Protecting Your Rights After a Catastrophic Spinal Cord Injury: Personal Injury Lawyer in Cherry Hill, NJ Explains Your Rights
While many different types of personal injuries could be caused by a car accident, one of the most catastrophic and disabling injuries is a spinal cord injury. Also known as an SCI, spinal cord injuries can permanently damage your central nervous system leaving you without sensation, motor movement, strength, and other vital functions throughout your body. In very severe cases, a victim may lose sensation or movement from the neck down. Nearly any type of accident could cause a SCI, but data from the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center reveals that motor vehicle accidents are the top cause of spinal cord injuries. If you or a loved one suffered any type of SCI, call our personal injury lawyers in Cherry Hill, NJ, for help.
Our injury law firm at Nugent Law has worked with victims and their families of horrific motor vehicle wrecks, car accidents, and other crashes throughout New Jersey, especially right here in Cherry Hill. Our compassionate team of paralegals and lawyers gives each case the personalized attention it deserves, working with treating physicians and witnesses to help build a strong case against all possible liable parties. We offer FREE case evaluations and only get our attorneys’ fees paid after we recover compensation for you.
What is a Spinal Cord Injury?
A spinal cord injury (SCI) is any type of injury to the spinal cord, which is protected in the center of the vertebral column (your spine). The spinal cord is part of the central nervous system with the brain, and it connects to the peripheral nervous system, which branches out to the rest of the body.
The purpose of the spinal cord is to send messages between the brain and the rest of the body (the peripheral nervous system). These messages may be about sensation (pressure, moisture, temperature, touch, pain), or related to movement and strength.
When the spinal cord is damaged, like in a car accident, the damage can affect how messages are sent between the body and the brain. Severe damage can prevent some signals from being sent, whereas catastrophic damage could prevent all messages from being sent between the body and the brain. This results in paralysis of the body below the damage.
Types of Spinal Cord Injuries After a Car Accident
There are many different types of spinal cord injuries that could occur after a car accident. Generally, there are two classifications of SCI, which include the following:
- Incomplete SCI – an incomplete SCI is a type of injury that damages the spinal cord but does not completely severe or rupture the spinal cord. This means that signals may still be sent up and down the spinal cord, although some signals may be weaker, inaccurate, or not wholly come through (i.e., able to rotate one direction, but not the other).
- Complete SCI – a complete SCI is where the damage to the spinal cord is catastrophic and totally severed the spinal cord. As a result, no signals can be sent between the body and the brain, resulting in paralysis below the injury.
Examples of SCI After a Motor Vehicle Wreck
Spinal cord injuries come in many forms. Most spinal cord injuries result in an incomplete injury. However, some forms of SCI could be complete and result in paralysis. The most common types of SCI after a car accident include the following:
- Paraplegia
- Quadriplegia
- Monoplegia
- Sciatic nerve pain
- Narrowing of the spinal canal causing impingement, and
- Other damage to the spinal cord and the nerves originating right along it.
Did a Car Accident Cause Your Spinal Cord Injury in Cherry Hill, NJ? We Can Help.
After a car accident in New Jersey, the experienced choice for legal representation is Nugent Law. Our personal injury lawyers in Cherry Hill, NJ, can help you and your family recover the compensation you need for pain and suffering, medical bills, lost wages, and other damages resulting from a negligent motorist. This includes spinal cord injury cases, which are often some of the most complex and challenging types of motor vehicle accident cases to handle.
If you or a loved one were seriously injured and suffered any type of catastrophic personal injury, especially a spinal cord injury, call to schedule your FREE case evaluation by dialing (856) 596-9770 or by sending us a message with our “contact us” box available here.
