According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, car accidents, including motorcycle accidents, account for approximately 33% of spinal cord injuries. For children, as many as 70% of spinal cord injuries are from car accidents.
These spinal cord injuries change the lives of victims and their families. Bobby Jones Law explains what you need to know about spinal cord injuries in car accidents, including pursuing your compensation.
Types of Spinal Cord Injuries Common in Car Accidents
Spinal cord injuries may be categorized by the location where they occur in the body or their severity. Symptoms and complications largely depend on where the injury occurs and the nature of the trauma.
There are four areas of the spine:
- Cervical—The highest part of the spine, near the neck
- Thoracic—From the upper back to the mid-back
- Lumbar—Lower back, ending above the buttocks
- Sacral—The lowest part of the spine, extending to the tailbone
Complete and incomplete
A spinal cord injury may be complete or incomplete. The injury is complete when it fully severs all fibers and communication channels at a specific point. An incomplete injury is only a partial injury, leaving some communication between the spine, brain, and body.
Conditions and syndromes
- Central cord syndrome—Resulting from injury in the neck area, central cord syndrome creates impairment of the arms and hands.
- Anterior cord syndrome—Injury in the cervical region to the front portion of the spinal cord or a vascular system disruption to the area. Common symptoms include impairment in sensing pain and temperature along with poor motor function.
- Brown-Séquard syndrome—Damage to only one side of the spinal cord. Patients often experience an inability to sense pain or temperature, plus other motor function and sensation loss.
- Conus Medullaris—Injury to the sacral and lumbar nerves, affecting bowel and bladder control, sexual function, and lower body reflexes.
- Secondary injury—Trauma to the spinal cord may cause initial harm. However, secondary injury can develop because of swelling.
- Paraplegia—Loss of voluntary movement of the lower limbs. A victim is usually unable to walk.
- Triplegia—Injury affecting movement and feeling in one arm and both legs.
- Tetraplegia/Quadriplegia—Paralysis of all four limbs and the torso, generally resulting from trauma in the upper part of the spine.
Symptoms of Spinal Cord Injuries You Should Watch For
Some signs of spinal cord injury are obvious. For example, the inability to voluntarily move limbs is a clear sign of spinal cord injury. Other signs of spinal cord injury may not be as well known.
Signs to watch for include the following:
- Pain and pressure, especially in the head, neck, and back
- Weakness, loss of coordination or control
- Numbness or tingling in the extremities
- Incontinence, loss of bladder or bowel control
- Immobility, inability to walk or move
- Unstable balance
- Difficulty breathing
- Spasticity, involuntary muscle stiffening, or contractions
- Abnormal heart rate, blood pressure, or other vitals
- Changes in sexual function
- Digestive abnormalities
Medical Treatment and Recovery Process for Spinal Injuries
While spinal cord injury currently can’t be reversed, there are treatments and therapies that can help. Treatment may include the following:
- Minimizing further injury at the scene of the accident, including using a neck collar and rigid board
- Emergency surgery to reduce pressure on the spinal cord, including bone fragments and fluid
- Medication that may reduce damage to nerve cells and inflammation if taken quickly after an injury
- Traction to properly align the spine
- Physical therapy to improve muscle strength and body coordination
- Wheelchairs, walkers, leg braces, and other assistive and adaptive devices
- Therapy for fine motor skills
- Training in self-care, grooming, and personal management
- Diet, addressing other health conditions that may improve quality of life
- Electrical stimulation, which may improve some function
In addition, spinal cord injuries often co-occur with other injuries. Addressing this other harm may improve overall patient well-being.
The Long-Term Consequences of Spinal Cord Damage
Education and employment outcomes
The World Health Organization reports that children with SCI injuries are less likely to continue in education. They say that the unemployment rate for adults with SCI is more than 60%. In turn, people with SCI and their families may face economic hardship.
Social hardship
People with spinal cord injury may find it difficult to participate socially. Stereotypes and misconceptions towards those with functional limitations may inhibit social participation.
Chronic pain
Chronic pain from a spinal cord injury may range from mild to severe. For some patients, the pain is constant and debilitating. In some cases, pain may be reduced by physical therapy, exercise, and medication.
Sexual dysfunction
A person who suffers a spinal cord injury may experience changes in sexual function. Treatment may help, and other factors that may affect sexual function, such as medication and tobacco use, can be addressed.
Complications
Car accident spinal cord injury creates an elevated risk of certain health problems. Victims may be especially likely to suffer from septicemia, heart disease, and influenza with pneumonia. They may experience bed sores and osteoporosis. These secondary complications may decrease the quality of living, and they may contribute to premature death.
Mental health
Victims of traumatic spinal cord injury from a car accident may suffer a range of mental health concerns, including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder. They may also be at an elevated risk of suicide.
Pursuing Compensation for Spinal Cord Injuries in South Carolina
A spinal cord injury is life changing. The compensation that a victim receives should reflect the impact on their life, including financially, physically, and emotionally. Pursuing this compensation requires thoroughly documenting the extent of the injury and the expected impact on life expectancy and activity. You may have a lawyer represent you.
Contact an Experienced Greenville Car Accident Lawyer
Robert “Bobby” Jones is an experienced Greenville car accident lawyer. He handles claims involving spinal cord injury and is experienced, detailed, and determined, resolving cases through settlements and trials.
Contact us to learn more about spinal cord injuries in car accidents and what your case may be worth. Call or message us now.
