Brain and spinal injuries are very common with auto accidents, whether it’s a car, truck, or motorcycle accident and must receive immediate treatment. Damage to your brain and or spinal areas can generate serious long-term disabilities and in some cases death. At the scene of the accident, it’s very important that the paramedics move you carefully and provide the proper medical support until you get to the hospital. It should be assumed that you have spinal injury until a scan has been done. If you are in a car, truck, or motorcycle accident make sure you have a brain scan done immediately and continue to follow through with more scans as traumatic brain injury tends to get worse with time.
You should immediately contact a personal injury lawyer to see if you qualify for a personal injury settlement. If your accident was caused by the negligence of someone else, you should contact the Chester Law Group in Ohio to speak with an experienced Auto Accident Injury Lawyer and get assistance on what you need to do to protect your rights.
Ultimately, the outcome of a spinal injury depends upon the number of axons that survive. Essentially the greater the number of normally functioning axons the less the severe your disability will be. It is most important that medics moving you to the hospital prevent further trauma to the spinal cord. Spinal injuries are not always apparent so caution should be used. Until you have some imaging (scan, CT scan) it should be assumed that you have damage to your spinal column therefore, you should not have any significant movement of this area which could generate further injury. You should be transported in a lying down position with a rigid collar and backboard to immobilize the spine. One of the signs to look for is complications of the respiratory system because this indicates the severity of a spinal cord injury.
If you have respiratory complications indicating that you have a neck injury means that you will need help breathing which will require respiratory support which means you will need a tube inserted into the nose or throat to supply oxygen to your system usually from an oxygen tank if available. Quite often methylprednisolone (an anti-inflammatory drug) is administered to prevent excessive inflammation (swelling) which in itself is extremely harmful to your tissues. This decreases damage to the nervous system by suppressing the immune system which is over-reactive at this time. As soon as possible, healthcare professionals should realign the spine using a rigid brace or axial traction to stabilize your spine and prevent further damage. With severe spinal trauma of this type, physicians will give you a complete neurological exam to test for the severity of your injuries and make predictions (prognosis) of the possibility of your recovery as soon as you are stable enough. Generally, the ASIA impairment scale is used along with any CT scans, MRIs, or other imaging techniques to observe the full length of your spine.
The ASIA scale (American Spinal Injury Association) Classifications.
- Class A – You have observed no motor or sensory function below the level of injury
- Class B – You have some sensory inputs intact but no motor function below the level of injury
- Class C – You have some loss of motor function (about one half) meaning that half of your major muscle groups are not strong enough to work against gravity.
- Class D – Some motor function is saved below the spinal injury site and you have enough to move your limbs against gravity.
- Class E – Motor and sensory systems appear to be normal at this time – fully working
Keep in mind that spinal cord injuries are classified as either complete or incomplete depending on the width of cord damage as observed by scans and behavioral responses. So, an incomplete spinal injury means that you can convey inputs to the brain, but they are less than a fully intact spinal cord. An individual with incomplete spinal injury still has the ability to experience some sensory and/or motor function below the level of injury. There is a possibility for rehabilitation. If you have a complete injury that means, there is a total lack of sensory and motor function below the level of injury and recovery is highly unlikely.
If you’ve been in a car, truck, or motorcycle accident and your brain/spinal injury were caused by the carelessness of another person, you may be entitled to financial compensation for pain and suffering, medical bills, and lost wages. These types of accidents often involve long-term inflammation and severe pain, so you need to consider continued medical care in the form of rehabilitation and loss of your ability to earn wages in the future. You should contact an experienced Motorcycle injury lawyer at the Chester Law Group. This Personal injury law firm is experienced in a car, truck, and motorcycle accidents involving spinal/brain injury and can guide you through a Personal injury settlement.
It is important that you consult with an attorney before you attend a Defense Medical Exam (DME) and don’t ask the defense doctor for medical advice. Your injury lawyer will advise you about proper medical care, physicians to contact, what medical records you need, and guide you every step of the way.
Call the injury lawyers at your local Ohio-based Chester Law Group office today to get the help you want from attorneys you can trust at 800-218-4243.