A spinal cord injury can change everything in an instant. One moment, you are living your normal life. The next moment, you find yourself facing a future filled with immense pain and overwhelming expenses. If someone else’s careless actions caused your injury, you should not have to bear these burdens alone.
At Elrod Pope Accident & Injury Attorneys, we have spent over 45 years helping injury victims throughout North Carolina and South Carolina. Our Charlotte spinal cord injury lawyers understand the toll these catastrophic injuries take on individuals and families. We will fight to hold the responsible parties accountable and pursue the compensation you need to move forward.
Contact us today for a free consultation, and take a look at our case results to see how our legal team has helped others in similar situations.
What Is a Spinal Cord Injury?
The spinal cord is a thick set of nerves running from the brain down through the spine. It carries signals between the brain and the rest of the body, controlling movement, sensation, and bodily functions. When the spinal cord suffers harm from trauma, disease, or other causes, these signals can become disrupted or stop entirely.
Spinal cord injuries can frequently result in permanent changes to strength, sensation, and organ function below the injury site. Because the spinal cord cannot fully repair itself, these injuries frequently lead to lifelong challenges that require ongoing medical care and support.
What Are the Different Types of Spinal Cord Injuries?
Medical professionals classify spinal cord injuries into two main categories based on how much function remains after the injury:
- Incomplete spinal cord injuries – These injuries occur when some nerve signals can still travel past the injury site. A person with an incomplete injury might retain partial movement or feeling below the affected area. The severity varies. Sometimes, people can regain function through rehabilitation.
- Complete spinal cord injuries – With these injuries, all communication between the brain and the body below the injury site stops. A person with a complete injury loses all sensation and voluntary movement in the affected areas.
Paralysis from a spinal cord injury falls into the following types:
- Paraplegia – When the injury affects all or part of the legs, trunk, and pelvic organs while leaving arm function intact.
- Tetraplegia (quadriplegia) – When the injury affects all four limbs along with the trunk and pelvic organs, typically resulting from injuries to the neck region.
What Is the Life Expectancy for Someone with a Spinal Cord Injury?
Life expectancy following a spinal cord injury depends on many factors, including:
- The injury’s severity
- The person’s age at the time of the injury
- Access to quality medical care.
While advances in treatment have improved outcomes significantly, people with spinal cord injuries still face a reduced life expectancy compared to the general population.
People with more severe injuries, particularly complete tetraplegia, typically face greater health challenges and shorter life expectancies. This reality makes it essential to seek full compensation that accounts for a lifetime of medical needs and lost earning potential.
What Are the Common Causes of Charlotte Spinal Cord Injuries?
Spinal cord injuries often result from sudden, violent events that cause trauma to the spine. Common causes of these serious injuries include the following:
- Car accidents – High-speed motor vehicle accidents can cause the spine to twist, compress, or fracture.
- Truck accidents – The sheer mass of commercial trucks often leads to catastrophic injuries in crashes.
- Motorcycle crashes – Riders are more vulnerable in collisions than vehicle occupants.
- Pedestrian accidents – Being struck by a vehicle can cause devastating trauma to the spine.
- Slip-and-fall incidents – Falls from heights or on dangerous surfaces can result in spinal trauma, especially for older adults.
- Workplace and construction accidents – Falls from scaffolding, equipment malfunctions, and falling objects put workers at risk.
- Acts of violence or negligent security – Assaults and shootings can cause penetrating injuries to the spine.
Who Could Be Liable for a Charlotte Spinal Cord Injury?
Determining who bears liability for a spinal injury depends on the specific circumstances of how it happened. Potentially responsible parties include:
- Any driver who causes a crash through reckless, distracted, or impaired driving
- Trucking companies that fail to maintain vehicles properly or push drivers to violate safety regulations
- Property owners who allow dangerous conditions to exist on their premises
- Employers who don’t provide safe working conditions or proper safety equipment
- Companies that produce faulty vehicles, equipment, or safety devices
- In limited cases, government agencies that design or maintain roads or public property.
What Compensation Could You Pursue After Suffering a Spinal Cord Injury in Charlotte?
A spinal cord injury lawsuit can help you seek catastrophic injury compensation for the financial costs and personal losses you have experienced. As in most personal injury claims, spinal cord injury victims can pursue financial compensation for the following:
- Past medical bills and future medical costs
- Rehabilitation and physical therapy
- In-home nursing care and assistance
- Lost wages from time away from work
- Reduced earning capacity if you cannot return to your previous job
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional distress
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Permanent disability.
What Is the Statute of Limitations for a Spinal Cord Injury Claim in North Carolina?
North Carolina law gives you a limited time to file a personal injury lawsuit. In most cases, you must file your spinal cord injury claim within three years of the date you suffered your injury. If you miss this deadline, you will lose your right to seek compensation. Because building a strong case takes time, you should speak with a Charlotte spinal cord injury attorney as soon as possible after suffering a spinal cord injury.
Contact a Charlotte Spinal Cord Injury Attorney
When you work with Elrod Pope Accident & Injury Attorneys, you become part of our law firm’s family. For over 45 years, our personal injury lawyers have built our reputation on trust, compassion, and results. We take the time to understand each client’s unique challenges and fight tirelessly to protect our clients’ rights and pursue the compensation they deserve.
Our firm serves clients from six offices across South Carolina and North Carolina, including Rock Hill, Fort Mill, Lancaster, Lake Wylie, York, and Charlotte. We are available 24/7 to answer your questions, and we will not charge for our legal services in your personal injury claim unless you receive compensation.
Read what our past clients have to say in our testimonials, and contact us to schedule your free consultation.
