People who are involved in a motor vehicle crash may experience a host of injuries, including those involving the spinal cord. These injuries are often – although not always – evident at the scene of a crash, and they require immediate medical attention.
Damage to the spinal cord can lead to effects in multiple areas of the body. The affected area of the body is always below the place that’s damaged on the spinal cord. Because of this, injuries on the lumbar spine in the lower back won’t affect as much of the body as one in the cervical spine near the neck.
Effects can vary greatly
Not all spinal cord injuries affect a victim in the same way. While most people think of paralysis when they hear about a spinal cord injury, but that’s not the only thing that can happen. People can suffer from lack of sensation or limited movement in affected areas of the body.
The type of spinal cord injury at issue can directly affect what effects the victim has to deal with. Spinal cord injuries are categorized as either complete or incomplete. A complete injury is one that involves fully severed nerves at the injury site. An incomplete injury is one that still has some nerves connected.
Incomplete injuries are usually more likely to have a better chance of recovery than complete injuries. This is because the nerves that are still connected will allow nerve signals to travel to the affected area of the body, so there’s a chance the person will be able to regain some function or sensation. That’s generally not possible with a complete injury.
Life after a spinal cord injury isn’t easy, and it can be quite costly. Victims of motor vehicle crashes that were the result of another person’s negligence may opt to pursue a compensation claim accordingly.
