People who are involved in a motor vehicle crash can suffer a host of injuries, one of which is damage to the spinal cord. These injuries can lead to significant life effects that dramatically change the course of the victim’s life.
The effects of the spinal cord injury depend on the location, type and severity of the injury. Understanding a little about this may be beneficial for victims and their family members.
1. Location of the injury
The effects of a spinal cord injury are always below the level of damage. This means that injuries on the lumbar area, which is in the lower back, can affect the arms but not the legs. An injury to the cervical area, which is in the neck, could affect all four limbs. Internal organs can also be affected by these injuries, which means a neck injury could also affect a person’s ability to breathe on their own.
2. Type of injury
Spinal cord injuries are classified according to the nerve damage at the site. If there are nerves still connected, the injury is incomplete and the victim has a better chance of healing than if the injury is complete. A complete spinal cord injury involves a total severing of the nerves, which makes full healing less likely.
Victims of spinal cord injuries often need costly and time-consuming medical care. They may be unable to continue working because of their injury. These financial impacts may lead them to seek compensation from the negligent party, but this must be done quickly because of time limits that are built into the law.