Many people are lucky enough to walk away from a car accident without a serious or permanent injury. However, others find themselves facing a life of pain and struggle if they have sustained debilitating injuries in the crash, including a spinal cord injury.
A spinal cord injury takes place when any part of the spine or the nerves at the base of the spine is damaged. The spinal cord is the connection between the brain and the body-it is a bundle of nerve fibers and tissue that lies within the spine. As Indiana residents can imagine, when the spinal cord gets damaged, sensory, reflex and motor capabilities can be affected. And since spinal cord injuries mostly affect young people, aged between 16 and 30, it can mean the rest of one’s life is altered by a spinal cord injuries.
Motor vehicle accidents are actually the prevalent cause of spinal cord injuries-it accounts for almost 47 percent of them. An injured victim typically spends an average of 11 days in the hospital to receive care for their injury. On average, and depending on the type of one’s injury, the first year of treatment is always the most expensive, with costs ranging between $300,000 to around a million, with the cost falling to between $40,000 and $170,000 subsequently.
Spinal cord injuries require treatment just to maintain a relatively stable standard of living-many of the accident victims never fully recover from their injuries and, without being able to work, are unable to make ends meet or get the treatment they deserve. Holding the person who caused the car crash that led to the injuries accountable may be one way to get the compensation one deserves and the treatment one needs.
