Hudson Valley Personal Injury Attorneys Helping Accident Victims with Serious Spinal Cord Injury
Around 300,000 people in the U.S. live with spinal cord injury, affecting their lives in numerous ways and providing challenges to employment, mobility, and basic daily living and quality of life. Although brought about in many different ways, the two leading causes of spinal cord injuries, according to the Mayo Clinic, are motor vehicle accidents (car accidents and motorcycle accidents account for half of all spinal injuries) and falls. For accidents caused by distracted drivers or negligent construction contractors in the Hudson Valley, the attorneys at Dupée & Monroe in Goshen combine decades of experience and skill to help spinal cord injury victims get the care and compensation they need after a serious accident. Learn more about spinal cord injury accidents below, and contact a spinal cord injury lawyer Dupée & Monroe, P.C. for a free consultation regarding your potential claims.
Spinal anatomy and spinal cord injuries
The body’s functions related to movement and sensation are controlled by the brain and spinal cord, which together make up the central nervous system. The spinal cord itself is a bundle of nerve fibers which runs from the brain along the back, protected inside the spine and its 33 vertebrae. Nerve signals are sent to and from the brain along the spinal cord, which then branch out to every part of the body through the peripheral nervous system.
The limitations on the body imposed by a spinal cord injury depend on the type of injury inflicted and where along the spinal cord the injury occurred. Regarding the type of injury, if the spine is contused or compressed, such as in a car accident or ladder fall, the accident victim may experience diminished movement and sensation in parts of the body. If the nerves are actually lacerated or severed, all feeling and motor function may be lost below the point of injury.
Basically, any cut to the spinal cord will affect the entire region of the body below the point of injury. The spine is classified into four separate sections – the cervical (neck), thoracic (chest), lumbar (lower back) and sacrum at the tail end. Damage to the spinal cord in the sacral or lower lumbar region can result in a number of disabilities, including cauda equina syndrome, paralysis of the lower legs, loss of sexual function and incontinence. A lumbar spinal injury can cause paraplegia – total loss of movement and sensation in the legs and below the waist. An injury higher up in the thoracic region can result in quadriplegia, also known as tetraplegia, in which the accident victim has no feeling or function in either the arms or the legs. As injuries move higher into the cervical region, injury victims may not be able to breathe or swallow on their own and may require mechanical assistance such as feeding tubes and respirators just to stay alive.
A lifetime of additional costs and complications
Living with spinal cord injury, dealing with medical issues and achieving independence and self-care to the maximum extent possible, is an expensive proposition. Injury victims may need mobility devices, modifications to home and car or specialized vehicles, vocational rehabilitation, and the latest in assistive technology devices. Some people living with spinal cord injury require the assistance of an in-home caregiver on a periodic basis, while others may require round-the-clock nursing care. Spinal cord injury victims also face the risk of medical complications throughout their lives, including infections, fractures, diabetes and other serious conditions.
At Dupée & Monroe, our experienced personal injury attorneys understand the lifetime of additional costs and challenges a spinal cord injury can bring. Our knowledgeable and aggressive injury lawyers work hard to build a through, detailed and convincing case that not only proves the negligent party’s fault in causing the accident but also justifies a full and fair settlement or jury verdict that compensates our client to the greatest extent. Count on our years of experience and record of results to provide you with strong and effective representation to get the level of compensation you need and deserve after being seriously injured by another’s carelessness or recklessness.
Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer is Available for Help in the Hudson Valley
For help after a spinal cord injury caused by another’s negligence in New York’s Hudson Valley, call Dupée & Monroe in Goshen at 845-294-8900 for a free consultation with a team of dedicated and successful Orange County personal injury lawyers. There is no fee unless and until we recover for you.
