Spinal Cord Injury Attorney in Owensboro

An Owensboro, KY spinal cord injuries attorney is there to help and guide you through the process of recovering compensation after you have suffered a serious spinal cord injury. 

Spinal cord injuries can be severe and life-changing. Finding the right experienced lawyer is crucial for being able to understand the ways in which your life has been impacted and for empowering you with the information needed to pursue compensation. It is likely that your medical treatments will be extensive and will require all of your focus and abilities over the coming months and even years. This is why it is so important that you retain a dedicated and knowledgeable spinal cord injury lawyer who can sit down with you at the outset of your case and explain some of the most important issues to you. 

A spinal cord injury lawyer in Owensboro, KY will assist you with gathering the appropriate evidence to pursue a claim against the responsible party. Because of the far-reaching and devastating costs of spinal cord injuries, it is crucial to find a legal team that has extensive experience in this area and is willing to do everything possible on your behalf.

If you or someone you know is trying to navigate their life after the enormous change of a spinal cord injury, you should not do it alone. Having an attorney at your side makes this situation much easier.

You might not yet know how your spinal cord will influence your daily life, but it can be a challenging adjustment for someone who was in good health prior to their accident. Spinal cord injuries are the subject of a lot of research and improvements in medical care recently, but even with best-in-class treatments, you may never fully recover from the accident.

Different Kinds of Spinal Cord Injuries

There are 33 different disc-shaped bones in your spine called vertebrae. These are connected by muscles and ligaments and in an S-shaped curve. When you have been seriously injured in an accident, such as a slip and fall or a motor vehicle accident, you may lose some or all feeling or movement in your spinal cord and in the area below where the spinal cord injury happens. Spinal cord injuries are primarily classified into two different types. Someone who suffers a complete spinal cord injury has sustained damage to their nerve roots which causes a loss of sensation and control over body movements. Someone who suffers an incomplete spinal cord injury may retain some motor control and some feeling along the damaged area. In addition to the impacts of a spinal cord injury, a person who suffers brain injuries in connection with a spinal cord problem may also have more serious deficits.

Incomplete Spinal Cord Injuries

There are three primary types of incomplete spinal cord injuries. The first of these is known as anterior cord syndrome. This happens when there is a loss of temperature and pain below the injured site. This can involve motor paralysis and situations in which vibration, light touch, and some inputs are preserved. In the central cord system, the second type of incomplete spinal cord injury, the injury starts at the cervical spine and impairs the hands, arms, and possibly even the legs. In this situation, the patient's brain is still able to send and receive signals to and from the parts below the injury site but these signals are not as strong leading to underlying weakness. Central cord syndrome is the most common incomplete spinal cord injury. 

Brown Sequard syndrome is a rare neurological condition that makes up the third kind of incomplete spinal cord injury. In this situation, a spinal cord injury leads to paralysis or weakness in one side of the body, and the opposite side of the body experiences a loss of sensation. When a doctor diagnoses a spinal cord injury, they will do thorough testing to determine the impact this has already had on your life. 

There are five different regions evaluated for total spinal cord injury. The higher up the spinal cord injury location the more severe the damage for the patient. Coccyx injuries, for example, refer to the four bone areas typically all called the tailbone. The sacrum involves the five bones in the pelvic area, the lumbar refers to bones L1 through L5 in the lower back, thoracic injuries have to do with bones T1 through T12 in the mid back region, and cervical injuries relate to bone C1 through C7 in the neck area. 

The type of spinal cord injury, the severity of the spinal cord injury, and the location of the spinal cord injury will all determine the extent of your possible damages. This involves not just medical bills you have already paid to treat the underlying injuries but what you expect to be able to do in the future and what you will have to pay. A knowledgeable Owensboro, KY spinal cord injury lawyer can help you to determine liability for the appropriate party and to calculate an award that you may need to request from the negligent party. 

Research from the American Association of Neurological Surgeons indicates that there are over 17,000 spinal cord injuries every single year. These can impact people in a variety of different ways but often require long-term medical treatments. In the initial aftermath, the injured party usually spends some time in the critical care department of a hospital and surgery may be required. The second stage of spinal cord injury is when the victim transitions over to rehabilitation, such as occupational therapy, physical therapy, and counseling. A spinal cord injury victim might also have to move into a rehabilitation facility to ensure they receive appropriate care depending on their injury's severity. The risk of mortality is highest for spinal cord injury victims in the first year after the accident happens. Patients often reach a milestone known as maximum medical improvement around a year and a half after the initial accident. Maximum medical improvement does not mean that you were fully healed but instead means that you have reached the maximum point of recovery for your condition. 

Factors Determining the Cause of a Spinal Cord Injury

Some of the leading causes of spinal cord injuries, according to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, include construction vehicle accidents, automobile accidents, falls, sports, violence, and surgical errors. 

The force of a vehicle accident could damage the spine severely. Your doctor will be able to tell you more about what caused the initial injury regardless of whether you have an incomplete or a complete injury. It can be difficult to project your long-term expenses at these early stages, but it is crucial that you identify an experienced and dedicated lawyer as soon as possible. The right Owensboro, KY spinal cord injuries lawyer could have a significant impact on your ability to recover maximum compensation. Given that you will likely be recovering from these injuries for many years to come, it is crucial to have the support of a dedicated attorney to assist you with your next steps.