A range of factors can cause a spinal cord injury (SCI). These are often sports-related injuries and regularly occur with higher male-to-female ratios. Back injuries occur more in middle-income countries, and the demographic trends males demonstrate as more than half of SCI patients are undeniable.
Important factors like wearing a seatbelt in a car can reduce lifetime costs for these common causes of back injuries. But these trends are leading causes of harm to economic self-sufficiency, the global unemployment rate, and world economic participation.
Back injuries place families at higher risk of poverty. The direct cost is enough to crush families. This complete or incomplete injury is usually a result of trauma, but there are also some non-traumatic causes most people won’t rebound from quickly.
A complete injury differs in that the patient remains permanently disabled, typically with other paralysis complications, even severe depression. Suffering from such an injury can lead to lifelong disabilities and pain and suffering. Said injuries can lower life expectancy, affect high blood pressure, loss of brain and bodily function.
These back conditions also bring other consequences, especially among small children still developing vertebrae bone growth. Some injuries are so bad the patient can’t breathe normally without assistance, like iron lung mechanical ventilators and lifesaving drugs. It all comes down to understanding spine injury pathophysiology following a spine injury.
In the case of accident victims, making an insurance claim seeking economic and non-economic general damages for your catastrophic injury may be possible. But this factor depends on who is liable for the collision.
Speaking with a spinal cord injury lawyer is the best way to increase your chances of making a successful claim and winning a favorable settlement to cover any treatment and rehabilitation costs, for example.
Leading Cause of Spinal Cord Injuries
A spinal cord injury is any damage to the spinal column or spinal cord. This can come from trauma or disease. Not all of these spinal injuries are the same, and the severity of the spinal condition and symptoms depend on the area and level of injury from the traumatic incident. The more serious the case, the greater the chance that the person may lose control of brain function.
Later on, we will look at some of the symptoms of this injury. We will also cover other ways they affect the quality of life of the victim and the function and control of their system. If the injury resulted from an accident, contact a worthwhile spinal cord injury lawyer for a free case review before the statute of limitations expires.
Top Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries
As we mentioned already, most spinal cord or spinal column injuries result from traumatic incidents. Only about 10% of injuries are a result of non-traumatic causes. Let’s explore some of the major causes of spinal cord injuries.
Traumatic
Traumatic causes can include motor vehicle accidents, acts of violence, gunshot wounds, falls, sports-related incidents, and more. A car or motorcycle accident is the leading cause of spinal cord injury. The sad news is that many of these cases are preventable. Home, workplace, and road safety measures can help reduce the number of falls and other accidents each year.
As a law firm with years of accident and personal injury experience, we have worked with many cases involving negligent driving or driving under the influence. We also have experience with brain injury, traumatic gunshot accidents, and other tragedies that develop from accidents. Our lawyers can help you pay for the hospital acute care unit and quality medical care, including physical therapy. Our lien doctor can rule out any clinically significant signs of a complete injury on your behalf.
Non-traumatic
There does not always have to be a collision or sudden incident for a person to suffer from a spinal cord injury. Sometimes these injuries can be the result of a disease. As an example, degeneration from cancer can lead to these injury types. Other diseases that can cause spinal injuries include arthritis, inflammation, severe infections, bowel control loss, and spine disk degeneration from road traffic crashes.
How Common Are These Injuries?
Although it may be hard to estimate exactly how prevalent these injuries are, some helpful data is available. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), between 250 000 and 500 000 people suffer from spinal cord injuries every year around the world.
Adult males are about twice more likely to experience this injury than adult females as far as demographics. The highest risk for males occurs in the average age group of between 20 and 29 years; the next group is the 70+ years category. Adolescents between 19 and 25 years are at the most risk for females. Women over 60 years are the next high-risk group.
There are over 200,000 American people with spinal cord injuries, with additional cases each year of around 17,000. These are estimates, but it can be challenging to understand how often these injuries occur due to incomplete records.
Living with a Spinal Cord Injury
An SCI can impact the life of a person in various ways. People with spinal cord injuries experience different symptoms depending on the injury’s level and location. A person may or may not also experience extreme physical discomfort and hurt, for example. Let’s look at some of the main spinal cord injury symptoms that victims may suffer, depending on how serious the injury to their spinal column was.
Symptoms of the Injury
One of the common symptoms of a spinal cord injury is loss of sensory function. This loss of function can either be partial or complete. A spinal cord injury may also cause a loss of motor control of the legs, arms, and sometimes the entire body.
When the spinal cord injury is more severe, it can affect other important system functions. These include bowel movements, the bladder control system, as well as the person’s heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate. It is common for spinal cord injury patients to experience chronic pain when facing a complete spinal cord injury.
