Charlotte Spinal Cord Paralysis Lawyers

Between 247,000 to 358,000 people in the United States live with spinal cord injuries. Every year, approximately 17,700 people in the United States suffer new spinal cord injuries. Most people who suffer spinal cord injuries will need to stay in the hospital an average of 34 days for rehabilitation. This does not include any additional hospitalizations that need to occur as a result of complications from the spinal cord injuries.

Sadly, less than 1% of people who receive spinal cord injuries will experience complete recovery of their neurological symptoms by the time they are discharged from the hospital. 99% of those who suffer a spinal cord injury will go home from rehabilitation with ongoing neurological symptoms.

Have you suffered a spinal cord injury in North Carolina caused by someone else's negligence or recklessness? If so, you might be entitled to compensation for your injuries. Unfortunately, most people do not fully recover from spinal cord injuries. As a victim of a spinal cord injury, you have likely incurred significant medical bills.

You may have also lost income by not being able to go to work while you are in a rehabilitation center for your injuries. Even after rehabilitation, you will likely need to continue to attend therapy and seek other medical treatments. Time is of the essence when it comes to filing a Charlotte spinal cord injury lawsuit. Contact our lawyers today to schedule your case evaluation and learn how our personal injury lawyers can help you.

Any type of serious accident can result in spinal cord damage. Spinal cord injuries can happen at work, at home, on the road, or while running errands. The following is a list of common types of accidents that cause spinal cord injuries or paralysis:

• Motorcycle accidents
• Truck accidents
• Car accidents
• Bicycle accidents
• Pedestrian accidents
• Construction accidents
• Dog bites and animal attacks
• Violent crimes including muggings and robbery
• Diving accidents in which someone dives into water that is too shallow
• Defective products
• Slip and fall accidents
• Walls that collapse
• Work accidents
• Scaffolding accidents
• Falling ladders
• Sports accidents

Spinal cord injuries take significant time to heal. Unfortunately, most spinal cord injuries do not completely heal. The lasting impact of a spinal cord injury depends on whether the injury is considered complete or incomplete. Typically, those who suffer complete spinal cord injuries will lose the ability to move voluntarily and feel sensation below the area where the spinal cord becomes damaged.

Incomplete spinal cord injuries are the most common types of spinal cord injuries. Incomplete spinal cord damage resulting in tetraplegia constitutes 47.2% of all spinal cord injuries. Incomplete spinal cord damage resulting in paraplegia constitutes 20.4% of all spinal cord injuries. Of those who receive spinal cord injuries, 20.2% suffer from complete spinal cord injury that results in paraplegia. Paraplegia indicates a complete and total lack of sensory and motor function below the location of the injury.

An individual suffering from complete paraplegia may still have some nerves or axons that cross the injury site. However, they are not functioning appropriately after the traumatic injury. Victims of accidents who suffer complete paraplegia will require significant medical care. The lifetime cost of someone with high tetraplegia who lives to be 50 years old is over $2.5 million dollars.

The yearly cost of medical care for someone with a high spinal cord injury (C1-C4) is over $1 million for the first year and nearly $185,000 a year thereafter. When someone else's negligence caused your spinal cord injury, that person or people may have a duty to pay for the costs related to your injury.

Nearly 30% of people who suffer a spinal cord injury need to be hospitalized again one or more times after their injury. The average length of re-hospitalization is around 22 days. Common complications that arise from spinal cord injuries include the following:

• Genitourinary system diseases
• Skin diseases
• Respiratory diseases
• Digestive diseases
• Circulatory diseases
• Musculoskeletal diseases

If someone else's negligence or recklessness caused your spinal cord injury, you may have a right to compensation. Time is of the essence, however. You will need to file a personal injury lawsuit before the statute of limitations expires. Contact Arnold & Smith, PLLC as soon as possible to schedule your case evaluation to learn how our legal team can help you.