A spinal cord injury can change your life dramatically. Losing the ability to control your own body, either partially or entirely, can take a toll on your life. Most spinal cord injuries require assistance from family members or medical professionals to perform the most basic activities.
But physical assistance and moral support are not the only types of aid that you need following a spinal cord injury. You also deserve financial compensation if your spinal cord injury resulted from someone else’s negligence, recklessness, or wrongdoing. There are legal options that you need to know, and you and your loved ones in Missouri and the surrounding communities should have access to a reputable law firm.
Do not hesitate to speak to a Kansas City spinal cord injury attorney from Townsend Law, LLC, to seek reimbursement for your medical expenses and address any legal and insurance issues that may arise in your personal injury case.
Types of Spinal Cord Injuries
A spinal cord injury or SCI is the result of damage to the vertebrae, ligaments, or disks of the spinal cord or spinal column and is characterized by the loss of function, such as mobility or feeling.
Each year, an estimated 17,700 cases of spinal cord injuries are recorded across the United States. However, the statistics do not include those who die from SCIs. Contrary to popular belief, not all spinal cord injuries result in paralysis, but most spine injuries result in a change in the quality of life and chronic pain.
SCIs fall into two categories: Complete paralysis (quadriplegia) and incomplete or partial paralysis (paraplegia). In the event of paraplegia, there is a certain degree of sensation or function.
Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries
The vast majority of these injuries occur as a result of trauma. Sometimes, the victim is the only party to blame for serious injury. In other cases, a spinal cord injury occurs due to someone else’s negligence, such as a car accident. The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center reported on their 2020 SCI Data Sheet that since 2015 SCIs have been commonly caused by:
- 38.6 percent: Motor vehicle accidents
- 32.2 percent: Falls
- 14.0 percent: Violence
- 7.8 percent: Sports
- 4.2 percent: Medical malpractice
- 3.2 percent: Other
Effects of a Spinal Cord Injury
A spinal cord injury can dramatically affect the victim’s day-to-day life. Many people who suffered an SCI never fully recover from the injury. This catastrophic injury can affect not only the injury victim and their quality of life but also their entire family, who need to take care of and provide physical and moral assistance. Spine injury victims often experience brain injury as well and require extensive physical therapy. As a result, their quality of life is severely affected by this spine injury.
For most people, it is difficult to accept the limitations and challenges that come with a spinal cord injury, which is why depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts become a concern in many cases. Injury victims suffering from a back injury, brain injury or spine injury will have to cope with much more than immediate pain, medical bills, or insurance companies; there can also be huge emotional damages.
The emotional harm of a spinal cord injury is unimaginable for someone who does not understand what it is like to be partially or completely paralyzed. Since treating an SCI is not the cheapest endeavor, many victims end up accumulating debt and being unable to pay medical bills.
That is why you need a Kansas City spinal cord injury attorney by your side to get compensated for the monetary, physical, psychological, and emotional damages that you have suffered.
How Much Is Your Spinal Cord Injury Worth?
The cost of living with and recovering from a spinal cord injury is enormous. According to the NSCISC, fewer than 12 percent of spinal cord injury sufferers are able to return to work within a year after being diagnosed with an SCI.
In most cases, the real cost of living with a spinal cord injury goes far beyond medical care. The true cost is unmeasurable, which is why many people struggle with putting a dollar value on their economic and non-economic damages, both past and future, which is part of what makes this type of injury claim such a complex case to navigate. Receiving legal advice on spinal cord injury cases from an experienced personal injury attorney is paramount to ensuring that you receive the fair compensation you both need and deserve to have a better quality of life.
Contact our Kansas City spinal cord injury lawyer at Townsend Law, LLC, if this sounds like you. Our lawyers can evaluate your damages and losses to determine how much your case is worth. You deserve compensation for everything you have had to endure.
Call at 833-869-6529 or complete our contact form for a free case evaluation.