Omaha Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer

Legal Representation After a Spinal Cord Injury in Omaha

Spinal cord injuries can happen in a variety of ways, but they all have long-term consequences and may seriously alter the rest of a person's life. Living with a spinal cord injury can be difficult for a victim, as well as family members and friends.

If someone else may have caused or contributed to your spinal cord injury, please call an Omaha personal injury lawyer at Bottlinger Law L.L.C. at (402) 505-8234. Our team will sit down with you to discuss your options and investigate your accident. If another party was liable for your injury, we’ll work to get you the full compensation you and your family deserve.

What Are Common Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries?

Spinal cord injuries can happen in many different ways. Some common causes include:

• Auto accidents: Collisions involving cars, trucks, buses, and other vehicles – especially with bicycles and pedestrians - can cause spinal cord injury.
• Sports accidents: High-impact activities such as football, diving, skiing, and horseback riding can also cause spinal injury.
• Slips, trips, and falls: Slips and falls are among the most common accidents in the U.S., and spinal cord injuries are a common result.
• Assault: Criminal acts, like assault and battery, can cause serious injuries, and use of a weapon such as a knife or gun can completely sever a spinal cord in an instant.
• Workplace accidents: Being hit or crushed by heavy machinery, such as those used in manufacturing and construction, can cause catastrophic harm to a person's body and spine.

The Possibility of Paralysis

A serious injury to the spinal cord carries with it the threat of paralysis. Depending on the location and severity of an injury, paralysis can be temporary or permanent, partial or complete. Two types are common:

• Paraplegia: Paralysis that affects a person's truck, either completely or partially, as well as the legs and pelvic organs. Someone with paraplegia can move his arms and shoulders, but has sensory and/or motor function loss in his lower body.
• Quadriplegia: Sometimes called "tetraplegia," this type of paralysis affects a person from the neck down, paralyzing arms, trunk, legs, and pelvic organs. Someone may be able to move his head when suffering from tetraplegia, but any lower movement and feeling are lost. This poses serious health risks, since paralyzed regions include the heart and lungs.

Spinal Cord Damage Locations

The nature of the spinal cord damage depends on where the injury occurred along that person's spine, which is divided into sections:

• High-Cervical Nerves This is the uppermost portion of the spine, and an injury to this area causes the most severe paralysis, including the lungs. Categorized as C1 - C4.
• Lower-Cervical Nerves: Just below the upper region, this area controls the arms and hands. Categorized as C5 - C8.
• Thoracic Nerves: This is the middle region of the spine and controls the trunk, legs, and pelvic organs. Categorized as T1 - T12.
• Lumbar Nerves: The lower portion of the spinal cord controls the hips and legs, and some pelvic organs. Categorized as L1 - L5.
• Sacral Nerves: This is the very bottom of the spinal cord, and injuries here can result in some loss of function in the hips and legs. Categorized as S1 - S5.

Spinal cord damage is rated as either:

• Incomplete: Incomplete loss means a person retains some degree of motor control and sensory control, or feeling, in the area below the damaged nerve.
• Complete: Complete loss means a person has lost all motor and sensory control in the area beneath the damaged nerve.

Treatment for a spinal cord injury is lifelong and expensive. If another person may have caused your accident, that person should be held responsible to pay some of the costs.

After a spinal cord injury in Omaha, call Bottlinger Law L.L.C. at (402) 505-8234. We’ll come to you if you need us to, and we’ll discuss your accident and legal options. If there’s compensation available, we’ll help you get it. Your consultation is free, and if we take your case, you don’t owe us anything until we get you fair compensation.

Additional Information

• Injuries of the Spinal Cord and Vertebrae - Merck Manual
• Spinal Cord Injuries - MedlinePlus
• Spinal Cord Injury Information Page - NIH