Spinal Cord Injury
The spinal cord is a thick bundle of nerves running from the brain stem to the bottom of the spine. It serves as a conduit of electrical impulses that carry information from the brain to every other part of the body. Because of the central role it serves in bodily function, damage to the spinal cord is one of the most serious injuries a person can receive.
Causes of Spinal Cord Injury
Although spinal cord injuries can be caused by tumors or medical condition such as spina bifida, they are most commonly caused by events in a person’s life. Some top causes of these serious injuries are:
- Car crashes
- Falls
- Hunting accidents
- Assault
In other words, spinal cord injuries are usually caused by negligent or malicious human behavior.
Consequences of Spinal Cord Injury
The long-term effects that spinal cord injury victims suffer can be complete, referring to a total loss of sensation and function, or incomplete, meaning a partial loss of one or both. The type of symptoms experienced depends on the location of the injury:
- Top of neck: loss of lung function, may require ventilator to live
- Neck to shoulders: Decreased function in shoulders, arms, and hands
- Top of ribcage to waist: Decreased function in stomach muscles, difficulty balancing
- Waist or below: Decreased function of legs, bowels, and urinary system
Sometimes people are forced to live with these painful and often debilitating conditions because of another party’s reckless behavior. It is not fair for one person to face financial, emotional, and physical loss for an accident that was not his or her fault.
Contact a Racine Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer
If you or a loved one has been injured by another party’s negligence, contact the Racine spinal injury attorneys Habush, Habush, & Rottier at 262-554-6200.