Spinal Cord Injury Caused by Car Accidents
Spinal cord injuries are one of the most damaging types of injury. The effects of a spinal cord injury tend to be catastrophic and long-lasting. According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, or NSCISC, vehicle crashes account for 39.3 percent of spinal cord injuries, making them the most common cause of spinal cord injury.
When a spinal cord injury is the result of a car accident, the person at fault for the accident should be held liable for resulting damages. Spinal cord injury attorney Sean M. Burke can help victims from the Irvine, CA, area as they seek compensation for injury losses.
Symptoms of Spinal Cord Injury
The types of symptoms experienced by victims of spinal cord injury, and the severity of the symptoms that develop, depend largely on the type of injury that is incurred. Spinal cord injuries generally fall under one of four classifications: incomplete tetraplegia, complete tetraplegia, incomplete paraplegia, and complete paraplegia.
- Incomplete tetraplegia: Incomplete tetraplegia is the most common type of spinal cord injury, according to the NSCISC. Symptoms of incomplete tetraplegia may include numbness, tingling, loss of sensation, or some degree of paralysis in all four limbs.
- Complete tetraplegia: If a spinal cord injury is complete, the brain is unable to send any signals below the point of the injury. Victims of complete tetraplegia will be completely paralyzed in all four limbs, and may even have difficulty breathing on their own.
- Incomplete paraplegia: Individuals who suffer from incomplete paraplegia will retain full use of their hands and arms, but they will experience symptoms such as tingling, decreased sensations, mobility issues, or partial paralysis in the lower body and legs.
- Complete paraplegia: Complete paraplegia will result in a total loss of sensation and mobility of the lower body and legs.
Cost of Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries can have devastating physical and emotional effects, but they are also extremely costly. Hospitalization, medical treatment, and ongoing medical care can easily cost a person more than a million dollars over the span of a lifetime.
The exact cost of a spinal cord injury will vary based on a number of factors, but the NSCISC estimates that the lifetime cost of a high tetraplegia injury will be $5,010,748 for a victim who is injured at the age of 25, and $2,753,822 for someone who is injured at the age of 50.
Even the most minor of spinal cord injuries can be surprisingly costly. If there is any degree of motor function issues, the NSCISC estimates that the lifetime cost for a 25-year-old injury victim will be $1,674,012, and $1,181,564 for a 50-year-old injury victim.
Seeking Compensation
When such severe losses are at stake, it is important to have an experienced attorney on your side as you seek compensation for losses. Irvine attorney Sean M. Burke can be a huge asset to victims of spinal cord injuries. Mr. Burke will gather the evidence necessary to prove liability in a car accident. Furthermore, he will adequately demonstrate the physical, emotional, and financial costs of a spinal cord injury so that our clients can be justly compensated for the full extent of their losses.
Contact Us
If you or a loved one has suffered a spinal cord injury caused by a car accident, attorney Sean M. Burke can work to get you the financial compensation you deserve. To discuss the details of your case, call (949) 644-3434 at your earliest convenience and schedule a legal consultation at our Irvine firm.