Types of Spinal Cord Injuries from Car Accidents
The spinal cord is the pathway the brain uses to relay messages for movement to the rest of the body. The spinal cord needs to be fully intact for it to effectively serve its purposes. A spinal cord injury affects movement below the area that has been damaged. Depending on the severity of the injury, a car accident victim could lose partial or complete movement. If you have sustained any damage to your spinal cord, you could be entitled to a substantial amount of financial compensation.
Range of Spinal Cord Injuries One Can Suffer After a Motor Vehicle Crash
A spinal cord injury can happen when it experiences trauma. The surrounding vertebrae can break, causing damage to the spinal cord. The spinal cord can be merely damaged, or it can be completely severed. Any type of spinal cord injury is serious, and it can affect both motion and bodily function.
Different Types of Spinal Cord Injuries
- Complete Spinal Cord Injury: A complete spinal cord injury occurs when it is severed due to trauma. Unfortunately, this would lead to a total loss of movement below the affected area. Here, the severed spinal cord would not be able to transmit any messages beneath the point where it has been cut. One cannot recover from a complete spinal cord injury, and it would affect them for the rest of their life.
- Incomplete Spinal Cord Injury: An incomplete spinal cord injury is when it remains somewhat intact. Here, the spinal cord can still transmit some messages below the affected area, but it does not function as before the injury. You may retain some movement, although it would be restricted. There is more of a possibility that you could recover somewhat from an incomplete spinal cord injury, but it would take extensive rehabilitation.
- Cervical Spinal Cord Injury: A cervical spinal cord injury is among the most serious types. In this type of injury, the damage would be in the neck. Here, you would have little to no movement in the rest of your body because the spinal cord is damaged in a high area. In addition, the injury has occurred in close proximity to your brain, and other functions besides movement can be affected. Cervical spinal cord injuries can result in quadriplegia, which means that you could lose movement in all of your limbs.
- Thoracic Spinal Cord Injury: A thoracic spinal cord injury occurs near your torso. Here, one or more bones in the spinal column have collapsed, affecting the cord. Thoracic spinal cord injuries may affect your legs and take away your ability to walk. In addition, since the injury occurs in the midsection of your body, you may lose things like bladder control and loss of feeling in your genitals and rectum. There is more of a possibility that you could recover from a thoracic spinal cord injury with surgery and rehabilitation.
- Lumbar Spinal Cord Injury: A lumbar spinal cord injury occurs at a lower point than the other types. Even though less of your body has been affected, a lumbar spinal cord injury is still a serious one. Your legs would be the primary thing that is affected. You may lose the ability to walk, as well as your sexual function. Depending on the severity of the injury, it is possible to make a moderate to complete recovery over time after surgery and rehabilitation.
No matter what type of spinal cord injury you have suffered, you are likely dealing with extensive costs and damages. Not only are there significant financial costs involved in receiving treatment, but you may not be able to work, and you could be enduring extensive pain and suffering. You may be entitled to substantial financial compensation after proving that someone else was to blame for your injury.
Contact the Charleston Car Accident Lawyers at Rogers, Patrick, Westbrook & Brickman LLC Today for Help with Your Spinal Cord Injury Case
If you have suffered a spinal cord injury in a motor vehicle crash, get legal help from the Charleston car accident lawyers at Rogers, Patrick, Westbrook & Brickman LLC. The first step in the legal process is calling us at 843-727-6500 or submitting our online contact form to schedule a free initial consultation. With offices located in Charleston, Mt. Pleasant, Aiken, and Columbia, South Carolina, we serve clients throughout South Carolina.
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