When a motorcyclist is in a crash, he or she is at risk for a number of different injury types – road rash injuries, broken bone injuries, concussion, and more. One of the most devastating injury types, however, is a spinal cord injury. Not only are spinal cord injuries incredibly debilitating and even paralyzing, but they’re also permanent.
A spinal cord injury occurs when the spine is suddenly traumatized, typically when traveling at high speeds or when impacted with a great level of force. When a motorcyclist is knocked off the bike or hit by another vehicle, the spine may take the force of the blow. As such, a vertebra or vertebrae may be crushed, dislocated, or fractured. These vertebrae then hit touch or put pressure on the spinal cord, resulting in severe damage.
When a back injury is less severe, then the spine, not the spinal cord — i.e., the vertebrae — is typically the only part impacted. However, if the injury is more severe, then the spinal cord itself is affected. The spinal column contains a system of nerves that help the brain and body to communicate – if damaged, movement, bowel and bladder control, and even respiration can be impaired.
If the spinal cord injury is complete, then it means that complete paralysis below the level of injury occurs. If the spinal cord injury is incomplete, only partial paralysis results.
There is no way to reverse damage don’t to the spinal cord. While fractures and dislocations in the spine can be repaired, the spinal cord itself cannot. Treatment instead may consist of methods to prevent the injury from worsening and rehabilitative therapy to help the victim learn to manage and cope with the injury.
Unlike some other injury types, a spinal cord injury doesn’t result in just a few thousand dollars in medical bills and a few weeks of missed work. Rather, a spinal cord injury can affect a victim for a lifetime, resulting in hundreds of thousands of dollars in expenses, pain, and suffering. As such, you need an attorney who will work hard to get every last penny that you deserve.
At the Law Office of Julie Johnson, PLLC, our personal injury and motorcycle accident attorneys are 100 percent committed to working for you. Call us today at 214-290-8001 to set up your free consultation.
