When people talk about spinal cord injuries, their focus is often on complete injuries. Complete injuries sever the spinal cord, causing immediate, permanent paralysis below the injury site. People lose their physical sensation and motor control after a complete spinal cord injury.
Incomplete spinal cord injuries are also a common occurrence in major motor vehicle collisions. While they are not as severe as complete injuries, incomplete spinal cord injuries can cause devastating medical consequences and a lifetime of increased costs.
The impact of an incomplete injury
A person with an incomplete spinal cord injury might not realize they need medical attention immediately after a car crash. They are at risk of their injury worsening due to secondary traumas if they do not receive immediate medical care and stabilization of the injury.
Incomplete injuries require trauma care that can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars immediately after a car crash. They also cause a lifetime of increased medical expenses. Incomplete injuries can cause motor function challenges and other functional limitations that interfere with an individual’s ability to work and live independently.
While incomplete injuries do sometimes respond to medical interventions, patients with incomplete injuries may have persistent medical challenges for the rest of their lives. If they work in a blue-collar profession, they are at especially high risk of facing a reduction in their long-term earning potential. Even incomplete spinal cord injuries can generate expenses and lost wages that go beyond what insurance can cover.
Reviewing the details of a car crash that led to an incomplete spinal cord injury with a lawyer can help people evaluate compensation options. Litigation is sometimes necessary when lifetime injury expenses extend beyond what insurance can cover.