Serious car accidents can result in many different injuries. Spinal cord injuries are among the most catastrophic. These injuries can affect every aspect of daily life, including mobility, independence, and long-term quality of life. If you suffered a spinal cord injury in a preventable Geneva auto wreck, our law firm can help.
What Is a Spinal Cord Injury?
A spinal cord injury occurs when trauma damages the spinal cord or the surrounding vertebrae, ligaments, or disks. Any disruption to the spinal cord can cause partial or complete loss of sensation and function below the site of the injury.
Medical professionals classify spinal cord injuries into two categories:
- Complete – With these injuries, all motor and sensory functions are lost below the point of damage. Victims cannot feel or move anything below the area.
- Incomplete – Here, some motor or sensory functions remain intact. These injuries vary in severity, but they may allow partial movement or sensation below the injury.
Doctors often use the Frankel Scale to measure severity, grading injuries from “A” (complete loss of function) to “D” (substantial motor function but weakness in certain regions).
What Are the Different Types of Spinal Cord Injuries?
The effects of a spinal cord injury depend largely on where the injury occurs along the spine. In general, the higher the injury, the greater the loss of function.
The two main types of spinal cord injuries are:Â
- Quadriplegia (Tetraplegia): Results from severe trauma to the cervical (neck) area of the spine, with victims losing sensation and control in both arms and legs. Victims may also face challenges with breathing, bladder, and bowel control.
- Paraplegia: Caused by damage lower in the spinal cord, paraplegia impacts movement and sensation in the legs and lower body. This often affects the thoracic or lumbar regions.Â
In addition to mobility loss, spinal cord injury victims may also struggle with regulating blood pressure, controlling body temperature, and sexual function. Even basic bodily processes, such as breathing or digestion, can be affected depending on the injury’s location.
How Car Accidents Cause Spinal Cord Injuries
Car accidents can generate enormous force and impact. When vehicles collide, occupants may be jolted forward, crushed between seat structures, or thrown against the steering wheel or dashboard.
Common causes of spinal cord injuries include:
- Rear-end collisions that whip the neck and back
- High-speed crashes where blunt force compresses or fractures vertebrae
- Rollover accidents that trap or crush occupants
- Pedestrian or bicycle accidents where the body absorbs the direct impact
Even seemingly minor crashes can cause devastating spinal cord injuries.
What Compensation is Available After a Geneva Car Accident?
Victims of spinal cord injuries frequently face lifelong medical and personal costs. If another driver was at fault for your spinal cord injury, you may be entitled to pursue economic damages for your financial losses and non-economic damages for your personal losses.
These may include:
- Medical expenses
- Lost incomeÂ
- Physical therapy and adaptive equipmentÂ
- Out-of-pocket expenses
- Pain and sufferingÂ
- Emotional distress
- Loss of enjoyment of lifeÂ
- Loss of consortium
An experienced personal injury lawyer can help you identify and calculate all of your damages after a spinal cord injury. Your attorney can also consult experts in medicine, finance, and other disciplines to assess your future losses and other complex damages.
Contact a Geneva Car Accident Lawyer Today for Help Recovering Compensation
If you or a loved one suffered a spinal cord injury in a Geneva car accident, you may have a personal injury claim against the party who injured you. An experienced Geneva car accident lawyer can help you navigate all aspects of your claim, from initial filings and investigations to negotiation and litigation.
An attorney will help ensure that you demand full and fair compensation for your injuries and protect you if the insurance company tries to blame you or claim your injuries/limitations aren’t as severe as claimed. They can also help you avoid mistakes that hurt your chances of recovering a settlement or award.
Contact Feagans Law Group today for a free consultation to learn more about how we can help you after a spinal cord injury.Â