Car accidents can cause serious, catastrophic damage, and the moments of a car crash can change a person’s life forever. One of the ways that this can happen for a motor vehicle accident victim is if he or she experiences a spinal cord injury in a crash. There are various types of spinal cord injuries, but they are all very serious and can have permanent consequences.
Spinal cord injuries are always an emergency and they always merit immediate medical attention. If you or a loved one suffered this type of injury after a Louisiana car accident, you have a long and arduous recovery ahead. You can benefit from the assistance and guidance of an experienced personal injury attorney.
The serious nature of a spinal cord injury
The spinal cord consists of nerves that run down your back, controlling your ability to move, walk, run, feed yourself and do almost any type of physical motion. When an injury compromises those nerve signals, it can affect the victim’s ability to move his or her arms and legs, or even breathe independently.
Spinal cord injuries can either be complete or incomplete. A complete spinal cord injury generally means that a person is paralyzed to a certain extent as the nerve signals are unable to communicate with the body below the point of injury. Most of the time, paralysis is irreversible, and depending on the nature and severity of the damage, spinal cord injury victims may need the following treatments:
- Braces
- Traction
- Surgery
- Implantation of metal rods
- Medication
- Rehabilitation
Some victims must learn how to live with the permanent damage of a spinal cord injury. Treatment can be costly, extensive and may be required long into the future.
Car accidents and back injuries
Car accidents are some of the most common causes of spinal cord injuries. While the spinal cord itself is rarely torn or severed, damage occurs when the surrounding vertebrae are damaged to an extreme. This often happens because of a sudden blow or traumatic collision, such as in a collision between a motor vehicle and another vehicle, bike or pedestrian.
If the accident that left you with a spinal cord injury and changed your life happened because of the careless and reckless actions of another person, you have rights and options. You may have valid grounds to seek financial compensation for what you suffered, which in turn can help you cover your losses caused by medical care, lost wages and rehabilitation costs.