Houston Spinal Cord Injury Attorney
As part of the central nervous system, spinal cord injuries can severely impact basic functionality such as mobility and sensation. They can also cause numbness, chronic pain, or tingling pins and needles sensations. The Nielsen Law Firm handles all cases involving serious spine injuries. If someone else carelessly or intentionally caused your spine injury, you have the right to pursue legal action and secure fair and full compensation.
The Importance of the Spine and Spinal Cord
Many teachers tell students to think about the spinal cord as an information superhighway. The spinal cord is responsible for channeling the messages between the body’s intricate network of nerves and the brain. When that connection is lost due to an injury, affected parts of the body lose functionality.
Spinal cord injuries can take place anywhere from the tip of the tailbone to the cervical spinal cord, where the cord connects to the brain. Incomplete spine injuries sever part of the spinal cord and cause reduced functionality, while complete spine injuries cut the spinal cord completely and destroy all functionality. Spinal cord injuries are almost always irreversible.
The spine is the series of vertebral bones that protect the spinal cord from damage. Spine injuries may affect the bones (fractures), the spinal cord, or both areas at once. In some cases, an individual may fracture his or her spinal column first. Trying to move or being moved carelessly may exacerbate the break and cause spinal cord damage.
Symptoms of Spine Injuries
Spine injuries may or may not involve the spinal cord. Some of the most common spine injury symptoms include:
- Loss of motor function at the top of the spine often causes complete paralysis (tetraplegia). Individuals with complete paralysis may have difficulty with movement, breathing, and bowel/bladder control. Paraplegia typically only affects the lower part of the body after an injury to the thoracic spinal cord. In addition to these common forms of paralysis, people with incomplete spinal cord injuries may experience a range of different sensation and movement difficulties in a localized region.
- Feeling prolonged or intense pain along the spinal column may signal a spine injury.
- Numbness and tingling. An incomplete injury may only cause a feeling of pins and needles, tingling, or slight changes in sensation—not a total loss of sensation. For example, someone may have the ability to feel pressure but not temperature or pain.
- Loss of coordination. After a spinal injury, individuals may lose coordination and experience unprovoked reflexes.
- Loss of control. Losing sexual functionality, bowel/bladder functionality, and experiencing trouble breathing are also potential signs of a spinal cord injury.
If you or a loved one experiences these symptoms after an accident, call for medical support and avoid movement.
Liability in Spine Injuries
Anyone who contributes to an accident that causes a spine injury may bear partial or full responsibility for the consequences. Defendants in spine injury cases may include:
- Careless or distracted drivers
- Amusement park companies that fail to test their equipment for safety
- Property owners who do not repair or warn visitors about hazards
- Employers who do not maintain a safe workplace for employees
- Owners of dangerous animals
- Criminals who commit serious acts of assault
Take Legal Action After a Preventable Spine Injury
If someone else contributed to your spine injury, do not wait to get in touch with an attorney. The Nielsen Law Firm has the resources and experience to help you move forward after a serious spine injury. A claim may provide closure after the incident and the financial means to pay for current and future medical expenses, lost income, loss of quality of life, and ongoing caretaking. Reach out to our team in Houston, Texas, for a free consultation.