Spinal cord injuries are often confused with back and neck injuries. They often accompany neck and back injuries, but they are far more serious. The spinal cord is protected inside the spine. Together, the brain and the spinal cord make up the central nervous system. Injuries to the spinal cord cut off or interfere with messages between your brain and the rest of your body. If you or a loved one is living with spinal cord injury, due to someone else’s negligence or wrongdoing, our Charlotte personal injury attorneys can help you get the compensation you need.
Causes of Spinal Cord Injury
Spinal cord injury can be the result of many kinds of personal injury. Some of the more obvious causes are accidents such as falls, auto accidents, and construction accidents. Medical malpractice, medical conditions caused by defective drugs, and naturally occurring health problems can also cause spinal cord injuries:
- Spinal tap
- Continuous spinal anesthesia
- Screws placed improperly in the spine
- Epidural mistake
- Surgical error
- Infections
- Tumors
- Abscesses
- Blood clots
- Friedrich’s Ataxia
- Spina bifida
- Herniated disk
- Spinal stenois
- Polio
Consequences of Spinal Cord Injury
Spinal cord injuries affect the body from the point of injury down. A complete spinal cord injury means there is no feeling or functioning below the point of injury. In incomplete or partial spinal cord injury there is some feeling or movement below the injury. Complete spinal cord injury is almost always permanent. Some of the consequences of spinal cord injury include:
- Paralysis
- Quadriplegia
- Paraplegia
- Loss of sensation and reflex
- Pain
- Hypersensitivity to stimuli
- Muscle spasms
- Sexual dysfunction
- Poor coordination
- Weakness
- Loss of autonomic functions such as breathing, bowel control, and bladder control
- Secondary conditions including bladder infections, lung infection, and bed sores
- Death
If you or a loved one has suffered a spinal cord injury due to someone else’s negligence or wrongdoing, please call our Charlotte personal injury attorneys or submit an online questionnaire. The initial consultation with our personal injury lawyers is free of charge, and if we agree to handle your case, in most cases we will work on a contingency fee basis, which means we get paid for our services only if there is a monetary recovery of funds. In many cases, a personal injury lawsuit must be filed before an applicable expiration date, known as a statute of limitations. Please call right away to ensure that you do not waive your right to possible compensation.