What are the Most Common Types of Spinal Injuries from Car Accidents?

What makes car accidents so deadly is they can affect almost virtually any part of the body, often resulting in devastating injuries, excruciating pain, and astronomical medical expenses that can impact the victim and their family for the rest of their life. Yet, although the extent of these injuries will often depend on the accident, one of the most severe types of injuries that can result from a car crash is a spinal injury.

Moreover, spinal injuries are just one form of personal injury that victims can experience. Specific injuries, such as those related to the spine, demand careful evaluation to determine the extent of the damage. Other severe injuries, like burn injuries, also require a specialized approach, given the complexities they present.

These injuries have been known to leave victims struggling with debilitating harm that impacts everything they do, including their ability to work, make a living, form relationships, or even walk. That is why it is imperative that individuals who suffered this horrifying injury because of another person’s wrongful actions understand what they need to do next after this crash to recover the justice and compensation they deserve. For these reasons, we have prepared the following blog post. In it, we will discuss in detail what you need to know about these spinal injuries and the legal remedies you may be entitled to.

Common Types of Spinal Injuries You Could Sustain in a Car Crash

The spinal cord comprises a bundle of nerves that carries signals back and forth between the brain and the body, essentially forming the central nervous system. As a result, it is one of the most vital structures in our body, which means that if you suffer a spinal injury, it can result in devastating consequences, impacting almost everything you do.

The spinal cord has three main regions: the lower back or the lumbar spine, the middle of the back or the thoracic spine, and the upper back and the neck, also known as the cervical spine. Consequently, if a vertebra is damaged, it will typically impact the part of the body below the injury location. This means that if you suffer a cervical spine injury, you may be left completely paralyzed or even die as a result of this injury.

Yet, although the severity of these injuries will often depend on the circumstances of the accident, some of the more common types of spinal injuries that tend to result from a car crash include:

• Ruptured or herniated discs
• Fractured vertebrae
• Bulging discs
• A pinched nerve
• Quadriplegia or paraplegia
• Spinal stenosis
• Spondylolysis

Symptoms of a Spinal Cord Injury Following a Motor Vehicle Accident

If you suffered a spinal injury from a motor vehicle accident, you may experience a wide variety of symptoms depending on the severity of the harm.  However, some of the more common symptoms that are often associated with this type of injury include:

• Loss of motion
• Muscle weakness or spasms
• Numbness
• Loss of sense of touch or temperature
• A tingling sensation
• Trouble breathing
• A pinching or painful sensation along the spine
• Sexual dysfunction
• Bladder or bowel issues
• Digestion problems
• Difficulty breathing

Seeking Compensation for Your Spinal Injury: What You Can Pursue in a Lawsuit

If your spinal injury was due to a car crash that was the result of another person’s wrongful, intentional, or reckless actions, you may be entitled to pursue compensation for the harm and losses you sustained. This compensation often includes:

Economic Damages: These damages refer to the actual and verifiable losses that result from an accident. They include losses related to:

• Past, present, and future medical bills such as doctor visits, surgeries, hospital stay, emergency room visits, prescription medications, assistive medical devices, and specialist visits
• Lost wages
• Lost earning capacity
• At-home medical care
• Replacement services such as child care or cleaning services
• Property damages
• Rehabilitative therapy such as occupational and physical therapy
• Other out-of-pocket expenses

Non-economic Damages: In comparison, these damages refer to the rather subjective losses that result from an accident. However, since these losses are so personal in nature, they are often hard to quantify. They include:

• Pain and Suffering
• Emotional distress
• Disfigurement and scarring
• Loss of companionship
• Loss of reputation
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Limb loss
• Humiliation
• Inconvenience

Finally, depending on the car accident, punitive damages may also be available. Yet, unlike the other compensatory damages, which were created to compensate the victim for their losses and injuries, punitive damages are intended to punish the wrongful party’s egregious actions and serve as a deterrence for others thinking about committing this act in the future. However, for a victim to obtain these punitive damages, their attorney needs to show with clear and convincing evidence that the wrongful party’s conduct consists of malice, fraud, or oppression.

Suffered a Spinal Injury in a Car Crash? Get the Legal Help You Need Today

Although no amount of money will ever help you fully erase the pain and damages a spinal injury accident has caused your life, obtaining compensation for these injuries can provide you the assistance you need to move forward and get on with your life, giving you the peace of mind that your medical treatment and care will be taken care of.

Best of all, with a skilled car accident lawyer, you will not have to worry about handling this complex legal battle alone. Instead, you can focus on your recovery while these attorneys fight for the financial compensation you are entitled to. In fact, once retained, these lawyers can promptly go over your case, figure out if you have a viable claim, and determine your legal options. From there, they can investigate your crash, secure the evidence needed to prove what happened and who was at fault for your injuries, and hold all the liable parties accountable for the pain and suffering you endured. Finally, these skilled lawyers can also take over all the negotiations and discussions with the other side making sure to fight for maximum damages on your behalf.

For these reasons, if you or a family member suffered a spinal injury in a car crash, contact an experienced car accident attorney today and go over your case for free.