When someone hurts their spinal cord, they typically lose motor control and physical sensation below the injury site. Spinal cord injuries are often permanent, and even those that aren’t are consequential medical issues that demand significant care. Both incomplete spinal cord injuries that have a possibility of medical recovery and complete spinal cord injuries that result in permanent consequences will have a dramatic effect on someone’s life.
People can often tell right at the scene of a crash that there is a spinal cord injury in play, which can help them obtain appropriate medical support. What happens when someone tells emergency responders that they think they have a spinal cord injury?
THEY RECEIVE EMERGENCY TRANSPORTATION AND TRAUMA CARE
How healthcare professionals handle someone at the scene of a crash is much different when they expect a back or spinal injury. One of the first steps they will need to take is to stabilize the person by effectively strapping them down to a board so that their back won’t move and potentially worsen their injury during transportation.
They will need emergency transportation to the hospital and immediate evaluation if possible upon their admission. From there, they may require emergency trauma care and surgery. A lengthy stay in the hospital followed by rehabilitative support is frequently necessary following a spinal cord injury.
THEY CAN EXPECT MASSIVE FINANCIAL CONSEQUENCES
Many Texas drivers have policies that will provide, at most, $30,000 for someone injured in a crash. A spinal cord injury will often cost multiple times more than what insurance will pay.
Additionally, people have to consider lost earning potential and also how they may need to modify their homes for accessibility. That can also cost thousands of dollars, as can a wheelchair-accessible vehicle. Often, spinal cord injuries require aggressive negotiation with insurance companies or even civil litigation, as the typical insurance policy might have a policy limit far below the total medical bills for someone’s injury.
Seeking rightful compensation after someone suffers a spinal cord injury in a car crush can help them to more effectively handle this challenging situation. Working with a legal professional who handles spinal injury cases can be an efficient way to manage the legal and financial aftermath of an injurious wreck.