Spinal cord injuries can cause long-term pain and discomfort, potentially even leaving victims with paralysis and other complications that dramatically alter their lives. These injuries can occur in many different types of accidents, including some of the most common accidents: car accidents and slip and falls.
If you or a loved one suffered an injury to your spinal cord and needs help seeking compensation for your injuries, call The Queenan Law Firm. Our attorneys represent victims of serious accidents involving spinal cord injuries, and we fight to get them and their loved ones the compensation they need to help with medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, and ongoing support. Call our Arlington, TX spinal cord injury lawyers today at (817) 476-1797 to set up a free legal consultation.
Types of Spinal Cord Injuries from Accidents in Arlington, TX
The spinal cord is the bundle of nerves that runs down the length of your neck and back. The spinal cord is encased within the spinal column, a series of tube-shaped vertebrae strong enough to help prevent accidental injury. Many spinal cord injuries happen when there is blunt force trauma to the back or neck, or they happen during other injuries involving physical force against the body. These injuries can also come from twisting or torquing motions.
If you break your neck or back, you are likely to suffer spinal cord injuries. Broken bone injuries might damage the spinal cord or sever it entirely. With damage to the spinal cord that does not completely cut the nerves, you could face immense pain and discomfort, numbness, and difficulty controlling parts of your body. If the spinal cord is severed because of a broken back or broken neck injury, you could face total paralysis.
Some spinal cord injuries do not involve broken vertebrae, but rather misalignment or damage to the soft “disc” padding between the bones. If a strong impact, such as a car accident or a fall, changes the alignment of your vertebrae, the spinal cord inside could be damaged. If the bones are pushed far enough out of alignment, they could sever the spinal cord. Less severe misalignment could press against or “impinge” on the spine, causing pain, discomfort, motor skill problems, and numbness. If the disc tissue is damaged or begins swelling or hemorrhaging, such as in the case of a “slipped disc,” the pressure could similarly cut-off your spinal cord or impinge on it, leading to similar effects.
Because the spinal cord transmits electrical impulses from your brain to your limbs, organs, and other parts of your body, damage to the spinal cord interferes with these signals. If the signal is interrupted entirely because the spinal cord is severed, you could become paralyzed below the point of injury. This means that injuries higher up in the cervical spine (the neck) can lead to total paralysis (quadriplegia or tetraplegia) whereas injuries to the thoracic spine (upper back) or lumbar spine (low back) can cause partial paralysis (paraplegia).
Suing for a Spinal Cord Injury in Arlington
A spinal cord injury is one of the worst types of injuries you could experience in an accident. While a severe injury can often result in higher damages than a mild injury, the fact that an injury was severe does not, by itself, guarantee that you can sue someone for it.
To hold someone else accountable for an injury, you need to prove that they either caused the accident intentionally or negligently. In an intentional injury case, you could aim to prove that the responsible party intentionally caused you injury, such as in a case of assault and battery. In a negligent injury case, you instead aim to prove that they owed you a legal duty, but through a lack of care or skill, breached that duty and caused your injuries.
One of the most common types of negligence lawsuits is a car accident injury case. Suing the driver who hit you can often get you damages, but you must first prove that they did something wrong, such as running a red light or driving drunk, to prove that they were responsible for the crash. With other types of accident cases, you might show that the at-fault party was responsible in various ways:
- A slip and fall or trip and fall accident can be held against a property owner who allowed their premises to be dangerous.
- Structural collapses and falls from heights can be held against property owners whose buildings, stairs, and balconies were not safe for guests.
- Scaffolding collapses and falls from ladders at work can be held against employers who provided dangerous equipment or who failed to provide proper safety gear and assistance.
- A lifting or carrying injury at work can be held against an employer who failed to properly train or supervise employees or an employer who overloaded the worker.
- A bike accident or pedestrian accident can be held against the driver who hit you.
- The collapse of a hunting tree stand, ladder, backyard playset, or other product could be held against a product manufacturer that designed or manufactured an unsafe product.
Spinal cord injuries can happen in many different kinds of accidents, but there is often a party to sue for the injuries. If you caused the accident that led to your own injuries, you might not be able to recover damages from anyone else, but insurance might help you pay for your needs. If someone else was responsible for your injuries, such as the property owner or someone who provided negligent help or supervision, you could be entitled to sue them for damages in court.
Talk to an Arlington injury attorney about whom to sue in your case and how to prove the claim against them.
Call Our Arlington, TX Spinal Cord Injury Attorneys Today for a Free Case Consultation
If you were injured in an accident in the Arlington area and suffered severe spinal cord injuries, contact The Queenan Law Firm today. These kinds of injuries are often complex and benefit from the help of an experienced personal injury attorney who understands the intricacies of these kinds of injuries and their causes. For a free legal consultation on your potential spinal cord injury case, call our Arlington spinal cord injury lawyers today at (817) 476-1797.