Since the invention of the automobile, consumers and lawmakers have been demanding safer cars. As a result, manufacturers have been implementing devices to ensure the safety of their consumers. Today, every car has seatbelts and airbags to reduce injuries to drivers and passengers.
While the evolution of the car has seen safer driving, as of now, there are very few ways for people to entirely eliminate the danger of driving. In the unfortunate event of a car accident, victims may suffer from catastrophic injuries. This often has to do with manufacturing errors, drunk driving and distracted or reckless driving.
One of the most vulnerable places for someone to suffer injuries is the spine. It may be important to know what kind of spinal injuries people may suffer from in a car accident. Here’s what you should know:
Whiplash
Whiplash occurs when the head rocks violently back and forth as a result of a sudden impact. As a result, the spine can suffer from a lot of stress and the victim may find their neck and shoulders injured. Whiplash is one of the less severe spinal injuries and may only last a few weeks, yet, victims may still suffer from a lot of pain, stiffness, fatigue, dizziness or sensory issues.
Herniated disc
The spinal cord is made up of 24 stacked vertebrae, each with a liquid sack between them to cushion the bones and nerves. These liquid sacks, despite their constant use and large purpose to the spine, are extremely delicate to powerful blows. As such, in a car accident where the victim suffered a spine injury, these sacks may burst and cause serious pain to the victim – this is also called a herniated disc. A herniated disc can leave a victim severely impaired.
Paralysis
One of the more severe and life-long spinal injuries is paralysis. Paralysis is the inability to feel or control limbs after an accident causes damage to the spine. Paralysis occurs when the spine is damaged in such a way that signals from the brain are sent to the limbs.
Paralysis may only affect a small area like a finger, making it numb and stiff, or it may affect entire limbs, so much so that some people suffer paralysis from their neck down. In some cases, people have undergone surgery and physical therapy to overcome their injuries.
If you’ve suffered from a car accident, then you should understand your legal options to help compensate for your losses and medical bills.
