Traumatic injuries are the leading cause of devastating spinal cord injuries and paralysis. Sometimes, no one is to blame for these accidents—a horse throws you off, you hit a patch of black ice in your car, you fall off your roof while repairing hurricane damage. These are tragic and life-altering accidents, but no one is responsible for causing them. spinal cord injury

Other times, however, your injuries are the direct result of another person’s negligence or carelessness. With these kinds of accidents, the legal team at Pracht Injury Lawyers can make a difference in your long-term recovery. If you or a loved one was paralyzed after an accident that was not your fault, contact us as soon as possible. We will get to work immediately, fighting for your right to compensation.

Kinds of Accidents That Cause Spinal Cord Injury and Paralysis

Motor vehicle crashes and falls are the leading causes of traumatic spinal cord injury and paralysis. When these accidents are not, in fact, accidental, and another party is at-fault for causing your injuries, they can be held accountable. Some of the most common spinal cord injury accidents we see include:

  • Car crashes. A car crash caused by a drunk, distracted, reckless, or otherwise negligent driver can result in a severe spinal cord injury if your car rolls over or is hit with such force that your neck is snapped violently back and forth.
  • Motorcycle wrecks. Motorcycle riders who were knocked off their bikes or run over by the car that hit them are at high risk of suffering spinal cord damage that causes paralysis. When the driver of the car is at-fault for the crash, they should be responsible for compensating you.
  • Semi-truck collisions. The impact of a semi-truck on a smaller vehicle can cause catastrophic injuries, including spinal cord damage. When the trucker is negligent, both he and his employer could be held liable.
  • Falls. A slip and fall in a grocery store, tumble down an unsafe staircase, or fall from a defective balcony or deck could cause a broken back that irreparably damages the spinal cord. When the property owner is guilty of failing to maintain the premises, they can be held accountable.
  • Assault. If an apartment complex or hotel owner fails to provide adequate security for residents or guests and an intruder assaults and injures someone, the owner could be held liable for their injuries.
  • Medical malpractice. An avoidable surgical mistake that damages the spinal cord of a patient could be compensable under a medical malpractice claim if it can be proven that another surgeon would not have made the same mistake.
  • Construction accidents. Machinery-crushing incidents, falls, power tool accidents, vehicle crashes, and other hazards on construction sites can cause spinal cord injuries in workers. These injuries could be considered personal injury claims in certain situations.

If you are not sure whether there is a liable party in the accident that left you injured, call Pracht Injury Lawyers for a free case evaluation. 

Types of Spinal Cord Injuries

The amount of damages you will need to recover as fully as possible will depend on the level and type of spinal cord injury you sustained. A complete spinal cord injury causes permanent damage and paralysis. In an incomplete injury, the spinal cord is only partially damaged, but feeling and mobility can still be affected. The extent of injury depends on where the damage occurs along the spinal cord. Spinal cord regions include:

  • Cervical. Affecting the spinal cord in the head and neck region, this level of injury can cause tetraplegia, or paralysis of all four limbs, the respiratory system, and other key body systems from the neck down.
  • Thoracic. Affecting the upper chest and mid-back region, this type of injury can cause paralysis of the legs, or paraplegia. It can also cause loss of control and feeling in lower-body systems.
  • Lumbar. When the lowest part of the spine is injured, it can result in some loss of function in the hips and legs, as well as loss of voluntary control of the bowel and bladder.
  • Sacral. When nerves in this area are damaged, the victim can experience pain and loss of control in the hip, groin, thigh, buttock, and perineal areas but can usually still walk.

Obviously, the more devastating the damage is, the more help the victim will need on a daily basis—now and for the long term. That is why it is essential that you have a lawyer on your team who is experienced in valuing spinal cord injury claims.

Trust Our Team to Fight for What You Deserve

With unmatched experience in spinal cord and paralysis claims and a culture that focuses on providing responsive, compassionate service to our clients, Pracht Injury Lawyers is here for you. Our mission is to use our hearts and our heads to help our clients pursue all of the compensation to which they are entitled. Reach out to our team as soon as you can. We will answer all of your questions and be candid about your options. You have suffered in uncertainty long enough. Get the answers you need now.