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Spinal Cord Injury Lawyers

Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) occurs when a traumatic event results in damage to cells within the spinal cord or severs the nerve tracts that relay signals up and down the spinal cord. These injuries occur in approximately 12,000 to 15,000 people per year in the U.S. About 10,000 of these people are permanently paralyzed, and many of the rest die as a result of their injuries.

Most spinal cord trauma occurs to young, healthy individuals. Males between the ages of 15 and 35 years are most commonly affected. Approximately 36% to 44.5% of spinal cord injuries are caused by automobile collisions, motorcycle accidents, Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) rollovers and other motor vehicle accidents. Other major causes of spinal cord injuries are falls, violence and sports injuries.

If you have suffered from a spinal cord injury due to someone else’s neglectful or reckless behavior, it is important to contact a qualified Lead Counsel spinal cord injury attorney right away, as you may be eligible to file a personal injury lawsuit claim.

Spinal cord injury:

A Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) is damage to the spinal cord that results in a loss of function such as mobility or feeling. The spinal cord does not actually have to be severed in order for a loss of function to occur. There are two types of spinal cord injury and two classifications.

Spinal Cord Injury - Types

Complete: no functioning below the level of injury, as well as no sensation or voluntary movement. Both sides of the body are equally affected.
Incomplete: some functioning below the level of injury. A person with an incomplete spinal injury may be able to move one limb more than another, may be able feel parts of the body that cannot be moved, or may have more functioning on one side of the body than the other.

Spinal Cord Injury - Classifications

Tetraplegia (formerly known as quadriplegia): injury to the spinal cord in the cervical spine (neck) segments with associated loss of muscle strength in all 4 extremities.
Paraplegia: injury in the spinal cord in the thoracic (mid back), lumbar (low back), or sacral (pelvic) segments, including the cauda equina and conus medullaris.

Spinal cord injuries are different from back injuries such as ruptured disks, spinal stenosis or pinched nerves in the effect that a person can "break their back or neck" yet not sustain a spinal cord injury. If only the bones around the spinal cord (the vertebrae) are damaged, but the spinal cord is not affected, it's not considered a spinal cord injury.

What is the spinal cord?

The spinal cord is about 18 inches long and extends from the base of the brain, down the middle of the back, to about the waist. It is the major bundle of nerves that carry nerve impulses to and from the brain to the rest of the body. The brain and the spinal cord constitute the Central Nervous System. Motor and sensory nerves outside the central nervous system constitute the Peripheral Nervous System, and another diffuse system of nerves that control involuntary functions such as blood pressure and temperature regulation are the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Nervous Systems.

Spinal cord injury - Effects

The spinal cord is surrounded by rings of bone called vertebrae. These bones constitute the spinal column (back bones). In general, the higher in the spinal column the injury occurs, the more dysfunction a person will experience. The vertebrae are named according to their location.

Cervical Vertebrae
The eight vertebrae in the neck are the Cervical Vertebrae. The first cervical vertebra is called C-1, the next is C-2, etc. Cervical spinal cord injuries usually cause loss of function in the arms and legs, resulting in tetraplegia (quadriplegia). Injuries above the C-4 level may result in breathing dysfuntions that require a ventilator for the person to breathe. C-5 injuries often result in no loss of shoulder and biceps control, but loss of control at the wrist or hand. C-6 injuries generally yield no loss of wrist control, but lose control of hand function. Individuals with C-7 and T-1 injuries can straighten their arms but still may have dexterity problems with the hand and fingers.

Thoratic Vertebrae
The twelve vertebra in the chest are the Thoracic Vertebrae. The first thoracic vertebra, T-1, is the vertebra where the top rib attaches. Injuries in the thoracic region usually affect the chest and the legs and result in paraplegia. At T-1 through T-8 there is most often control of the hands, but poor trunk control as the result of lack of abdominal muscle control. Lower T-injuries (T-9 through T-12) allow good truck control, good abdominal muscle control, and good sitting balance, but result in loss of control in the legs.

Lumbar and Sacral Vertebrae
The vertebrae in the lower back between the thoracic vertebrae, where the ribs attach, and the pelvis (hip bone), are the Lumbar Vertebrae. The Sacral Vertebrae run from the pelvis to the end of the spinal column. Injuries to the five Lumbar Vertebrae (L-1 through L-5) and similarly to the five Sacral Vertebrae (S-1 thru S-5) generally result in decreasing control and function of the hip flexors and legs.

Spinal cord injury - Other Physical Effects:
In addition to a loss of sensation or motor functioning, individuals with spinal cord injuries may also experience other health issues. For example, they may experience dysfunction of the bowel and bladder. Men with spinal cord injuries may be affected where it relates to their fertility, while women’s fertility is generally not affected by spinal cord injuries. Very high injuries (C-1, C-2) can result in a loss of many involuntary functions including the ability to breathe, necessitating breathing aids such as mechanical ventilators or diaphragmatic pacemakers. Other effects of SCI may include low blood pressure, inability to regulate blood pressure effectively, reduced control of body temperature, inability to sweat below the level of injury, and chronic pain.

Spinal cord injury - Psychological and Emotional Effects:
There are not only physical consequences of spinal cord injuries, but psychological and emotional ones, as well. For example, many people can be driven to clinical depression as a result of an incomplete spinal cord injury’s chronic pain.

Do you suffer from a spinal cord injury as a result of someone else’s reckless or negligent action? Contact a LawInfo Lead Counsel qualified spinal cord injury attorney today. Statutes of limitations do apply, so any delay on your part can adversely affect your eligibility for a lawsuit claim. Don’t delay; call now!