Houston Spinal Cord Injury Lawyer

Houston Spine Injury Attorneys

Have you suffered a serious spinal cord injury like broken vertebrae or a slipped or herniated disc? Simmons and Fletcher, P.C., Injury & Accident Lawyers today to schedule a free consultation with an experienced spine injury lawyer at (713) 932-0777. If we take your case, you pay nothing unless we win your case. Spine injuries are very serious and can sometimes lead to devastating effects. You need a lawyer who has experience handling cases like yours. Whether you hurt your back at work, in a crash, or at the grocery store, our spine injury attorneys are here to help you get the money you deserve.

What are Common Spinal Injuries?

The Spine is made up of bones called vertebrae, and tissue that separates them called discs. The bones of the spine are comprised of seven vertebrae in the neck (cervical), twelve vertebrae in the mid-back (thoracic), and five vertebrae in the lower back (lumbar). Common injuries to the spine include:

• Fractured Vertebrae
• Herniated Disc
• Spinal Cord Injury
• Paralysis
• Whiplash
• Nerve Damage

What is a Fractured Vertebra?

The vertebrae of the spine may be broken (fractured) by direct blows or by a compression-type force that is suffered by the spine often when the person falls and lands on his tailbone (coccyx). The tailbone can also be fractured in these types of spine injuries and is known to be a painful injury that makes sitting very uncomfortable.

What are a Herniated Disc and Ruptured Disc?

Disc injuries can be in the form of disc herniation, disc protrusion, disc bulge, or disc rupture. Disc protrusions and bulges refer to a situation where the disc itself has developed a deformity such that it sticks out from the normal alignment of the spine. The terms are often used interchangeably, but generally, a bulge is a small deformity and a protrusion is a larger one. If the center of the disc forces its way out into a bubble sticking out from the shell of the disc, this is called a herniation. While the forces of gravity and aging upon the spine can be a natural cause of discs slowly developing bulges or protrusions, often the forces involved in automobile collisions result in disc bulges, protrusions, and herniations. If the nucleus pulposus pushes so far out that the outer shell tears, this is called a ruptured disc. The part of the nucleus pulposus that extends out of the disc is known as an extrusion.

Types of Disc Surgery for Disc Injuries

Disc injuries can be very painful and debilitating.  The disc itself will often cause back or neck pain depending upon its location.  When the disc presses against a nerve it can cause never damage. Nerve damage symptoms may include pain down the arm or leg to which the nerve extends such as numbness, tingling, burning pain, or even an electrical sensation. Surgery may be necessary to relieve the nerve pain symptoms. A discectomy is a surgery done to remove pieces of the disc. Laminectomy is generally a procedure where pieces of bone are removed and the spinal canal is widened to allow the nerves to pass the injured areas without irritating contact. Lastly, if multiple discs are affected, sometimes a fusion is required where the discs are replaced with bone and held together with plates and screws.

Spinal injuries can be very painful and have disabling effects if not properly treated. If you have sustained a spinal injury as a result of someone else’s negligence, you should speak with a spinal injury lawyer to discuss your options.  We would love to discuss your options in a free, no-obligation consultation.

Spinal Cord Injury

The spinal cord is a collection of 31 nerves that travel from the base of the brain down the back by way of the spinal canal. The spinal canal runs through the vertebrae in the neck (cervical spine), mid-back (thoracic spine), and lower back (lumbar spine). Individual nerves branch off from the spinal cord and run down both of your arms and legs as well as through the chest and abdomen areas. These nerves control everything from muscle movement to organ operation.

Unlike other parts of the human body, the spinal cord cannot heal itself when it sustains an injury. Spinal cord injury can be a result of major trauma from motor vehicle accidents, falls, sports injuries, and physical assaults. Approximately 10,000 new cases of spinal cord injuries are reported every year.

Can Spine Injuries Result in Paralysis?

Spinal cord injuries may be a complete spinal cord injury—where there is a complete loss of feeling and function below the area of injury (complete paralysis)—or incomplete spinal cord injury—where there is only a partial loss of feeling and function below the area of injury (partial paralysis). A complete spinal cord injury sustained in the neck area results in quadriplegia and a complete spinal cord injury sustained in the back area results in paraplegia.

How We Can Help You

Spinal cord injury is a permanent injury that will have life-altering consequences.  If you suffer a spinal cord injury due to another’s negligence, you need a spine injury lawyer who will help you consider and plan for all of the future consequences including medical needs, educational needs, long-term care needs, and financial support.

When you suffer a spine injury, the negligent party’s insurance company almost always refuses to help you get the care you need. They know that the longer you go without care, the harder it is to prove the accident caused your injury. Sometimes you can get your health insurance to pay, but most policies state that they are secondary to any liable third-party coverage. This means that when they hear it was an injury due to an accident, they stop paying for treatment. With nobody accepting responsibility to pay, it can make you feel helpless.

The good news is that there is help. We can help you find medical providers who will treat you under a lien or on a letter of protection while an experienced spine injury lawyer pursues your case against the negligent parties. Best of all, we work on a contingency fee. This means we front the expenses and we don’t get a dime unless we win your case. Call 713-932-0777 now for a free initial consultation about how we can help you.

Related reading: Negligently Performed Epidural Steroid Injections.