The lawyers of Flickinger Sutterfield & Boulton are here to help the people of Provo in their time of legal need. We know just how serious severe injuries can be, and we always consider the long-term effects of these injuries on the lives of victims as well as their loved ones.
Serious auto accidents can lead to lifelong struggles, which is why having skilled attorneys on your side is important for collecting damages. As you’re about to read, dealing with paralysis, even just partial paralysis in a limb, can have a major impact on how you go about your daily routine.
Severe Auto Accidents Can Have Lasting Repercussions
When you are involved in a serious auto accident, the effects of your injuries can last for years. Head trauma, brain injuries, and a whole host of other issues can lead to lifelong struggles with regard to day-to-day life.
Among the most serious of these injuries are those that result in paralysis. There are different kinds of injuries that can lead to partial or total paralysis, each presenting its own unique and tragic challenges.
Nerve Damage from Auto Accidents
Nerves send electrical impulses throughout the body to help control movement and detect various kinds of sensations. They are essential for most normal activities and for registering stimuli. In serious auto accidents, nerves can be seriously damaged. Major trauma such as lacerations or severe contusions can have a major impact on the nervous system or specific groups of nerves. In some cases, nerve damage can result in partial or total paralysis of the limbs or extremities.
Living with the Effects of Nerve Damage
If you suffer serious nerve damage, your range of motion might be limited for the rest of your life. For instance, serious nerve damage in the shoulder area can potentially lead to problems holding objects in your hand or even moving your arm in general. This can impact your career path in significant ways.
Paraplegia After an Auto Accident
Paraplegia is a type of severe spinal cord injury. If the spinal cord is seriously damaged in the lower back to mid back, a person loses sensation below the point of injury. In addition, the person injured will not be able to move their lower extremities at all. They will be wheelchair bound for the rest of their life.
Living with Paraplegia
Paraplegia is among the most serious kinds of injuries a person can experience. The effects are irreversible. This will change your entire life and livelihood. Since paraplegics are wheelchair bound, their living spaces need to be adjusted to take this into account. Driving can only be done using a vehicle specially outfitted to account for the lack of the use of the pedals. Challenges in a person’s professional life and personal life can be quite significant.
Quadriplegia After an Auto Accident
Quadriplegia is the most severe type of spinal cord injury that one can experience. This happens when the spinal cord is damaged in the neck area. When this occurs, a person loses the ability to feel anything below the point of injury. The accident victim will lose the ability to control their arms and legs. In some cases of quadriplegia, the injury victim will not be able to breathe on their own without the assistance of a machine.
Living with Quadriplegia
Quadriplegics require constant assistance and medical monitoring since they are unable to move their own limbs. In terms of one’s professional life, options are severely limited, and in many cases people will be unable to pursue the career path they once had. In terms of one’s personal life, the constant dependence on loved ones and medical staff for the rest of one’s life can be an extremely difficult reality to live with. The cost of this kind of medical care can be extremely steep.
Learn More About Your Legal Options
For more information about your legal rights following a serious auto accident, be sure to contact our team of personal injury lawyers today. Our team will fight diligently for you in your time of legal need.