Most car accidents that occur in the Greater Calgary Area and throughout Alberta are relatively minor, and do not lead to serious injuries. There are all too many accidents where serious injuries can and do occur, though, and the full extent of these injuries can sometimes remain hidden for quite awhile. This is especially true of spinal injuries, which are often more subtle than the Calgary public at large may realize.
Spinal Injuries Include More than a “Broken Back”
When many people think of spinal injuries, they imagine a complete break in one or more vertebrae and possibly even the severing of the spinal cord—the central nervous system’s bundle of nerves that carries signals from the brain to all parts of the body below the skull, and that relay responses back. While these injuries can and do occur in Calgary car accidents, often leading to paralysis and other extreme losses of function and capabilities, not all spinal injuries are this obvious and severe.
Even more subtle spinal injuries can have significant effects on one’s capabilities, life expectancy, and quality of life, however, and these more subtle difficulties often come with additional emotional and legal hurdles due to the less-obvious nature of their development and expression. Trauma that results in even a temporary loss of blood flow to the spinal cord in the neck, for instance, can lead to the slow degeneration of nerve functioning below the place of the injury, and as nerve function declines so does one’s ability to control their muscles and organs. Without actually breaking or being even partially severed, a significant enough trauma to the cervical spinal cord (the spinal cord in the neck) can still hugely affect mobility and capability.
Spinal injuries following Calgary car accidents can even be less extreme than that and still require abundant medical attention and time spent in physical therapy/rehabilitation. Bruising to the cervical spinal cord doesn’t tend to lead to permanent disabilities (though it is not unheard of), but can still result in months of constant pain, stiffness, and reduced capability that can reduce earning potential and greatly diminish quality of life. Similar injuries to the lower back can make it difficult to maintain any position—sitting, standing, or lying down—for any length of time, and these injuries can often lead to chronic back problems even with effective and immediate treatment.
Contact a Calgary Personal Injury Lawyer for Your Car Accident-Caused Spinal Injury
If you or a family member has suffered a spinal cord injury during a car accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you are entitled to compensation for your medical costs, any lost wages and reduced earning capacity, and for your pain and suffering. Get the help you’re entitled to by contacting Cuming & Gillespie LLP, Calgary’s premier personal injury law firm. We help spinal injury victims every day, and we know how to get you the justice you deserve.
With a free initial consultation, you can start putting your life back together today.