bodily sensations and control over their motor functions because these spinal column nerves are the conduit of communication between the body and the brain.
Signs and Symptoms of Spinal Cord Injury
Spinal cord injury can appear suddenly or gradually. Understanding some of the most common symptoms and signs can therefore help reduce the risks of developing a severe injury. Once your attorney is aware of the full extent of your injuries and the care required, it might also help him or her pursue the highest possible damages.
These signs can include, among others:
Problems with the muscular system, including stiffness, uncoordinated movement, severe muscle spasms, and abnormally heightened reflexes.
Sensory issues which can include reduced touch sensitivity, pins-and-needles sensation, numbness, and tingling.
Sexual problems such as sexual dysfunction or fertility issue
Urinary problems like urine leakage or retention.
Overall health issues that include sweating or dizziness.
Other common issues are:
- abnormal or painful sensations
- difficulty in waking and sleeping
- bowel issues
- breathing difficulty
- coughing problems
- clogged airways
Serious spinal cord injuries can result in paralysis, and when this happens, victims will frequently need assistance performing basic tasks.
Types of Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury
Complete spinal cord injury
In a complete spinal cord injury, the affected area of the spinal cord has sustained permanent damage. Tetraplegia or paraplegia may be the result of this type of spinal cord injury.
Incomplete spinal cord injury
In an incomplete spinal cord injury, the spinal cord sustains only a portion of the damage. The severity of the injury and the area of the spine that is damaged are factors that strongly impact the injury’s effects.
Spinal Cord Surgery
A surgical procedure to treat spinal cord damage can be done right away or at a later date. Patients with incomplete SCI are more likely to require immediate surgical treatment. If neurologic dysfunction gets worse, prompt surgical intervention is also required. The decision to operate is based on a variety of factors, including the type and severity of the injury as well as any problems with the spine’s stability.
Lumbar decompression (for narrowing of the spinal canal), laminectomy for lumbar spinal stenosis, spinal fusion, and other orthopedic procedures are types of spinal cord surgeries.
Risks Involved in Spinal Cord Surgery
Spinal cord surgery carries a number of potential risks, such as nerve damage, adverse anesthetic reactions, heavy bleeding, debilitating infections, blood clots in the legs or lungs, paralysis, herniated discs, sexual dysfunction, loss of bowel or bladder control, cerebrovascular accident (stroke), heart attack, and more.
Lifetime Treatment Costs of Spinal Cord Injury
Unfortunately, there is no treatment for these devastating spinal cord injuries, and victims frequently have to pay for their ongoing care for the rest of their lives. Even if the victim can return to some degree of normality with the aid of rehabilitation services and surgical procedures, these patients still need numerous modifications to make their homes and vehicles more handicapped-friendly. To give these victims the best quality of life possible, a significant sum of money may be required.
According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC), people who suffer a spinal cord injury before the age of 25 can anticipate that their lifetime medical expenses will be approximately:
- $1,674,012 for incomplete motor functionality (any vertebra)
- $2,450,234 for paraplegia
- $3,661,165 for low tetraplegia (C5–C8 vertebrae).
- $5,010,748 for high tetraplegia (C1 to C4 vertebrae).
How Medical Documentation Can Help
Medical records, images and videos, or other evidence you may have about the injury can be very helpful in establishing a strong claim. When assessing the strength of your potential personal injury case, these documents can be very useful. It’s therefore critical to take action quickly and secure the assistance you need.
Why You Need to Make a Legal Claim
A spinal cord injury may mean that the rest of your life will be spent fighting obstacles. This is unfair, especially if someone else’s negligence led to the injury. If the injury could have been entirely avoidable, they should be held legally responsible for their actions.
Trauma to the spinal cord can cause lifelong pain or even result in a fatal injury that causes wrongful death. You can receive assistance with your medical expenses, lost income, and additional financial settlement benefits by filing a legal claim.
Cases involving spinal cord injuries can be problematic, and you risk losing your case if you don’t have an experienced lawyer on your side. Contact a Temecula spinal cord injury attorney today to take the first step and receive a free case evaluation and consultation.
Contact us
If another person or entity caused a spinal cord injury to you or a loved one, you shouldn’t have to bear the pain and costs by yourself. Call the Zucker Law Firm right away at (951) 699-2100, and we’ll help you pursue the justice and compensation you need.
