The sensitive spinal column and vertebrae system is frequently injured in car accidents. The spine houses countless nerve bundles that communicate with the brain to make bodily movement possible. Upon physical impact, crush injuries can severely limit a victim’s range of motion and take away their freedom.
How Car Accidents Cause Spinal Damage
A serious car accident can cause severe spinal injury several different ways: The offending vehicle slams directly into the victim car’s side, forcing the driver or passenger into their seat; whiplash from a head-on collision forces the spine to stretch beyond it’s general range of motion; or a rollover crash causes several different points of impact along the spine. When a vehicle is forced to stop suddenly, the bodies inside may continue forward with the momentum of speed, slamming against the dashboard and windshield. Spinal injuries can occur even with seatbelt use, if the backward momentum caused by the restraint forces the victim forcefully into the seat.
Skilled spine injury lawyers have spent years studying the mechanics of car accidents and their effects on the spine. They frequently work with engineers and spine injury experts to show exactly how a crash caused their client’s spinal injury and demonstrate how the driver exhibited negligence.
The Effects of Car Accident Spine Injuries
Injury to the spine truncates the delicate nerves’ ability to carry messages to and from the brain. Without this information pipeline, various parts of the body are rendered immobile and the victims may require full-time nursing care or adaptive living modalities.
Generally, wherever the spine is impacted, the areas of the body below the point of impact will suffer dysfunction. Car accident victims hit in the lower half of their spinal columns may be rendered paraplegic, often with loss of leg function and bowel and bladder dysfunction. If a victim is hit at the top of the spinal column just below the neck, they may face total paralysis (quadriplegia) and breathing difficulties. Neck and back injuries often accompany serious spinal injuries, causing swelling, pain, and movement difficulty.
Legal Help After a Car Accident
Spinal cord injury lawsuits are focused on getting car accident victims money damages to pay for all the expenses that result from such a tragedy, including lost income and rehabilitation. Hiring an attorney can put your family in a better settlement bargaining position. Car accident victims should always be wary of insurance companies’ offers and can benefit greatly from having a trained legal professional representing their interests.
If you or a member of your family is suffering the effects of a spinal cord injury as a result of another driver’s negligence, an experienced legal professional from SpineInjuryLawyers.com can help you get fair compensation from the insurance company.
For in-depth information and legal guidance after a car accident spine injury, please click here to find a personal injury law firm in your area.