Some Ontario residents might not be aware of the grave impact of nature of spinal cord injuries. Individuals who suffer a spinal cord injury may become partially or completely paralyzed, requiring specialized and costly medical care for the remainder of their lives.

On behalf of Joseph Caprara of CBLAW posted in Spinal Cord Injuries on Friday, October 31, 2014.

Some Ontario residents might not be aware of the grave nature of spinal cord injuries. Individuals who suffer a spinal cord injury may become partially or completely paralyzed, requiring specialized and costly medical care for the remainder of their lives.

In short, the spinal cord is a bundle of nerves located in the vertebral column that transports bodily information to and from the brain. An injury to the spinal cord may damage the communication pathway from the brain to a particular body part, preventing the messages sent by the brain from reaching that particular body part. Where the injury occurs along the spinal column determines what body parts are affected. For example, an injury to the upper part of the neck is more likely to affect the arms, legs, abdominal area and lower extremities, whereas an injury to the bottom of the spine, near the buttocks, may affect the legs only.

Suffering a spinal cord injury does not necessarily result in paralysis. In some cases, individuals suffer an incomplete spinal cord injury. With this type of injury, some of the cerebral messages still reach the corresponding body parts, rendering the individual only partially paralyzed or paralyzed on only one side of the body. With the advancement of medicine, incomplete spinal cord injuries are becoming more common, according to authorities.

People who suffer a spinal cord injury in an incident that was caused by another person’s recklessness, negligence or other form of actionable behavior, may wish to discuss their injury with a lawyer, who may advise whether a personal injury lawsuit is tenable. This lawsuit may allow injured parties to hold reckless and negligent parties responsible for the various costs associated with their spinal cord injuries, including medical treatment and lost income.

Source: Spinal Cord Injury Ontario, “What is an SCI?“, Oct. 28, 2014