If you are driving and are hit by another party, then that high-impact collision could leave you with a spinal cord injury. Spinal cord injuries from high-impact forces are more likely to affect men between the ages of 15 and 35, and they’re most likely to come from auto collisions.
Spinal cord injuries don’t just damage the spinal column, which may be unstable following the impact. Instead, they also impact the nerves that run inside the spinal column, the spinal cord. When the spinal cord is compressed, damaged or cut, a victim may be paralyzed, suffer from the dysfunction of their organs, have weakness, pain or other serious symptoms.
What causes the damage to the spinal cord?
In most spinal cord injury cases, the injury itself is caused by bruising and pressure from bleeding inside the spinal canal, disc herniation and a bone pressing against the spinal cord, bone fragments piercing the spinal cord or fragments entering the spinal cord. Sometimes, compression or sideways movement will damage the spinal cord, too.
It’s important to seek help for anyone who is suspected to have a spinal cord injury, because the fluid buildup, bleeding and swelling can make the injury worse. Once the spinal cord is damaged, it is difficult for it to heal, so it’s vital to remove any pressure and to repair damage as soon as possible to maximize the patient’s chances of healing.
What should victims and their families do after a spinal cord injury?
It’s important to receive immediate medical care to start treating the swelling and compression as soon as possible. Surgery or specialized treatments may be needed within the first 24 to 72 hours to improve the patient’s chances of recovering.
Once that begins and the patient is stable, it’s a good idea to discuss the collision with their attorney. The attorney can gather more information about the collision from the authorities and witnesses, and they can also be the go-between between the patient, the patient’s family and the insurance provider who may be covering the financial losses that the victim is suffering or is going to suffer as a result of this life-changing injury.