Dallas Spinal Cord Injury Attorneys

More than 10,000 people experience a spinal cord injury (SCI) each year in this country. SCI is damage to the spinal cord resulting in the loss of some degree of mobility and/or function. These injuries may stem from trauma or degenerative disease. They may cause any degree of loss or impairment of function: temporary or permanent, complete or incomplete. The most common cause of SCI is motor vehicle accident.

As mentioned, there are two main classifications of injury, complete and incomplete. An incomplete injury results in partial loss or impairment of sensation and function. No sensation or function remains below the level of a complete injury.

Medical professionals usually define SCI with reference to the area of the spine affected. Cervical, thoracic, and lumbar (neck, upper back, and lower back, respectively) are represented with a C, T, or L with the vertebrae within each section numbered. An injury at the fifth cervical, for example, is a C-5 injury; at the first lumbar, an L-1.

Because nerves all originate in the brain and branch off to the body parts they control as they move down the spine, injuries higher on the spine have the potential for affecting more parts of the body. Neck injuries have the potential of quadriplegia (paralysis of all limbs) while thoracic and lumbar injuries can only cause paralysis to the lower limbs only (paraplegia).

Nearly all SCI cause swelling of the spinal cord. This in itself impairs function and may mimic permanent symptoms of loss of sensation and movement, but usual swelling is temporary. Weeks, months, or years after the injury, the swelling will go down and some function many return.

There is no cure for SCI. Any severed nerves will remain severed, their function permanently disabled. The most promising treatments for the future may come from current stem cell research.

If you or a loved one is in need of legal assistance, call The Moore law Firm, PLLC at (972) 599-7676 or submit an online questionnaire. The initial consultation is free of charge, and if we agree to handle your case, we will work on a contingency fee basis, which means we get paid for our services only if there is a monetary recovery of funds. In many cases, a lawsuit must be filed before an applicable expiration date, known as a statute of limitations. Please call right away to ensure that you do not waive your right to possible compensation.