Being involved in a motor vehicle crash can lead to significant injuries, some of which involve the spinal cord. The exact way that a spinal cord injury will impact the victim depends on several factors, including the location, type of injury and severity of damage.
Learning why these factors affect the victim’s experience may help some people in this situation to understand their injury so they can set their plans accordingly.
Factors that affect the injury
An injury to the spinal cord will affect the area of the body below the location of the injury. This means damage to the lumbar spinal cord, which is the lower back, will affect less of the body than damage to the cervical spine, which is in the neck and a little lower.
Some injuries sever the nerves in the area of the damage. These injuries are known as complete injuries, which don’t have a high chance of the victim having a full recovery back to all the same abilities as before the injury.
Other injuries partly sever the nerves. These are known as incomplete injuries, which have a higher chance of a complete recovery. Victims of these injuries will usually have some feeling and ability to move below the level of the injury.
Victims who have spinal cord injuries often have considerable medical expenses. When the injury is the result of someone else’s negligence, they may opt to pursue a claim for compensation. This must be done in a limited time, so seeking the assistance of someone familiar with these matters may be beneficial.
