There are a number of serious injuries that one can sustain during an accident. Whether an accident is a result of a car crash, an accident taking place while playing sports, or an accidental fall, you can be at risk of sustaining a spinal cord injury.
What Is A Spinal Cord Injury
A spinal cord injury is one of the most severe ways one can be injured in the event of an accident. When you sustain a spinal cord injury, either your spine or nerves at the end of the spinal canal are damaged. When you are the victim of this type of injury, your body’s functions can be altered in severe ways. Strength, sensation, and other normal functions of the human body can be adversely affected below the sight of your spinal cord injury.
There are two main types of spinal cord injuries: complete and incomplete. With a complete spinal cord injury, all of the sensation and ability to control movement below the sight of the injury are affected. If you have an incomplete spinal cord injury, you still maintain some feeling and ability to control movement below the sight of your injury. There is a vast range of the severity of an incomplete spinal cord injury.
After an accident, if you are assisting someone who was injured in the head or neck, it is safe to assume that they may have a spinal cord injury. This is the safest plan of action due to the nature of this kind of injury. The symptoms of a spinal cord injury can appear more slowly than you would expect after someone receives a spinal cord injury. It is essential to prevent an individual from moving if they might have a spinal cord injury until first responders arrive to move the victim safely.
Who Suffers From a Spinal Cord Injury?
People of all ages can be the victim of a spinal cord injury if they are in an accident. Nationwide, there are currently about 282,000 living victims of spinal cord injuries. The most common cause of these types of injuries is car accidents.
The effects of these injuries can be long-lasting. In 2016, only 12 percent of the victims of spinal cord injuries were employed a year after sustaining their injury. By the time they were injured 20 years ago, only about 33 percent of victims were employed. On top of the meager rate of employment, the medical costs of a spinal cord injury can be enormous over a whole lifetime. The most severe type of injury can cost $185,000 per year.
Have You Sustained a Spinal Cord Injury in North Carolina?
People in North Carolina suffer from spinal cord injuries every year. There are organizations, such as the North Carolina Spinal Cord Injury Association, that are devoted to helping the victims in the state. However, you also need a lawyer on your side. Contact The Nye Law Group to get the compensation you deserve for your accident, lost wages, and medical bills.