Rhode Island Accident Lawyer Blog
As a Rhode Island personal injury lawyer, Attorney David Tapalian is aware that a spinal cord injury is one of the most devastating types of injury one can encounter in a car accident. An acute injury to the spinal cord can leave a person without function, movement, or sensation in their body and primarily confined to a wheelchair. The leading causes of spinal cord injuries in Rhode Island are motor vehicle accidents and injuries due to trauma, such as a serious fall or sports-related injury. A spinal cord injury due to a car accident can affect multiple neurological systems throughout the body and partial paralysis of certain organs and limbs is not uncommon. The psychological impact due to such injuries can be equally devastating.
Typically, treatment options are few and far between. However, there is hope on the horizon in Rhode Island for spinal cord injuries as a local team researches novel possibilities. Injury Attorney Tapalian’s alma mater, Brown University, and the Carney Institute for Brain Science, have teamed up in an effort to find innovative treatments for significant spinal cord injuries.
What is a Spinal Cord Injury?
The spinal cord, which runs from the base of the brain, down the middle of the back to the waist area, is the major bundle of nerves that communicates with the brain to form the central nervous system. A spinal cord injury occurs when damage to the spinal cord caused by trauma, such as an auto accident or fall, results in a loss of function, mobility, and/or feeling. Depending on the location and severity of the damage, victims may suffer full or partial loss of function in body parts below the location of the injury. A complete spinal cord injury means the person has no function, sensation, or movement, below the level of the injury. An incomplete spinal cord injury means some function, sensation, or movement below the point of injury is retained. A car accident that results in a spinal cord injury can be devastating to the victim and life-changing to their entire family. The expertise of a RI personal injury attorney knowledgeable about auto accident related spinal cord injuries should be sought to seek financial compensation for damages.
How is a Spinal Cord Injury Treated?
Currently, there is no way to reverse spinal cord damage. However, the team of Rhode Island researchers at Brown and the Carney Institute for Brain Science are working on new treatments that include medications and other techniques that would ideally promote nerve regeneration and/or improve the function of existing nerves. There is even some work being performed to change neurological pathway communication to non-functioning organs.
New Spinal Cord Research Underway in Rhode Island
Severe spinal cord injuries disrupt the two-way flow of information from the brain to other organs and neurological systems throughout the body and the goal of this new research is to bridge that gap and restore the communication. The research is being made possible through a $6.3 million grant by the US Defense advanced research projects agency. Neuroscience is on the leading edge of future treatments that can hopefully lessen the significance of traumatic spinal cord injuries related to a car accident. It is good to know that Rhode Island and Brown University have a hand in this front leading research to ameliorate spinal cord injuries and as a personal injury lawyer in RI with first-hand knowledge of these injuries, Attorney Tapalian welcomes any efforts to lessen the pain and significance of these devastating injuries.
Although none of this is comforting for those presently suffering from a spinal cord injury caused by a car accident or trauma-induced spinal cord injury, this is positive news for Rhode Islanders that money and time is being spent on research for future medical treatments for those suffering from traumatic personal injury.
Contact Tapalian Law for a Free Personal Injury Consultation
At Tapalian Law, we encounter a host of injuries suffered by Rhode Island car accident victims. Of all the serious injuries that our personal injury experts come across when representing these hurt victims, spinal cord injuries are one of the most significant. The importance of having a knowledgeable spinal cord injury attorney fighting on your behalf after a car accident caused spinal cord injury, cannot be overstated. An experienced Rhode Island injury attorney like David Tapalian is absolutely necessary in order to seek maximum compensation for your losses including medical and hospital bills, surgeries, physical therapy, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Our skilled personal injury team is here to assist hurt people in navigating treatment and has the compassion essential to understand the difficult psychological issues surrounding an unexpected accident. Contact Tapalian Law’s Providence office today at
401-552-5000
, for a free case review of your car accident injury claim, or
contact us
online to set up a free consultation.