SPINAL CORD INJURIES

A blow to the head can sometimes result in a spinal cord injury. Here, the blow fractures or dislocates a vertebrate in the neck or back. The spinal cord is a cluster of nerves which serve to transfer information between the brain and the lower body. When the spinal cord is injured, this communication system is interrupted and the result is usually physical impairment. Complete interruption of the nerve communications means the victim has no sensory or motor function below the injury site.

These injury victims are either quadriplegics or paraplegics. Victims will often also suffer from pain, breathing problems, bladder and bowel dysfunction, pressure sores, heart complications, and urinary tract infections. Less than one percent of those hospitalized with a spinal cord injury ever recover. Damages resulting from spinal cord injuries involve much more than medical expenses, in both the long and short term, for the victim.

The victim's family is harmed, as well. Compensation for the victim and his family may be available not only for medical expenses, but for rehabilitation costs, pain and suffering, lost wages, lost future earnings, and emotional distress, if the injury is the result of another's negligence.

If you or a loved one has suffered a serious bodily injury involving the brain or spinal cord, it is important to consult with an attorney who understands the complexities of these injuries and their consequences.

Please contact our firm for a free, initial consultation.

RESOURCES

For further information:

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

National Resource Center for Traumatic Brain Injury

National Spinal Cord Injury Association

Spinal Cord Injury Information Network