Spinal Cord Injury

More than 11,000 people suffer a spinal cord injury each year in the United States, with many experiencing severe chronic pain, paralysis and death.

The cause is generally trauma, a sudden blow or impact to the spine that fractures or dislocates vertebrae. The largest number of spinal cord injuries occur in auto accidents, which account for roughly 47 percent of all SCI. Falls (23 percent), violence (14 percent) and sports (9 percent) also account for a large number of spinal cord injuries, according to one study.

In many cases, the injury is the fault of another, whether the driver of a car or truck, a defective product or a neglected or hazardous property. When such a problem exists, the victim of a spinal cord injury may have a legal claim.

If you or someone you know has suffered a spinal cord injury, contact Shocklee & Paolino, P.A. for a free evaluation of your case.

Injury to the spinal cord, which consists of a bundle of nerves that runs from the base of the brain and down the back, can result in loss of sensation and movement, including paralysis of all four limbs, or quadriplegia, and paralysis of the lower half of the body, paraplegia. Victims tend to have shorter lifespans.

Other health problems include bladder and bowel complications, inability to regulate blood pressure, reduced control of body temperature, chronic pain and increased susceptibility to respiratory disease.

Shocklee & Paolino, P.A. handles cases in Tampa, St Petersburg, Clearwater, and surrounding areas.