Spinal Cord Injury Basics

Spinal cord injuries (SCIs) are some of the most serious injuries that people can sustain and survive. In many cases, they leave victims with severe long-term medical issues that significantly impact their quality of life and ability to do things that they once took for granted. Fortunately, in many cases, spinal cord injury victims are able to recover compensation for their losses, so it’s critical that all SCI victims have their case reviewed by an experienced attorney.

What Causes Spinal Cord Injuries?

The spinal cord is a bundle of nerves that runs from the brain down the length of your back that transmits nerve signals throughout your body.  Anything that causes trauma to the spinal cord or the spinal column (the vertebrae that surround the cord itself) can damage the nerves and cause a spinal cord injury. Some examples of accidents that are capable of causing SCIs include:

1. – Car accidents
2. – Slip and fall accidents
3. – Bicycle accidents
4. – Medical malpractice
5. – Pedestrian accidents
6. – Pool and spa accidents
7. – Recreational accidents
8. – Sports accidents

What are the Complications Associated with Spinal Cord Injuries?

The complications associated with spinal cord injuries depend largely on their initial severity and how quickly victims are able to get treatment. Spinal cord injuries can be grouped into complete and incomplete injuries. Incomplete spinal cord injuries, victims have no feeling below the site of the injury; in incomplete spinal injuries, victims retain some function and feeling below the site of injury.

Typically, complete spinal cord injuries result in permanent paralysis. The prognosis for incomplete spinal cord injuries is much better, with many victims regaining function and sensation in the affected body part. That said, even incomplete spinal cord injuries can result in significant and debilitating complications, including:

1. – Pain
2. – Numbness
3. – Muscle weakness
4. – Loss of range of motion

How Much Compensation Can Spinal Cord Injury Victims Recover?

Spinal cord injuries can profoundly affect victims lives and result in untold losses in terms of lost opportunity and quality of life. In addition, the economic losses of a spinal cord injury can easily reach millions of dollars over the course of victims’ lives. According to the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, the estimated lifetime costs for a 25-year old with high tetraplegia are more than 4.7 million dollars.

When spinal cord injuries are the result of someone’s negligence, victims are typically entitled to recover compensation for all of their accident-related losses. The exact amount of compensation that victims can recover depends on their individual losses and other factors. An experienced attorney familiar with litigation arising from spinal cord injuries will be able to evaluate your case and let you know how much compensation you may be able to recover.

Call Wandres Law, PC, Today to Schedule a Free Consultation with a Tulsa Personal Injury Attorney

At Wandres Law, PC, we are dedicated to helping spinal cord victims obtain the compensation to which they are entitled under Oklahoma law.

To schedule a free case evaluation with a personal injury lawyer in Tulsa, call our office today at (918) 641-4044 or contact us online.