Did you know that, according to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, about one in three spinal cord injuries is caused by traffic accidents? Or that the average cost of treating a spinal cord injury for the first year alone is $200,000? Unfortunately, severe back and spinal cord injuries are some of the most devastating consequences of an Oklahoma car or truck accident. In many cases, spine injury victims face a lifetime of medical costs, permanent disabilities, and day-to-day challenges.
Why are spinal cord injuries such a common result of Oklahoma car accidents? Very simply, damage to the spinal cord takes place when the back is pulled, twisted, compressed, or traumatized, which often happens when a car traveling at a high-speed slams into another object. More specifically, spinal cord injuries are more common in certain types of traffic accidents, including rollover accidents, seat belt failures, roof collapses, seat collapses, and bicycle-car collisions.
Spinal cord injuries vary greatly in severity, ranging from incomplete spinal cord injuries, from which victims suffer numbness, nerve damage, and limited motor abilities, to complete spinal cord injuries, from which victims may suffer paralysis, difficulty breathing, loss of sexual function, loss of bowel control, and even death.
Recovering from spinal cord injuries in Oklahoma takes hard work
Sadly, there is no cure for spinal cord injuries. While medical professionals have found ways to return some function to those who suffer from serious spine injuries, many people - especially those with complete spinal cord injuries - will have to learn to live with the disability and will require a lifetime of medical care. Successful occupational therapy and rehabilitation will help spine injury victims learn to understand their injuries, learn new ways to complete everyday tasks, and lead meaningful lives even with their disabilities.
However, paraplegic and quadriplegic spinal cord injury survivors will often need daily assistance - from help with simple daily tasks like showering or eating to help with daily medical needs. Spinal cord injury victims also may require expensive lifestyle changes, such as motorized wheelchairs, breathing apparatuses, and homes that are handicap accessible.
An even more tragic aspect of car accident spinal cord injuries is that many of the traffic accidents that lead to these injuries could have been prevented. Also, some of the traffic accidents that end in paralysis are caused by the negligence or carelessness of someone else, such as:
- A speeding driver loses control and slams into your car.
- A poorly-designed roadway causes a devastating rear-end accident.
- A faulty seatbelt system causes an accident victim to be ejected from a car during a crash.
- A drunk driver enters the wrong side of the interstate and hits your car head-on.
- A passenger van notorious for rollover accidents does just that after one of its tires blows on the highway.
- A reckless tractor-trailer driver causes an interstate pile-up after breaking several federal trucking regulations.
If you or a loved one has suffered a spinal cord injury in Oklahoma, and if you believe that the injury could have been prevented if not for the carelessness of someone else, then you should speak with a Lawton spinal cord injury attorney today. Living with a significant disability caused by a spinal cord injury may not only drastically change your life, but it also may be exorbitantly expensive. If someone else was responsible for your traffic accident, then that individual is also responsible for the consequences of the accident, including your medical costs, pain, and loss of health.
Want to learn more? Call the Scott Ray Law Firm at (580) 248-5557, or fill out the electronic contact form on the right side of this page. Tell us your story today.
