Paraplegia: Spinal Cord Injuries Can Leave You Disabled for Life
At Younker Hyde Macfarlane, PLLC, our focus is on the victims of serious injuries. We are here for them and their loved ones. This commitment to the injured explains why so many clients in the greater Salt Lake City have come to us for help.
This is of great importance when a serious accident has rendered an injury victim paralyzed. Spinal cord injury lawyers are crucial for obtaining just compensation that helps restore dignity and a sense of normalcy to the injury victim and his or her loved ones. This is very important in paraplegia lawsuits since these kinds of spinal injuries will change the life of the injury victim forever.
Defining Paraplegia
Paraplegia refers to the loss of use and sensation of your lower extremities. This is caused by severe injury to the lower portion of the spine. If a person is rendered a paraplegic after an accident, he or she will be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his or her life.
Causes of Paraplegia
The most common causes of paraplegia include the following:
- Auto accidents
- Bike accidents
- Sports accidents
- Major falls
- Workplace injuries
- Assaults
- Surgical mistakes
How Your Professional Life Will Change
Since paraplegia involves the loss of use of a person's legs, you can imagine just how drastic an effect this has on an injury victim's professional life. If the injury victim once had a career that involved heavy lifting or lots of physical activity, this will no longer be an option. In fact, many people who suffer a severe spinal cord injury that renders them paraplegic may need to change their career focus entirely.
Major Adjustments In your Personal Life
Simply getting around and enjoying the things that you used to do can be extremely difficult after a major spinal cord injury. We know that many people experience issues with getting around their own home following a major spinal cord injury, let alone their neighborhood, and that major adjustments have to be made to account for the drastic changes to everyday life. Assistance may be necessary for getting from place to place, or simply to accomplish regular tasks, such as cleaning the house or getting dressed. Sometimes the injury victim may experience problems with intimate body functions, which can place a strain on his or her relationships as well as an overall sense of self.
Many people who have been seriously injured and rendered paraplegic experience depression given the drastic changes that they have experienced. It can be a major hardship that is difficult to overcome, and these dark moods can have a negative impact on the members of that person's household as well as friends.
Why Legal Help Is So Important with These Kinds of Cases
Because a spinal cord injury that causes paraplegia causes so many major changes to career trajectory and a person's own life, it's important to have legal representation to assist obtaining just compensation. These damages will cover medical bills, physical rehabilitation, lost wages, lost potential future earnings, and other costs associated with the injury and its effects on your future life.
Punitive damages will also be sought in such cases to punish the negligent party for the injury even occurring. These kinds of damages are especially important if the circumstances of the accident are particularly serious.
Speak with Our Lawyers About Your Injury
If you or someone in your family has been permanently disabled as a result of a serious injury to the spine, it's of the utmost importance that you contact our personal injury law firm today. The legal team at Younker Hyde Macfarlane, PLLC will be sure to hold the negligent parties accountable for the hardships that have befallen you.
