Overview of Head and Spinal Cord injuries

Head and spinal cord injuries are the leading cause of death and disability, not only in the US but also the whole world.
Head and spinal cord injuries are usually caused by vehicle accidents but can also be due to fall accidents, violence and other conditions that could cause trauma to the head or back.
Here’s an overview of the two injuries:


Head Injuries

Head injuries are usually caused by trauma to the head.
It becomes really dangerous for the victim if the injury reaches the brain.
Traumatic brain injuries or TBI account for about 200,000 deaths and about 500,000 more hospitalized for treatment in the US each year.
The severity of this injury is difficult to gauge.
The victim may feel better one day only to worsen the next.

TBI symptoms include:


• Headaches, dizziness and nausea

• Sudden loss of consciousness

• Loss of memory

• Alterations in the mental state of the victim

Spinal injuries

This refers to injuries to the spinal cord that could affect the communication of signals in the victim’s nervous system.
The most common spinal cord injury is paralysis.
Paralysis refers to the loss of sensory and motor functions in one or more muscle group.

The two most common types of paralysis are:

• Paraplegia – this refers to the paralysis or the loss of sensory and motor functions in the lower extremities or the victim’s legs.

• Quadriplegia – this refers to the total or partial loss of sensory and motor functions on all limbs and the torso of the victim.

These two catastrophic injuries could change the lives not only of the victim but their family as well.

Even if the victim survives the injury, the cost of medical treatment and therapy can take a toll on their finances.

Some of the options that can be pursued by the victim are:

• The victim may file a personal injury claim or lawsuit so he can collect damages from the liable party if the injury was caused by the negligence of another person.


• The victim may apply for worker’s compensation if he sustained the injury in the workplace. However choosing this option would also surrender the victim’s right to sue employer.

• The victim may file for Social Security Disability Insurance.
The victim may consult with an attorney to know the best legal course he may take.