The Ongoing Costs of Spinal Cord Injuries

The Mayo Clinic1 defines a spinal cord injury as damage to the spinal cord itself or to the vertebrae, ligaments, or disks of the spinal column. Such an injury is often caused by a sudden and violent blow to your spine that either dislocates, crushes, or compresses your vertebrae. They can also be caused by penetrating wounds or cuts to your spinal cord. Spinal cord injuries are especially dangerous because the damage often compounds itself over time as bleeding and inflammation increase and fluid accumulates in and around your spine.

Common Causes

According to the Mayo Clinic, car accidents are the number one cause of spinal cord injuries2 and account for 35 percent of spinal cord injuries on an annual basis. Car accidents victims are prone to spinal cord injuries because collisions can often cause severe trauma to the body and damage the spinal cord. These injuries often lead to very serious consequences, including impaired critical functioning throughout your body, which can be either temporary or permanent.

Immediate Treatment

Spinal cord injuries invariably necessitate emergency stabilizing treatment in order to guard against increased damage. The time immediately following any spinal cord injury represents a crucial window of time for effecting a positive outcome. At that time, the main goal is to stabilize your blood pressure and breathing while attempting to immobilize your spinal column.

Total Cost of Treatment

Due to the critical and precarious nature of such an injury, the cost of effectively treating a spinal cord injury can be extraordinarily expensive. And with most serious spinal injuries, the cost does not end after initial treatments. In fact, the cost of treatment will continue to increase each year – with the first year often costing over a million dollars and each subsequent year costing about $185,000. Even minor injuries that result in diminished motor functioning cost an average of $350,000 for the first year and continue to incur costs at a rate of about $42,000 for each subsequent year.

These costs do not, however, reflect other indirect expenses such as lost income and employee benefits, physical and emotional pain and suffering, and many other factors. Additionally, many victims of spinal cord injuries don't ever make a full recovery and continue to require extensive long-term medical care and rehabilitation.

If you or someone you care about has sustained a spinal cord injury, it is imperative that you receive immediate and expert medical attention and that you engage the expert counsel of an experienced personal injury attorney who is skilled in spinal cord injury cases.

If you or your loved one has suffered a spinal cord injury due to someone else's negligence in the Clearwater area, do not hesitate to call Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA. We are here to help spinal cord victims and their families and we have significant expertise in spinal cord injury cases. We will always fight for the full amount you deserve for your medical bills and other losses. Call Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA today at 727-451-6900 or contact us online to discuss your case.

1. Spinal cord injury