What Is a Spinal Cord Injury?

Although damage to the spinal cord can happen in various ways, most of the time, if you’ve been involved in an accident, your spinal cord injury is the result of physical trauma.

When you suffer a spinal cord injury, your entire life can change overnight. Doing the things you loved to do—or just had to do—becomes difficult or impossible. To make matters worse, dealing with the financial loss and emotional trauma of your accident can seem next to impossible.

Read on to learn more about what spinal cord injuries are, and how a Charlotte personal injury lawyer can help you take action and seek compensation. 

Understanding Different Types of Spinal Cord Injuries

Spinal cord injuries are types of injuries that result in certain damages to the spinal cord. The consequences of these injuries can vary, but the two most well-known effects are loss of motion and sensation in the impacted areas of your body. 

The spinal cord is the roughly 18-inch nerve bundle that travels from the brain at the base of your neck down to around the bottom of your back near the waist. Alongside the brain in the central nervous system, the spinal cord is responsible for transmitting messages related to motor function and sensation to the brain.

There are four types of spinal cord injury, which include:

• Cervical Spinal Cord Injury – Cervical spinal cord injuries often result in weakness or paralysis in both the arms and legs. When the condition impacts both of these areas, it is known as quadriplegia. Patients suffering from a cervical spinal cord injury may be placed in a brace.

• Thoracic Spinal Cord Injury – Thoracic spinal cord injuries can contribute to weakness or paralysis in the legs or lower torso. In addition, people suffering from this form of spinal cord injury may also struggle with a loss of physical sensation in the affected areas, as well as loss of sexual function, or bladder and/or bowel incontinence. 

• Lumbar Spinal Cord injury – Similarly to thoracic spinal cord injuries, lumbar spinal cord injuries can also contribute to weakness or paralysis in the legs, known as paraplegia. Rarely are the shoulders, arms, or hands impacted by this type of spinal cord injury. 

• Sacral Spinal Cord Injuries – The primary result of a sacral spinal cord injury is the loss of bladder, bowel, and sexual function. Furthermore, these injuries can also contribute to weakness or loss of movement in the hips and legs. 

In addition to the four types of spinal cord injuries, medical professionals also make the distinction between a complete and an incomplete spinal cord injury. 

An incomplete spinal cord injury refers to an injury in which the loss of the ability for the brain to communicate with the spinal cord is not completely lost. In incomplete spinal cord injuries, it’s possible for some level of sensation or motion to remain. 

Incomplete spinal cord injuries contrast with complete injuries, which are defined by the total absence of both sensation and motor function below the impacted areas. 

Causes and Motives for Spinal Cord Injuries

Spinal cord injuries could come as the result of any traumatic injury. Some common examples include:

• Motor vehicle accidents
• Sports accidents
• Slips-and-Falls
• Work accidents
• Violent acts (gun violence) 

Types of Compensation You Can Receive for a Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injuries are costly in many ways—from lost income and the ability to support yourself financially to the cost of specialized medical care and physical therapy. Finally, the emotional trauma of knowing someone else is responsible can also take its toll. 

When someone else is responsible for your spinal cord injury, it’s your right to file a claim for financial compensation. 

Some examples of potential compensation you could receive in a spinal cord claim include:

• Medical bills
• Physical therapy
• Assisted-living arrangements
• Accessible home and car
• Lost income
• Loss of earning potential 
• Emotional trauma
• Pain and suffering
• Punitive damages
• Others

Contact a Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer

When you suffer a spinal cord injury, your life can change forever. But just because life is different, doesn’t mean you have to give up on your hope of getting justice. An experienced spinal cord injury from The Nye Law Group can help you recover the maximum compensation possible given the nature of your case. 

Why not get started with a free consultation? Call us at 704-285-6319 or fill out the form below to get started now.