The Lifelong Costs of a Spinal Cord Injury
While any serious injury can cause unwanted complications, the fact is that some injuries can be more devastating than others. Spinal cord injuries (SCIs) belong to this latter category, as they often have the potential to leave victims with lifelong complications that can have a profound impact on their quality of life and ability to engage in the activities that they once enjoyed. As a result, it’s critical that spinal cord injury victims protect their rights by retaining a St. Louis personal injury lawyer as soon as possible.
What Makes Spinal Cord Injuries So Serious?
The spinal cord is a bundle of nerves that allows the brain to communicate with the rest of the body. When it is damaged, it can interfere with the signals sent between the two, potentially causing a number of serious issues. Some of the problems that spinal cord injury victims often experience include:
- Pain
- Muscle weakness
- Loss of range of motion
- Sensations of pins and needles
- Numbness
- Paralysis below the site of the injury
Spinal cord injuries are either incomplete or complete. When they are incomplete, victims retain some feeling and mobility below the site of the injury. On the other hand, when they are complete, the communication between the brain and the part of the body below the injury is completely cut off, leaving victims without any feeling or movement below the point where the spinal cord was injured.
How Much Will a Spinal Cord Injury Cost?
The damages associated with a serious spinal cord injury can vary greatly depending on the severity of the injury. Typically, a person who has sustained an SCI will experience significant economic and non-economic losses, including:
- Medical expenses
- Expenses associated with mobility aids
- Lost income
- Lost quality of life
- Physical and emotional pain and suffering
It’s important to understand that for some spinal cord injury victims, these losses will last a lifetime. In fact, according to the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, a 25-year old with high tetraplegia can expect lifetime medical expenses in excess of $4.7 million, and this figure does not even consider the untold lost opportunities and lost quality of life associated with long-term paralysis.
Spinal Cord Injury Victims Should Retain an Experienced Attorney
Because of the potentially high-value of spinal cord injury cases, it’s critical for victims to retain an attorney to represent them after an accident. Insurance companies are more concerned with their bottom line than they are offering a fair settlement and will do everything they can to minimize the amount they pay out. An attorney familiar with representing spinal cord accident victims will be able to provide evidence in support of all of your damages and ensure that you get the compensation to which you are entitled.
Call Us Today to Schedule a Free Case Evaluation with a St. Louis Personal Injury Attorney
At Bruntrager & Billings, we are committed to helping people who have suffered catastrophic injuries recover the compensation to which they are entitled under the law. To schedule a free case evaluation with a personal injury lawyer in St. Louis, call our office today at 314-646-0066 or contact us online.