Treatment Options for Paralysis After an Accident

Serious accidents can cause severe injuries with life-altering consequences. If you’ve been paralyzed in an accident, you could be looking at treatment options. In some cases, you’ll be looking at a new lifestyle.

Even temporary paralysis can drastically affect your life. You deserve assistance if serious injuries cause your circumstances. You have the right to independence. You could pursue compensation if you or a loved one have been paralyzed because of someone’s negligent or reckless behavior.

The personal injury attorneys at Kisling, Nestico & Redick are ready to hear your case and help you get started on recovering compensation. Call 800-487-8669 for your free consultation.

What Is Paralysis?

Most people might be familiar with paralysis: the inability to make voluntary muscle movements. Paralysis is caused by issues in the body’s nervous system. Healthy nerves send signals to muscles. Paralysis hinders that movement.

Paralysis can affect any part of your body: wholly or partially paralyzed.
There are a few varieties of paralysis, including:

• Tetraplegia — while known commonly as quadriplegia, this form of paralysis involves all limbs. People suffering from tetraplegia have limited movement from the neck down
• Paraplegia — paralysis affects both legs and, in some cases, part of the torso
• Diplegia — paralysis is in the same area on both sides of the body, like both sides of the face, both legs, or both arms
• Hemiplegia — paralysis affects two limbs on one side of the body
• Monoplegia — one limb is affected by paralysis

There are also cases of localized paralysis, which affects small sections of the body. It can be found in the face, hands, feet, or vocal cords.

What Causes Paralysis?

Paralysis can occur when the nervous system is damaged or disrupted. It can happen when the signals from the brain aren’t reaching the nerves in the body. Paralysis is a natural side effect of some congenital conditions, like spina bifida.

Serious injuries can also cause paralysis. Anything damaging your brain, neck, or spinal cord could lead to paralysis.
Common accidents that can cause paralysis include:

• Bike Accidents
• Car Accidents
• Commercial Truck Accidents
• Medical Malpractice
• Motorcycle Accidents
• Negligent Security
• Pedestrian Accidents
• Slip and Falls
• Work accidents

The degree of paralysis will often depend on how severe the accident was, and possibly how quickly you were treated. However, paralysis is almost always a permanent disability.

What are the Symptoms of Paralysis?

It might be obvious you have paralysis if you have trouble moving parts of your body. Depending on how your nervous system is affected, you could also lose sensation in areas of your body. Spinal cord injuries usually cause sudden paralysis.

Some injuries could cause gradual paralysis, and you may experience muscle cramps, tingling or numbness, or a steady loss of feeling and muscle control over time.

Are there Other Side Effects of Paralysis?

People who are paralyzed can have other health complications. You may have trouble breathing or maintaining other bodily functions. People with paralysis could be at an increased risk for pneumonia, blood clots, depression, anxiety, sexual problems, blood pressure issues, heart problems, bladder control issues, bowel control issues, or sepsis.

Can Paralysis be Treated?

While many injuries caused by severe accidents heal over time, injured spinal cords do not. At this time, there isn’t a cure for permanent paralysis. Some temporary paralysis can be treated, but for the most part, people suffering from paralysis must accommodate their disability for the rest of their lives.

Using Adaptive Equipment

It’s possible to use equipment to improve your quality of life. Tools that allow you to feed yourself or adaptations to your vehicle so you can still drive are examples of things you can use to live independently.

Getting Assistive Equipment

Equipment is available to help improve mobility, independent functions, or your lifestyle. For instance, you can use crutches, walking frames, or wheelchairs for increased mobility. You can also find devices that let you use your accessories, control your environment, or transfer yourself to your bed.

There is even equipment to facilitate sports or exercise after an accident causes paralysis.

Physical Therapy

If you are suffering from localized or minor paralysis, it’s possible physical therapy can help improve your mobility and health. You can also learn how to use adaptive and assistive equipment.

Modifying Your Home

After an accident causes paralysis, it may be difficult for you to get around your house. You may need to change your home even with specialized equipment to facilitate mobility. You might add a ramp to your front door, add new handrails along stairs, or even change storage throughout your house to be more accessible.

What Kind of Compensation Can You Get after an Injury Accident?

If you’ve been permanently disabled because of someone’s reckless behavior, you could recover compensation to help you adjust to your new lifestyle. Suing for damages won’t restore your life, but it can tremendously impact your financial health.
Permanent disabilities often lead to extreme medical bills, ongoing treatment, and modifications to your home and lifestyle.

Each case is unique, but a personal injury attorney can work with you to determine the value of your case. Your insurance policy may cover the costs needed to adapt to a paralysis injury, but a claim against the at-fault party can help.

After a serious injury, you can recover economic and non-economic losses. Economic losses can include loss of income, medical bills, or treatment costs. Non-economic losses are less tangible. They can include concepts like loss of consortium, pain and suffering, or emotional distress.

Punitive Damages

Ohio law allows victims to recover punitive damages. These are meant to punish the person responsible for the accident that paralyzed you and discourages others from acting similarly. There is a limit to punitive damages: a plaintiff can recover twice the value of any compensatory damages owed, up to $350,000.

How Can a Personal Injury Attorney Help?

If you’re suffering paralysis because of someone else’s negligence, you’re facing a permanent disability while adapting to limited mobility and functionality. You shouldn’t have to work on getting an insurance payment or settlement alone.

A skilled personal injury lawyer who understands Ohio’s laws can help you. You’ll need one to help you recover the maximum compensation possible. Insurance companies are reluctant to pay total settlements: they often offer lowball settlements to close the case and move on to the next one.

A knowledgeable lawyer will know when the offer isn’t good enough. They’ll work with you to protect your rights and pursue full compensation for your damages.
An attorney can also:

• Thoroughly investigate the crash
• Determine the fault for the crash
• Help you document and collect your medical bills and treatment history
• Maintain contact with the insurer
• Work through negotiations as necessary
• Protect your rights

Call an Experienced Ohio Personal Injury Lawyer

If you or a loved one have had to adapt to life with paralysis of any degree because of someone else’s reckless behavior, you should call Kisling, Nestico & Redick. One of our skilled attorneys can help you pursue your claim and protect your rights.
Call 800-487-8669 or use our online contact form to schedule your free consultation.