Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries

A spinal cord injury is a devastating event to a victim. This injury may affect your work, mobility and every other aspect of your daily life. Depending on the severity of the spinal cord injury, you may find yourself in a wheelchair or suffering with pain and decreased mobility for the rest of your life. This article will discuss some of the various causes of spinal cord injuries and what you can do if you were injured through no fault of your own.

Primary Causes

A spinal cord injury can be incurred through both traumatic and non-traumatic causes. Non-traumatic causes of spinal cord injury include arthritis and infection to the spinal region. Traumatic causes typically involve a direct blow to the spine and may include:

• Motor Vehicle Accidents – These are the culprits in approximately 37% of all spinal cord injuries, and may be due to both automobile and motorcycles crashes. In some cases, the accident may not be the fault of the victim, and compensation can be sought to help pay medical bills, rehabilitation costs and make up lost wages.

• Acts of Violence – These may make up about a quarter of all spinal cord injuries, and often involve either a gunshot or knife wound in the area.

• Falls – For people over 65, this is the most common reason for a spinal cord injury. In the overall population, falls account for about 21% of all injuries to the spinal cord. In some cases, these falls may be caused by negligence or error on the part of the property owner. If this is the case, you may discover that you are entitled to compensation for your injuries.

• Sports-Related Injuries – These injuries only make up about 6% of all spinal cord injuries, and may involve contact sports or diving in shallow water. It is important to read all signs in public pools to avoid a tragic diving accident like this.

• Miscellaneous – This category, which accounts for about 8% of all spinal cord injuries, is varied and includes many of the non-traumatic causes listed above.

Additional Legal Sites: Florida Attorney Mike Murburg. Serving the greater Tampa area.