Spinal cord trauma is one of the most catastrophic non-fatal outcomes of a traumatic accident. Your spinal cord cannot heal on its own from trauma, like many other body parts can, and even immediate medical intervention may not be enough to prevent any damage from being permanent. Since your spinal cord is the centermost section of your central nervous system, damage to it often results in paralysis that affects multiple areas of your body.
If you have suffered severe harm because of another person’s misconduct, that person should pay for the immense losses this injury will cause you. An Austin spinal cord injury lawyer from our team can help ensure that happens. From the beginning to the end of your legal proceedings, our catastrophic injury attorneys will fight tenaciously to protect your best interests and secure a favorable case result, even if that means going to trial in civil court.
The financial value of any personal injury lawsuit depends entirely on the severity of your injury and on the specific forms of harm you will experience. As an Austin attorney can further explain, the severity of spinal cord injuries depends primarily on two factors: where on the spinal cord the injury occurs and how complete the damage is.
Injuries to the lowermost sacral and lumbar sections of your spinal cord, or to the lower part of the thoracic section in the middle of your back, can cause varying degrees of paraplegia in your lower limbs and lower torso. Meanwhile, injuries to the upper thoracic section of your spinal cord or to the cervical section in your neck can cause quadriplegia of all four limbs and your entire torso. A complete spinal cord injury involves your spinal cord being completely severed at the injury site, which will cause total and irreversible paralysis, but an incomplete injury involving only slight tearing, twisting, or bruising may cause only partial paralysis and may even offer some prospects for long-term recovery.
All types of spinal cord trauma are life-altering injuries, which means a comprehensive lawsuit or settlement demand must account for years’ worth of damages such as medical expenses, lost working capacity, physical pain, and psychological trauma. Unfortunately, even if you can prove a specific person’s negligence was the primary cause of your injuries, they may not have enough insurance coverage or personal assets to pay for the lifelong harm they have caused you.
Fortunately, our Austin lawyers may be able to help you demand additional compensation from anyone who was partially at fault for causing your spinal cord injury or who held civil liability for it. This could include the employer of someone who negligently caused an accident on the job, manufacturers of products whose defects contributed to causing your spinal cord injury, or simply other people directly involved in whatever accident led to you getting hurt.
Even if the damage to your spinal cord is relatively minor and the effects are temporary, it can still be incredibly expensive to treat, and it may interfere with every part of your life during the healing process. More serious injuries of this nature will permanently alter your life in both professional and personal contexts, and in those scenarios, it is particularly important to proactively seek civil compensation from whoever played a role in causing your injuries.
A conversation with an Austin spinal cord injury lawyer could provide you with answers to pressing questions about the next steps you should take to best protect your interests. Call today to schedule a meeting.
(713) 221-6800 
