Did you know that there are approximately 10,000 new cases of spinal cord injury in the United States each year? Some of these injuries take place right here in Florida and affect motorcycle accident victims.
While car accident victims also sustain spinal cord injuries, motorcyclists are at greater risk of doing so because they are essentially unprotected while on the road. Most of the time, there is nothing protecting a rider except perhaps a helmet and a motorcycle suit.
Because motorcyclists don’t have a metal cage around them to bear some of the brunt of the accident, motorcyclists tend to receive more serious injuries to their lower and upper extremities, heads, backs, and necks.
When a motorcyclist suffers a devastating injury to his spine in a Sarasota motorcycle accident, he could be facing a lifetime of paralysis or limited movement, depending on the specific type of spinal cord injury (i.e., whether it’s a categorized as a complete or an incomplete spinal cord injury).
Unfortunately, there is no recognized treatment for a complete spinal cord injury. As such, individuals with this type of injury may have to live the rest of their lives with no functionality below the injury site. The effects of a spinal cord injury can also include:
- Loss of muscle control. Almost every muscle in the human body depends on the spinal cord to perform correctly. When a spinal cord injury occurs, it can cause muscle spasms, loss of bowel/bladder functions, and other muscle-related issues.
- Pain in an area above the injury site. Damage to the spinal cord can result in the sensation of pain in areas of the body that have not been injured.
- Loss of sensation and paralysis. When the spinal cord is damaged, a person can experience a lack of feeling or numbness in the extremities.
If you have been injured because of another driver’s negligence, please call Mallard Perez at (888) 409-3805 to talk with an experienced Sarasota injury lawyer in a free, no-obligation, confidential consultation.