Can a Lawsuit Be Filed if an Accident Caused Paralysis?

Paralyzing injuries prevent victims from being able to work, care for their families or even cater to their own needs. Furthermore, such injuries usually lead to long-term care needs, and the victim may require in-house living and assisted care, which can be very costly. Therefore, the casualty must seek compensation for such injuries if the accident was caused by someone else’s negligence.

Causes of paralysis

It is caused by damage to the nervous system. When your nervous system is damaged, your body may lose its ability to send signals from the brain to the nerves and muscles. This prevents you from moving some parts of your body. Some people are born with defects such as cerebral palsy and spina bifida, which cause loss of control of body functions. Others may develop medical conditions over the course of their lives which lead to loss of sensation and control of body functions. However, others may become paralyzed from traumatic injuries which are sustained after an accident. There are many different forms of paralysis. For instance, some people may temporarily lose control of their body functions while for others, the change may be permanent. In addition, others may lose function in some parts of their bodies while others may completely have no control over all the muscles in their bodies. Therefore, this condition is classified into different forms depending on the severity and the body part it affects. They include:

Monoplegia

Monoplegia only affects one body part, like an arm or a leg. It is usually caused by an injured or pinched nerve in the affected limb.

Paraplegia

This causes loss of sensation below the waist and is commonly caused by a spinal cord injury. The victims are unable to control their bodily functions below the waist. Therefore, they will be unable to walk on their own.

Diplegia

Diplegia can affect a portion of the body that is symmetrical, such as two legs. In addition, it is very unpredictable compared to other forms because it can deteriorate, improve, or dramatically change over a certain period of time.

Hemiplegia

Hemiplegia is linked to disorders such as cerebral palsy as opposed to traumatic injuries caused by accidents. It only affects extremities on one side of the body like the arm and the leg on either the right or left side.

Quadriplegia

This is a very severe form and IT affects each of the four quadrants of the body. Thus, someone with quadriplegia loses control over their body functions from the neck down, including the trunk, both legs, and arms. Quadriplegia is usually caused by a spinal cord injury and the condition can be permanent or temporary.

Conclusion

In conclusion, you could file a lawsuit if you lost control of your body functions due to a traumatic injury you sustained from an accident that was caused by someone else’s negligence. You can get compensation for both your economic and non-economic losses. Although the money will not remove the life-altering repercussions of your injury, it will help you secure your future financially.