Did you or a loved one suffer a spinal cord injury from a car accident? Tijerina Legal Group is ready to fight for you and your fair recovery. We understand the serious challenges that victims of spinal cord injuries face and what it takes to negotiate fair compensation with insurance companies.
Led by award-winning McAllen spinal cord injury attorney Humberto Tijerina, our firm has successfully secured millions of dollars on behalf of our clients. We have assisted victims of all types of neck injuries and spinal cord injuries caused by car accidents and other traumatic events, and we are ready to fight for you, too. There are no fees unless we win your case!
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Common Types Of Accident-Related Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries are categorized based on two main factors: severity of the injury and their location along the spine. Generally speaking, spinal cord injuries are classified as either complete or incomplete.
Complete spinal cord injuries often lead to permanent paralysis and loss of function below the point of injury and may result in:
- Paraplegia: Paralysis of the lower limbs and lower portion of the trunk
- Quadriplegia/Tetraplegia: Paralysis from the neck down
An incomplete spinal cord injury typically leads to partial retainment of movement, sensation and function and could be:
- Anterior Cord Syndrome: An injury to the front of the spinal cord, leading to issues with movement, motor coordination, and sensation
- Central Cord Syndrome: An injury to the center of the spine (between the lower and upper spinal cord), often resulting in nerve damage
- Brown-Sequard Syndrome: An injury to the side of the spinal cord, often resulting in issues with movement, function, and sensation on one side of the body
- Lumbar Spinal Cord Injury: An injury to the lower portion of the spinal cord, leading to incontinence, loss of sexual function, and other issues
- Cervical Spinal Cord Injury: An injury to the upper portion of the spinal cord (near the neck), often resulting in partial or total paralysis
Additionally, slipped (or herniated) discs are sometimes classified as spinal cord injuries. Along with whiplash, disc injuries are some of the most common back injuries/spinal cord injuries sustained in motor vehicle accidents.
What Type Of Accidents Cause Spinal Cord Injuries?
Studies show that motor vehicle accidents of all types—including car crashes, motorcycle collisions and large truck accidents—account for approximately half of all new spinal cord injuries in the United States every year. About 30 percent of spinal cord injuries are the result of falls, including slip and fall accidents. Additionally, violence, including assault, and sports- and recreation-related accidents each make up about 13 percent and 10 percent, respectively, of all new spinal cord injuries in the U.S. each year.