Spinal Cord Injury Attorney in Pennsylvania
The spinal cord is a network of nerves that sends and receives information coordinating movement, sensation, and controlling many automatic reflexes and body functions like breathing and digestion. The spinal cord begins at the brain and runs down to the lumbar region, through a hollow portion of the vertebrae. The vertebrae acts like a protective shell for the fragile and delicate spinal cord. Trauma or injury to the spinal cord can prevent signals from being transferred throughout the body. If a catastrophic injury occurs to either the vertebrae, or to the spine, serious and often permanent disability may result.
Spinal cord injuries can significantly alter a person’s life forever, and can impact physical, mental, emotional, and financial aspects of not only the injured person’s life, but also the lives of families and loved ones. Individuals with spinal cord injuries, along with their families, may mourn the loss of a life that could have been, and have to cope with living a life with a disability.
The spine is divided into four different segments that correspond to different areas of the body. The cervical spine is located in the neck and is responsible for controlling nerves in the neck, arms, hands, and diaphragm. Below the cervical spine is the thoracic region, which controls the abdominal and chest muscles. The lumbar region controls leg, foot, and toe movements and functions, and finally, the sacral region controls bowel, bladder, and sexual functions.
The spinal cord may be injured in several different ways, and the severity of the injury controls how much function or sensation is lost, and dictates whether or not a person can recover. Bruising or stretching of the spine causes lesions on the spinal cord, but may allow an individual to have some function and movement. Laceration and complete severing or separation of the spinal cord will usually result in permanent paralysis.
Injuries to different segments of the spinal cord will result in impairment in different areas of the body. For example, injury to the cervical spine may result in loss of function and sensation below the site of the injury. If injury occurs to the thoracic region, everything below the injury site may be impaired, while hands, arms, and lungs may be unaffected. Typically, the higher up on the spine the injury is, the more devastating the disability will be.
Cervical spine injuries are the most common spinal cord injuries and often result in paralysis of the arms, legs, and torso, or quadriplegia. Depending upon the severity and location of the injury, respiratory functions may be impaired, and individuals may require the aid of a ventilator to help them breathe. Cervical spine injuries are most often caused by motor vehicle accidents and vehicle or van rollovers, falls from heights, falls from balconies, falls from ladders, sports injuries, and violence or assault. Spinal cord injuries may also be the result of a work injury, airplane crash, diving or swimming pool accident, and result in injuries to the thoracic cervical region and cause paraplegia. Paraplegia is paralysis or loss of function and sensation to the legs and lower torso. Misplaced screws or hardware used in surgery, certain diseases, swelling, irritation, or punctures by fractured vertebra may also cause spinal cord injuries that result in paraplegia.
Spinal cord injuries may result in not only quadriplegia and paraplegia, but also motor function deficits, sensory deficits, numbness, tingling, pain, inability to regulate blood pressure, loss of sexual function, loss of bowel and bladder function, mobility problems, breathing problems, digestion problems, and depression. People suffering from spinal cord injuries usually require long hospital stays and long-term medical care. Treatment for spinal cord injuries includes physical therapy and rehabilitation, occupational therapy, surgery, medication, and psychological care. Wheelchairs, and other mobility aids may be necessary, and homes must be equipped with handicap-accessible features. Individuals who may have lived completely independently may require help with the most basic day-to-day activities like eating, getting dressed, and bathing after sustaining a spinal cord injury.
The experienced spinal cord injury and brain injury attorneys of Reiff & Bily understand the physical, emotional, and financial toll spinal cord injuries can take on not only the injured individual, but also on their families and loved ones. If you or a loved one’s catastrophic spinal cord injury was caused by someone else’s negligence, carelessness, or irresponsibility, or from a defectively designed or manufactured product, our experienced spinal cord injury lawyers will fight hard to get you the compensation you need to help you with medical bills, rehabilitation costs, loss of income, emotional damage, and pain and suffering. Our experienced medical and legal teams understand the hardship you are facing and have a proven track record successfully represented victims that have unnecessarily suffered life-altering spinal cord injuries. Our highly specialized Philadelphia spinal cord injury lawyers have fought and won significant awards for people who were victims of spinal cord injuries or wrongful death due to product defects, terrorism, motor vehicle accidents, rollover accidents, construction accidents, malpractice, sports injuries, playground injuries, swimming pool and diving accidents, amusement park accidents, truck accidents, trailer malfunctions, as well as hundreds of other catastrophic events that led to devastating spinal cord injuries, paralysis, or death.
