Spinal Cord Injuries

Michigan automobile accidents occur every day, in every county, city and town. While many Michigan auto accidents do not result in death or serious injury, other Michigan car accidents dramatically affect victims for the remainder of their lives. Spinal cord injuries may result from a variety of accident types - Michigan auto accidents, Michigan truck accidents, construction site, slip and fall, and others. Due to the complicated medical issues involved, we would strongly recommend that you consult a Michigan personal injury lawyer who has experience handling spinal cord injuries.

The spinal cord has many nerve fibers that serve as the messenger system for the human body, delivering commands from the brain to different parts of the body. The spinal cord (and therefore the series of nerves that comprise the spinal cord) travel through the spinal column, which is divided into four sections: the cervical region or neck area; the thoracic area or midsection of the spine; the lumbar area or lower back, and; the sacral area or tailbone.

Damage to the spinal cord can result from traumatic injury (including a Michigan auto accident spinal cord injury ), disease, or simply from the aging process. Each spinal cord injury, however, is different. In most spinal cord injuries, the backbone pinches the spinal cord, causing it to become bruised or swollen.

Sometimes the spinal cord injury may tear the spinal cord and/or its nerve fibers. After a spinal cord injury, all the nerves above the level of injury keep working like they always have.

From the point of injury and below, the spinal cord nerves cannot send messages between the brain and parts of the body like they did before the spinal cord injury.

The level of injury for a person with a spinal cord injury is the lowest point on the spinal cord below which there is a decrease or absence of feeling (the sensory level) and/or movement (the motor level). The higher the spinal cord injury is on the vertebral column, or the closer it is to the brain, the more effect it has on how the body moves and what the spinal cord injury victim can feel:

Quadriplegia (also known as Tetraplegia) generally describes the condition of a person with a spinal cord injury that is at a level from C1 to T1. This type of spinal cord injury often results in a loss of feeling and/or movement in the head, neck, shoulder, arms and/or upper chest.

Paraplegia is the general term describing the condition of a person who has lost feeling and/or is not able to move the lower parts of his/her body. The body parts that may be affected are the chest, stomach, hips, legs and feet. An individual with a level of spinal cord injury from T2 to S5 has paraplegia.

Michigan automobile accidents resulting in spinal cord injuries are often the subject of litigation. To protect your legal rights following a Michigan car accident spinal cord injury, it is generally wise to consult a Michigan spinal cord injury attorney who is experienced in such matters.

A Michigan spinal cord personal injury lawyer can help "level the playing field" by providing spinal cord injury victims with information regarding the practical and legal aspects of Michigan personal injury law. Michigan Auto Law is Michigan’s largest personal injury law firm practicing exclusively in serious car and truck injury accidents. We have helped many serious spinal cord injury victims for the last 50 years. If you or a loved one has suffered a neck or back spinal cord injury, then we can help you.

For a review of your claim, please contact us.