Motor vehicle crashes can lead to several types of injuries, one of which is a spinal cord injury (SCI). This type of injury can lead to lifelong effects that can make it hard for the victim to live a meaningful life or support themselves.
Understanding a bit about SCIs and some of the ways they impact the victims may help those who opt to pursue a compensation claim for one.
The type of injury matters
All spinal cord injuries are classified as either complete or incomplete. A complete injury involves a total severing of the nerves at the injury site. A full recovery after this type of spinal cord injury isn’t likely.
An incomplete injury still has some nerves connected at the site of the injury. People who have this type of injury will likely have some movement and feeling below the injury. The chance of a partial to complete recovery is greater with an incomplete injury than it is with a complete injury.
The location of the injury is also significant
The location of the spinal cord injury directly affects the area of the body that’s impacted by the injury. The effects are always present below the level of the injury, which means that those on the higher areas of the spinal cord will affect a larger part of the body.
Individuals who suffer an SCI because of a negligent driver may need to seek compensation for the financial damages they’re dealing with. This must be done within a specific timeframe, so working with someone familiar with these cases is beneficial.
