Spinal Cord and Back Injuries

An injury to any part of the spinal cord can disrupt the function of the back and body as a whole, resulting in chronic pain, disability, and even paralysis. Further, the full extent of a spinal injury may not be immediately evident. Having an attorney who truly understands spinal injuries can help ensure you receive the medical attention you need and the financial compensation you deserve.

If you or a loved one has suffered a spinal injury due to the negligence of another, it is essential that you hire a personal injury attorney that is familiar with spinal cord injuries and understands just how catastrophic a spinal injury is.

Thomas J. Henry has handled numerous spinal injury cases over the past 25 years and in handling those cases, we have built a network of spinal injury experts who can investigate and explain the extent of your injuries. This includes explaining how your injury occurred, how your injury has impacted your quality of life, and how much your injury will cost you.

Car accidents are at the top of the list of causes of spinal injuries. Beyond vehicle occupants, pedestrians are also frequently involved in motor vehicle accidents and can also suffer serious spinal injuries. In this new age of distracted pedestrians, this type of spinal cord injury victim is on the rise. Another cause of many spinal cord injuries had nothing to do with motor vehicles; the well-known slip and fall injury. Significant spinal cord damage can result from such falls.

Any person who has suffered a spinal cord or back injury knows that the road to recovery can be long and expensive. If the injury was caused by a person’s negligence or by a defective product, the injured person may consider filing a lawsuit to recover compensatory damages for:

• Past and future medical expenses
• Pain and suffering
• Cost of assisted devices
• Modifications necessary for the home
• Lost wages
• Loss of consortium

Although spinal cord injuries can occur without causing paralysis, symptoms can have a devastating impact on a person’s quality of life. Beyond paralysis, spinal cord injuries are associated with other serious health complications, including:

• Respiratory problems
• Bladder control
• Blood circulation issues
• Persistent pain
• Depression

In some cases, spinal cord injuries can even result in death. Damage to the high cervical nerves (C1 – C4) result in ventilation dependency or coma and are usually fatal.

Significant spinal cord injuries can result in paralysis, either temporary or permanent. The degree of paralysis that can result from a spinal cord injury is in large part the result of where on the spinal cord the injury occurred. Trauma to the neck, known as the cervical spine area, can result in the most severe level of spinal injury. Trauma to the upper spine area can result in quadriplegia, leaving the victim unable to move the arms or legs. Loss of bowel and bladder control, even respiratory issues, can result from such a severe injury. Severe spinal injuries in the mid to lower back, the thoracic or lumbar regions, can result in paraplegia, leaving the victim wheelchair-bound, unable to walk.

When loss of function or sensation occurs, it occurs beneath the highest vertebrae to suffer significant damage. This is because the paralyzing injury effectively blocks or breaks the signal being sent by the brain down the spinal cord.

Typically, paralysis will be defined as:

Tetraplegia (Quadriplegia): Severe spinal injuries to the cervical spinal cord (C1-C8 vertebrae) that result in varying degrees of paralysis in all limbs. In addition to limb paralysis, tetraplegia can result in difficulties with bladder and bowel control, respiration, and other essential and routine bodily functions. Generally, the higher on the cervical spinal cord occurs, the greater the loss of sensation and function.

Paraplegia: Injuries to the thoracic spinal cord (T1-T12 vertebrae) which results in loss of sensation and movement in the lower half of the body, including the legs. As with cervical spinal cord injuries, the severity of the injury is greater when they occur closer to the top thoracic vertebra.

Triplegia: Injuries the result in loss of sensation and movement in one arm and both legs. Triplegia is generally the product of an incomplete spinal cord injury.