Car accidents are among the most common cause of spinal cord injuries in the United States, and Dallas is no exception. According to the Center for Disease Control, car accidents account for 46 percent of all spinal cord injuries each year.
Traumatic spinal cord injuries put a tremendous amount of stress on that area of the body, causing it to flex outside of its normal range of motion. Because car accidents can happen at tremendous speeds, often jolting the passengers forward and backwards, the spine is left helpless along with the rest of the body.
In addition to this, if the passenger’s head is thrown forward and back after hitting the dashboard or another part of the vehicle, it can cause the spinal column to compress which can lead to serious injury.
A common type of injury caused by car accidents is a bulging or herniated disc. The disc has an armor of bone which protects its spongey innards from harsh impact. In a serious accident, these armor can be broken or even destroyed, leaving the inside vulnerable.
If the disc bulges out, it can impact or press a surrounding nerve, which can place the person in serious pain, as well as affect their motor function.
Unfortunately, many car accidents lead to even more severe spinal cord damage, which results in paralysis. Put simply, paralysis is when victims lose feeling and function of the affected body parts or muscles.
Paralysis occurs in a car accident when one of the nerves in the spine is severely damaged. These nerves control the function of your entire body and core muscle groups.
Paralysis is characterized into four different types of injuries. Monoplegia is when one limb is paralyzed. Hemiplegia occurs when an arm and a leg are paralyzed. Paraplegia and Tetraplegia occur when the arms, legs, and various body parts are paralyzed.
According to the CDC, there are more than 400,000 people suffering from spinal cord injuries in the United States. Most of these people are young. It’s estimated that over 50 percent of all new spinal cord injuries are suffered from people 15 to 35.
Car accidents play a significant role in this, as it would not be natural for people of that age to develop spinal cord injuries without suffering from a traumatic event. If you or a loved one has been injured through no fault of your own and feel you deserve retribution, contact the Dallas spinal cord injury attorneys at Crowe Arnold & Majors, LLP at (214) 231-0555 for a free consultation.