Pensacola Spinal Cord Injury Attorneys
Living with a spinal cord injury presents challenges that must be dealt with and overcome in every aspect of a person’s life. Having enough money to face these challenges is critical. When a person is injured due to the carelessness, recklessness, incompetence or wrongful conduct of another, the Pensacola personal injury attorneys at Whibbs Stone Barnett put their knowledge, skills and years of experience toward helping injury victims get the proper amount of compensation they need and deserve.
Our personal injury lawyers work with people who have suffered the most serious injuries, including paraplegia, quadriplegia, and other neck and back injuries.
Back Injuries: Paraplegia
Paraplegia is a partial or complete paralysis which can affect one or both legs as well as the torso and chest, depending upon where the injury to the spinal cord occurs. When the spinal cord is severed, it breaks the link between the brain and all parts of the body below the level of the injury. Since the spinal cord contains both sensory and motor nerves, both feeling and movement are lost in the areas below the injury. Bowel and bladder control and sexual function can also be lost as a consequence of paraplegia.
Injuries to the spinal cord in the lumbar or thoracic regions of the spine can occur in a slip and fall or serious car or truck accident, often when the seat back fails or the seat becomes dislodged on impact. In addition, surgical errors can also cause a spinal cord injury. Like other spinal cord injuries, paraplegia is a permanent, lifelong disability.
Neck Injuries: Quadriplegia
An injury to the spinal cord along any of the seven cervical vertebrae in the neck is likely to cause quadriplegia. Quadriplegia, also called tetraplegia, is denoted primarily by a paralysis of both arms and both legs. If the spinal cord is injured at the top of the neck, in vertebrae C1 to C3, paralysis of the chest and diaphragm muscles may be present, and the accident victim may need the help of a ventilator to breathe and mechanical assistance with speaking or swallowing. C1-C3 spinal cord injuries are often fatal if the accident victim is not reached in time and provided with the proper emergency medical treatment.
At the lower end of the cervical spine, a person with a C7 injury may have some limited movement in the hands or fingers. Even this limited function can vastly improve a person with quadriplegia’s quality of life by providing them with opportunities for communication and mobility with the right assistive technology and adaptive devices.
Severe neck injuries may come from a motorcycle accident or a serious car accident ranging from a violent rear-end impact causing severe whiplash to a rollover and roof crush, which often results in serious head or neck injury or wrongful death.
Other Neck and Back Injuries
A broken back or broken neck may not sever the spinal cord causing complete paralysis, but pieces of bone or cartilage may press against the spinal cord, causing bruising and partial paralysis which may be temporary or permanent, depending upon the severity of the injury and treatment options available. A herniated disk (slipped disk) or a fractured or dislocated vertebra can cause internal bleeding as well as nerve damage and should be treated. Steroid injections and physical therapy may offer some relief, but they may just be putting off the inevitable back surgery, which may require the insertion of rods and pins or the fusing together of several vertebrae. These back and neck injury victims, although not paralyzed, may nevertheless suffer through a lifetime of chronic pain and limited mobility.
Types of Spinal Injuries
There are several symptoms that are characteristic of a spinal cord injury, these include:
- Restricted or lost movement;
- Numbness, tingling, or loss of sensation in the fingers, toes, hands, feet, and other areas of the body;
- Problems with balance and coordination;
- Loss of control of the bowels or bladder;
- Problems with breathing or coughing;
- Spasms or other exaggerated reflex activities;
- Full or partial paralysis.
Get the Compensation You Need to Live with Spinal Cord Injury
At Whibbs Stone Barnett, our personal injury attorneys have enough experience to know the challenges faced by people living with spinal cord injury and the costs involved. If you were injured by another person’s negligence, we can help you get the compensation you need for proper medical care, modifications to your home environment, assistive technology and other expenses necessary to allow you to live with the maximum level of independence, self-care, mobility and quality of life. With offices in Pensacola, Fort Walton and Mobile, Alabama, we help people throughout the Florida panhandle and along the gulf coast. Let us help you recover the compensation you need. Call us toll free at 1-888-219-4561 or contact us online for a free consultation.
