The Price of Spinal Cord Injuries in Car Crashes

 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Car Accidents

There are many risks of severe, debilitating injury after a serious car accident. Injury to the spinal cord is one of the most serious injuries that a person can sustain in a motor vehicle accident, and can be one of the most costly to not only treat. Not only will a spinal cord injury most likely require a long hospital stay and oftentimes surgery, it will usually also require that the patient take physical therapy for several months to come, and sometimes for life. This is because a spinal cord injury affects the brain’s ability to transport messages to all parts of the body. Many spinal cord injuries result in a complete loss of sensation and mobility below where the injury occurred. The group most at risk for spinal cord injury are young men between the ages of 15 and 35 who were otherwise healthy at the time of trauma.

Spinal cord injuries occur when there is a blunt trauma to the spinal cord, or when one or more vertebrae are crushed or compressed. Motor vehicle accidents are the number one cause of spinal cord injuries in the United States, accounting for 35 percent of such injuries annually. The types of spinal cord injury that result from motor vehicle accidents also tend to be among the most severe of this type of injury.

According to data compiled by the University of Washington and reported by the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration, the most common level of spinal cord injury sustained in a motor vehicle is complete tetra: the complete loss of both arms and legs. The complete loss of use of either one’s arms or legs is the next most common level of spinal cord injury that results from a motor vehicle accident. Approximately 50 percent of patients who suffer a spinal cord injury in a motor vehicle accident have some impairment of both upper and lower limbs.

Because such an injury can be so long lasting and expensive, it is imperative to immediately seek the counsel of a qualified lawyer if you were involved in such an accident. Do not go through it alone. Contact an experienced Chicago accident attorney today.