If you have never suffered from any kind of back injury, you’ve probably taken your spine and back muscles for granted. They hold you up, allowing you stand up straight, giving you strength to lift, pull, and reach. Until such an injury happens to you, you don’t realize how severely and completely they can impact your lifestyle and ability to function on your own. You may not have ever imagined the pain involved in physical rehabilitation, surgical treatment, and potential disability. It may never have occurred to you what life would be like if your spinal cord was damaged so severely that it left you paralyzed. Yet, once it does happen to you, you appreciate these things very much. If your injury was caused by the carelessness or malicious intent of someone else, then you appreciate the importance of being able to recover compensation for the costly damage and recovery associated with back injuries.
The Wide Range of Back Injuries in Augusta, Georgia, Personal Injury Claims
Back injuries come in a wide range of different types and severities. You could have a simple pulled muscle that you will soon recover from. You might have a strained back that involved damage to your muscles and tendons. You might be dealing with a sprain of the ligaments in your back. You may have a herniated or ruptured spinal disc that requires surgery and physical rehabilitation. When any of the 26 vertebrae of your spine or the discs that cushion them are damaged it is very likely that you will need a significant amount of treatment and time for recovery. Many people with these kinds of injuries end up disabled and suffer from a tremendous amount of pain for the rest of their lives. Not all cases of spinal injury are this severe, yet many others are far worse. For instance, you may end up with serious nerve damage or spinal cord damage that results in total or partial paralysis. In these cases, you may never be able to work again, and you may require ongoing care for the rest of your life.
When Augusta, Georgia, Personal Injury Claims Involve Spinal Injuries that Result in Paralysis
If you suffer from the most serious of spinal injuries in Augusta, Georgia, you could be killed or permanently paralyzed. This can happen because your injury instantly damaged your spinal cord or because a situation involving a herniated or dislocated disc put pressure on your spinal cord. Your spinal cord is necessary for sending signals to and from your brain and the rest of your body. If you lose this functioning in your spine, you lose the functioning and use of your body.
There are few worse situations than those that involve a severely damaged spinal cord that results in paralysis. Your paralysis may be quadriplegic or paraplegic. Quadriplegic paralysis means that your upper spinal cord was damaged, causing you to lose functioning in nearly your entire body, including your arms, your legs, and the trunk of your body. It is possible to be quadriplegic and still have some functioning of these body parts, but the functioning is likely to be severely limited and you will not be able to return to your former lifestyle. Paraplegic paralysis means that your lower spinal cord has been damaged, and you lose functioning in the lower half of your body, below the waist.
With paraplegia, you can still move the upper parts of your body, though you will still be in a wheelchair and unable to return to your former lifestyle. The most care is required for those with quadriplegia, while those with paraplegia may be able to learn over time to adjust to their condition and provide most of their own care for themselves. For example, someone with paraplegia can still brush their own teeth, feed themselves, and bathe themselves. You would require a tremendous amount of assistance in the beginning as you grow used to your new life, but you may eventually become more independent again. You should not underestimate the work that will go into this goal, however. You may need to modify your home to be wheelchair accessible and to move things within reach. You will also need physical therapy and practice with maneuvering yourself without the function of your legs.
While most people have heard of quadriplegic and paraplegic paralysis, you may not be aware of the wide range of spinal cord injuries that could happen to you until they do. For example, you could suffer from spinal concussions, and a number of different syndromes, including:
- Brown-Sequard Syndrome
- Posterior Cord, Anterior Cord, and Central Cord Syndromes
- Conus Medullaris Syndrome
- Cauda Equina Syndrome
Compensation for Back or Spinal Cord Injuries with an Augusta, Georgia, Personal Injury Claim
There are many different forms of personal injury claims in Augusta, Georgia. How your injury occurred will determine which type of claim you can file and who is responsible for your injuries. If an auto accident caused your injury, then you’ll need to file an auto accident claim with the insurance policy of the at-fault driver and/or your own insurance policy, depending on what kind of coverage you have.
If an accident on someone else’s property caused your injury, then you may have a premises liability claim, depending on whether or not there was negligence on the part of the property owner. A premises liability claim may involve homeowner’s insurance or the insurance policy of a business, depending on where the incident occurred and how.
If your injury was caused by the mistake of a medical care provider, then you likely have a medical malpractice claim. These can be more difficult in some cases because it can be challenging to prove that a medical error occurred and that the hospital, surgeon, or other doctor was responsible.
Then, there are cases where back and spinal cord injuries occur at work. If this happens, you have an entirely different type of claim that does not require that you prove negligence. Work related injuries, regardless of who was at fault, should be covered by your employer’s workers’ compensation insurance. These claims are often straightforward, but there are occasionally complications. You may have your claim wrongfully denied or minimized by the employer or insurance company, and you may need help.
Contact Ted A. Greve & Associates Injury Lawyers to Learn More About Your Options
If you have suffered from any kind of back or spinal cord injury, contact the determined Augusta GA personal injury attorneys at Ted A. Greve & Associates Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation. We’ll review your case, and help you to proceed with getting the compensation you need.
