Paraplegic Injuries
With the blink of an eye, your life could change. It takes only seconds to suffer an injury that will last a lifetime. This is the case with most spinal cord injuries. If you’ve suffered a traumatic injury to the head or spinal cord, certain parts of your body might not respond to messages sent from your brain. This means you have suffered a paraplegic injury, which may be accompanied by a loss of feeling in certain parts of your body.
There are two major types of paralysis—paraplegia and quadriplegia. Paraplegia is when you’ve lost the partial or complete ability to move your legs. If you’re a quadriplegic, you are unable to move your arms and legs, or have only partial capability to do so.
The extent of your paralysis depends on the location of the spinal cord injury. Paralysis can be a temporary or permanent condition. Common causes for these conditions include sports accidents (especially diving), car accidents and physical violence.
A quadriplegic typically requires equipment to assist with basic respiratory and bowel functions. A paraplegic will only need equipment to help with bowel functions. In both cases, the damage to the spinal cord may not be complete. This means that although you are paralyzed, you still have some feeling in your arms and legs. Quadriplegia and paraplegia are different from other spinal cord injuries because the signal from the brain to the limbs is either completely or almost entirely halted.
Doctors may administer steroids, prescribe physical therapy and recommend surgery, but many paraplegics and quadriplegics won’t make a full recovery. Most will require medical assistance for decades.
Paralysis injuries are life-changing, and the claims are complex. Various medical treatments and deciding which option is best for you and your family is challenging, both physically and emotionally. The expenses can be insurmountable and the lifestyle modifications you and your family must undergo are distressing and can get overwhelming.
Like other life-threatening injuries, the successful treatment and rehabilitation for spinal cord, head and brain injuries is not guaranteed. The paraplegic lawyers at Findlay Law work to help you receive damages for pain and suffering, loss of wages, medical expenses and costs of future treatment.
THE PERSONAL INJURY LAWYERS