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Seasoned Oklahoma Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer
Helping you recover compensation for back injuries, spinal cord injuries and paralysis
A spinal cord injury is caused by a sudden, traumatic blow to your spine that fractures, dislocates, crushes or compresses your vertebrae or that severs your spinal cord. If you sustained a spinal cord or back injury in an accident caused by the negligence, recklessness or wrongful acts of another party, you need the help of knowledgeable Oklahoma City spinal cord injury attorneys.
At Cunningham & Mears, we have 105 years of combined legal experience helping clients who sustained all types of spine and back injuries recover compensation for medical costs, rehabilitation and treatment, lost wages and earning capacity, and pain and suffering.
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Causes of spinal cord injuries
Our experienced Oklahoma City back injury lawyers represent clients who suffer from spinal cord and back injuries sustained in a wide range of accidents caused by the negligence or recklessness of other parties:
- Auto accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Construction accidents
- Workplace accidents
Car, truck and motorcycle accidents account for almost half of all the new spinal cord injuries in the country each year. Slip and fall accidents cause more than 15 percent of spinal cord injuries. Victims over age 65 are particularly vulnerable to spinal cord injury.
Spinal cord injury statistics
The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCIS) reports that the national incidence of SCI is about 54 cases per one million people in the U.S., which is about 18,000 new cases of spinal cord injury each year. The number of people alive right now in the U.S. who are living with spinal cord injury is estimated to be about 305,000 people. The average age of injury is now 43 years old and males account for about 79% of new SCI cases. The NSCIS estimates that about 37.5% of spinal cord injuries are caused by motor vehicle crashes, 31.7% are a result of falls, and 15.4% from acts of violence.
The severity of a spinal cord injury determines the degree of paraplegia, and the level of the injury determines the extent of the loss of mobility and sensation. If a person suffers a spinal lesion in the middle of the back, they may become paralyzed and lose sensation below the point of their injury. About 45.8% of spinal cord injuries involve incomplete tetraplegia, 20% incomplete tetraplegia, 19% complete paraplegia and 13.2% complete paraplegia.
Effects of spinal cord injuries
Spinal cord injuries are caused by damage to the vertebrae, ligaments or disks of the spinal column or spinal cord. The type of injury you sustain depends on the severity and location of the injury, including the cervical or neck area, the thoracic or chest level and the lumbar sacral or lower back. Spinal cord injuries can cause a range of symptoms, including:
- Complete or partial paralysis
- Reduced mobility
- Breathing difficulties
- Damage to one or both sides of the body
- Harm to your arms or legs
- Loss of muscle control
- Loss of bowel or bladder control
- Sensory problems
- Pain and weakness
- Numbness
- Blood pressure problems
- Nerve damage
Seek immediate medical attention
Without treatment, further damage can occur over days or weeks because of bleeding, swelling, inflammation or fluid accumulation in and around your spinal cord. If you injured your back or spine in an accident, you should seek immediate emergency medical attention to minimize your long-term injuries and protect your rights to compensation from any negligent parties. If you need help finding the right doctors for further treatment or care, our Oklahoma personal injury lawyers can help.
Complications from spinal cord injury
Following the initial injury, those suffering from the long-term effects of spinal cord injury may face further acute, secondary medical complications which further erode the patient’s quality of life and ability to function. Those complications might include:
- Respiratory complications
- Cardiovascular complications
- Urinary and bowel complications
- Pain
- Spasticity
- Pressure ulcers
- Osteoporosis
- Bone fractures
Those who have sustained a spinal cord injury in an accident that was the result of the negligence or reckless conduct of another person, may be able to take legal action against the responsible party and recover compensation. Some of the damages that an injured person may be able to recover include:
- Medical expenses: All the medical bills related to the accident injury, the medications, physical therapy, rehabilitation, in-home personal care, future medical procedures, doctor visits and nursing care would be included.
- Lost wages: After a spinal cord injury, a person may not be able to do the work they did before the accident. They may not be able to work at all. An experienced spinal cord injury lawyer will help make sure that the injured person recovers compensation for time lost and work and whatever diminished earning capacity that arises because of the injury.
- Pain and suffering: Compensation for pain and suffering includes not just the pain of the initial injury, but the suffering that comes when a person's entire lifestyle must be curtailed because of their inability to move their body and walk on their own.
Has someone you care about sustained a serious spinal cord injury in a motor vehicle accident or a fall? A skilled Oklahoma spinal cord injury attorney from Cunningham & Mears is here to help the injured recover the compensation they need to get on with their lives and take care of their families.
Seek assistance from a back-injury attorney you can trust
If you suffer from a back injury, spinal cord injury or paralysis resulting from an accident caused by someone’s negligent, reckless or wrongful acts, you do not have to suffer alone. At Cunningham & Mears, we are committed to proving you with the assistance you need at no cost to you until we win. To learn more about our personal injury services, contact us or call 405-232-1212 today for a free initial consultation at our Oklahoma City office. If you cannot travel to us, we can come to you.
