Spinal Cord Injuries Can Mean Lifelong Disability
A normal person going about their daily business - working, driving, helping a friend - can have their life changed in the blink of an eye when a spinal cord injury takes place. The consequences of a spinal cord injury are often wide-ranging, expensive and laborious to treat, and difficult or impossible to adjust to. If you or someone you love has been debilitatingly injured by a spinal cord injury, Michigan law may allow you to seek compensation with a personal injury lawsuit. Learn more about spinal cord injuries and then contact an experienced personal injury attorney who may be able to help.
Common Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries
The spinal cord is a large column of nerve tissue that connects the entire body’s nervous system starting at the base of the skull and down through the middle of the back. Protective membranes surround the spinal cord, and these are further protected by vertebrae. The nerve signals that tell our bodies to pick something up, retract from painful stimuli, or scratch an itch all run through the spinal cord. Unsurprisingly, then, when the spinal cord is injured, the consequences can be devastating. Spinal cords are most commonly injured in accidents - unexpected events that happen in a split second and which can change a life forever. These accidents include, but are not limited to:
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Heavy machinery malfunctions
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Falls off ladders
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Diving into shallow water
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Gunshot or knife wounds
Any of these events can cause the spinal cord, or the vertebrae surrounding it, to fracture or dislocate or to be crushed or compressed.
How Does Life Change After a Spinal Cord Injury?
Depending on the severity of the injuries, a damaged spinal cord can result in permanent life-altering physical changes. These include:
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Fecal and urinary incontinence
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Phantom pain or itching
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Circulatory and respiratory problems
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Muscle degeneration
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Sexual dysfunction
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Paralysis
A personal injury lawsuit may be able to help victims of spinal cord injuries recover damages, not only for their physical injuries and rehabilitative costs, but for pain and suffering and loss of quality of life.
Contact a Grand Rapids Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer
If you have suffered permanent changes in ability, strength, or sensation because of a spinal cord injury caused by someone else, you may want to take action to ensure you have the financial stability to care for yourself into the future. To learn more about the remedies available under Michigan law, call Kent County personal injury attorney John D. Tallman, PLC, Attorney at Law. We offer free, no-pressure consultations at any location that is convenient to you. Call us now at 616-361-8850.
Source:
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/spinal-cord-injury/symptoms-causes/syc-20377890
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