Personal Injury, Premises Liability

Long-Term Losses From Spinal Cord Injuries

Long-Term Losses From Spinal Cord Injuries

One of the most devastating and debilitating accidental injuries is perhaps a traumatic spinal cord injury, which can result in excruciating pain, loss of sensation, cardiovascular complications, and permanent paralysis. Contact an Austin personal injury lawyer. 

Even if a victim survives a spinal cord injury, it’s unlikely that they’ll recover with the life or quality of life that they had prior. According to The American Association of Neurological Surgeons, around 250,000-450,000 Americans live with a spinal cord injury in some form, costing the country an extra $9.7 billion each year, and young people are far from invulnerable to them. A little over half of all SCI victims are people aged 16-30, 80 percent being men, and the leading cause is motor vehicle accidents.

What are the long term losses from a spinal cord injury, and how could an Austin personal injury attorney guide you through the long term litigation battle afterward? Read on to find out.

Long Term Ramifications Of Spinal Cord Injuries

Before understanding spinal cord injury, it’s important to understand the two types of SCI and their common causes. Beyond vehicle accidents, spinal cord injuries could also result from:

• Not wearing seatbelts or helmets
• Sports or physical activity
• Workplace hazards
• Operating heavy machinery impaired
• Violent falls or slips
• Violent crimes

While a spinal injury could result from a myriad of causes, there are ultimately only two types of SCI: complete and incomplete. The former results in total loss of sensation and fine motor function and doesn’t need total spinal cord breakage to trigger paralysis. More often, they’re caused by contusions or spinal cord bruising.

The latter results in only partial motor skill limitation, meaning that there will be function, but impaired function. One limb or one side of the body may have more function than another. Regardless of whether your spinal injury was complete or incomplete, it will undoubtedly limit communication between the spine and brain and leave you toiling in a world of agonizing physical and psychological pain. 

Truly, SCIs are a unilateral monster: in addition to the muscle immobility, they also impose mental and financial immobility on their victims. A University of Michigan study found that SCI victims face a considerably greater risk of suffering anxiety (19.3 percent), depression (29.3 percent), or a psychological multimorbidity (37.4 percent) than those without an SCI. Additionally, the Christopher Reeve Foundation found that the cost of SCI care can run into the astronomical six to seven figures, the hundreds of thousands to millions.

Spinal injuries will pose a grueling, long term, and potentially lifelong battle on all fronts, and it’s not one you’ll want to fight alone. So with that in mind, who can you count on to stay in your corner?

Seek Help from Austin Personal Injury Attorneys

If you or a loved one in the area has suffered an SCI from someone else’s negligence, contact the brilliant Austin personal injury attorneys at Terry & Kelly, PLLC, as soon as possible. 

Our team puts forward a client-first approach above all else, prioritizing your needs above all else. We’ve worked tirelessly to deliver victories for hundreds of our clients, and we won’t hesitate to deliver them for one more.

To learn your rights and receive a free, no-obligation consultation about your spinal cord injury case, fill out our contact form or give us a call today!