subject: Paralyzed: Dealing With The Injury And The Lawyers [print this page] Losing the chance to walk again, becoming paralyzed, and the inability to move your arms to get the remote control just to watch televisionthese situations are numbing.
In America, millions of people are doing different things everyday but once you fall into an accident, which may cause you to not walk anymore, now thats a different story.
Spinal cord injury results to losing mobility and/or feelings. The most common causes of such injuries are vehicle accidents, gunshots, slip and fall and certain diseases. Since the spine is a major nerve bundle that carries nerve impulses to and from the brain to the rest of the body, it is a very complex situation to have.
In the US alone, approximately 11,000 individuals are affected by serious and traumatic spinal cord injuries because of car accidents. According to statistics, half of the victims are between the ages of 16 and 30 years old, with more men affected compared to women.
In 1995, actor Christopher Reeve fell off a horse and severely damaged his spinal cord. He was paralyzed from the neck down. Paralysis often involves the majority of the body, including the arms, legs and the lower body.
The two types of injury are:
Partial spinal cord/incomplete injury - the spinal cord is able to convey some messages to or from your brain. So people with partial spinal cord injury retain some sensation and possibly some motor function below the affected area.
Complete spinal cord injury- is defined by total or near-total loss of motor function and sensation below the area of injury. However, even in a complete injury, the spinal cord is almost never completely cut in half. Doctors use the term "complete" to describe a large amount of damage to the spinal cord.
Symptoms
Pain or an intense stinging sensation caused by damage to the nerve fibers in your spinal cord
Loss of movement
Loss of sensation, including the ability to feel heat, cold and touch
Loss of bowel or bladder control
Exaggerated reflex activities or spasms
Changes in sexual function, sexual sensitivity and fertility
Difficulty breathing, coughing or clearing secretions from your lungs
Fading in and out of consciousness
Extreme back pain or pressure in your neck, head or back
Weakness, uncoordinated movements or paralysis in any part of your body
Numbness, tingling or loss of sensation in your hands, fingers, feet or toes
Loss of bladder or bowel control
Difficulty with balance and walking
Impaired breathing after injury
An oddly positioned/twisted neck or back
To seek advice or legal help from personal injury lawyers, you should have a medical report or diagnoses of the patient. You may recover damages for this serious injury but you should have the identification of the other person or corporate involvedwhether it is negligent or intentional.
If you are partially at fault, the negligent party may recover damages. But it varies depending on the amount of your fault. Example, if a court or jury finds that a plaintiffs damages should be valued at a $1,000,000, but finds the plaintiff 25% at fault, his or her recovery would be reduced by $250,000 to $750,000.
The coverage of your insurance also depends whether it is individual or corporate account. Unfortunately, there are many Californians who are either uninsured or has minimal insurance.
During the investigation, same procedures with car accidents follow. The two best way to know the value of a serious body injury case is consult with a knowledgeable personal injury lawyer.
