MedlinePlus explains that the most serious outcomes of a spinal cord injury are paralysis or death. This may occur when an injury prevents the nerves in your spinal cord from transmitting signals below the part of the spine affected by the injury. What happens if your spinal cord is damaged may depend on:
- The specific nature of your injury
- The severity of your injury
- Where on your spinal cord the injury occurs
- Your response to treatment
- The medical care which you have access to
Injuries to the spinal cord must be treated with extreme care, as the result of inflicting further injury could be irreparable harm.
Possible Consequences of Spinal Cord Injury
The Mayo Clinic notes that there are two general categories of spinal cord injury—complete and incomplete. The type of injury that you or your loved one suffered may depend on the extent of the spinal cord damage and where on the spinal cord the injury occurred.
Mayo Clinic states that a spinal cord injury is complete if it causes you to lose all sensation and muscle control in areas of the body at or below where the injury occurred on your spinal cord. An incomplete spinal cord injury may be marked by varying degrees of sensation and muscle control in the areas affected by your injury.
In either case, the following may happen if your spinal cord is damaged:
- You may be unable to work for a significant period of time
- You may not be able to work again
- You may have to transition fields of work to accommodate your spinal cord injury
- You may only be able to work in a limited capacity
- You may not be able to walk again, or may permanently lose usage of other body parts
- You may require a part- or full-time caregiver
- You may require regular rehabilitation
- You may face substantial healthcare costs, as the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation notes that costs from a spinal cord injury can be hundreds of thousands of dollars (or more)
- You may experience psychological and emotional effects related to your injury
Suffering the symptoms of spinal cord injury can have a devastating effect on your ability to live your life. If your injury was the result of the fault of another, you may be entitled to bring a personal injury action demanding fair and just financial compensation for your damages.
Possible Causes of Spinal Cord Injury
Some of the ways that damage to your spinal cord may have happened include:
- An object or objects falling on you at work or another location
- A fall
- Car accident
- Bike, scooter, skateboarding, or motorcycle accident
- A medical error
- An assault
- A sports accident
- Defective safety equipment
If your spinal cord injury happened in a way that you know or believe may have been preventable, then you may be entitled to compensation from any party responsible for your injuries. Every case is unique, however. Even if you are not sure whether you have a right to bring a claim, call the lawyers at Dansker & Aspromonte Associates LLP to learn more about your rights. Our lawyers have been fighting for injury victims since 1988.