Mortality Rate and Care
One of the consequences of a spinal cord injury is a lower life expectancy. In the first year after the SCI, the patient experiences a much higher mortality risk compared to the general population. Spinal cord patients are more likely to die prematurely.
Spinal cord injuries affect survival by a factor of two up to five times compared with those without a traumatic spinal cord injury condition.
It is also important to mention that spinal injuries can vary in many ways, and some of these factors directly affect the mortality risk. A higher injury level leads to higher mortality risk. Treatment options also range according to the level of injury.
Some spinal cord injury rehabilitation options include medication, therapy, surgery, and other rehabilitation methods. The SCI patient must receive high-quality, timeous care. Catching and treating spinal cord injury onset help reduce their mortality risk. In the case of a motor or other accident, transporting the victim to the hospital using the correct method is also a significant factor to consider when the injury occurs.
Secondary Conditions
A spinal cord injury may also lead to other secondary conditions in the system. Many of these are preventable, but if proper hospital care is not available, they can end up being the cause of death for the spinal cord injury victim.
The secondary conditions include:
- Deep vein thrombosis
- Urinary tract infections harming bladder function
- Multiple sclerosis
- Central nervous system malfunctions harm muscle movement
- Ulcer infections, etc.
In low-income countries, these conditions are often the leading cause of death in SCI victims due to inadequate health care access for all. Besides the spinal cord symptoms, treatment, and other issues already mentioned, other things can come about due to the injury. If the person is still of school-going age, the disability affects their chances of staying in school. Because of loss of function and control in the body, many injured students have little option except to drop out of school.
Spinal cord conditions in working people can force them to come out of the workforce either temporarily or permanently. This move can lead to loss of income, especially if they have not made any insurance claim.
Another issue that can come about when someone suffers from an injury and experiences a loss of function and control of their body is emotional distress.
Why Use Spinal Cord Injury Attorneys?
People with spinal cord injuries may be able to file a compensation claim, depending on their injury conditions. If the spinal cord injury lawyer can prove the other driver’s liability in motor vehicle accident cases, seeking a settlement with the insurance company can yield a favorable verdict before filing a lawsuit.
In the cases of gunshot injuries, falls, sports injuries, and any other incomplete or complete injury to the spinal cord (quadriplegia, paraplegia), your lawyer must explore case details to determine liable parties.
It can be a very trying period in your life. There may be a loss of function in the body, high blood pressure, and many other symptoms that can occur. It may be difficult to control various parts of the body and normal body functions, and there may also be an impact on the person’s brain if the incident is severe.
This is not to mention all the non-medical losses, such as financial losses, lost income, substantial hospital bills, and other costs for rehabilitation and childcare. If you want to file a compensation claim, you need an expert law firm with experience working with similar cases in Los Angeles and California.
Every case is different, so only once you have presented the spinal cord case details to the lawyer can you know your chances of settling. It may be challenging for your case to process through the system with incomplete information. It is imperative to have a fearless team of spinal cord injury attorneys on your side.
Winning compensation for a spinal cord case might not restore the loss of function in the victim’s body and brain or any other suffering they have gone through. Still, it does help them cover their med and rehabilitation bills and the financial responsibilities they may no longer be able to.
Why Choose Us For Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury Representation?
As a top Los Angeles spinal cord injury attorney service, we have helped our clients receive over $150 million in compensation which never had self-employment benefits. With over 15 years of industry under our belt, our positive attitudes have tackled some of the toughest cases and fought for justice for our satisfied clients.
Michael Ehline, the lead counsel, has exceptional Marine Corps. And professional experience litigating car crashes on behalf of people living in Los Angeles, California.
Any person in Los Angeles and other parts of California suffering swelling, including a complete or incomplete spinal cord injury, can contact our offices to explore the possibilities of a legal case.
We can even seek compensation for vocational rehabilitation compensation as you rest your bones back to mobility and sensation. We can even help with cases of cerebral palsy and other preventable secondary conditions harming bowel function and respiratory system functioning, causing cardiovascular disease or impaired breathing.
Your emotional stress will decrease significantly with help from a great attorney. With great legal aid, families can avoid higher costs for non-complete and neurologically complete spine damage and comparable conditions.
Schedule a Free Legal Consultation With For Your Spinal Injuries Today!
Do you have pressure ulcers and loss of motor function from a spine injury? We can help with motor vehicle crashes injuring all major muscle groups, including compensation for blood clots. We provide superior legal services for spinal cord injuries down to damaged nerve roots.
Our Los Angeles spinal cord injury attorneys can help you win any personal injury, accident, or workplace injury. Don’t hesitate to reach out to us. We can help avoid societal costs and get your social support payments, including alternative forms of money for direct costs post-injury. Call Ehline Law Firm at (213) 596-9642 for a free consultation.
