Spinal cord injuries from pedestrian accidents represent some of the most catastrophic outcomes in personal injury law. When the spine is damaged by vehicle impact, victims may face permanent paralysis, loss of sensation, and life-altering disabilities. These injuries justify substantial compensation reflecting their devastating, permanent consequences.
How Pedestrian Accidents Cause Spinal Injuries
The extreme forces involved in pedestrian-vehicle collisions frequently damage the spine. Impact may cause vertebral fractures that compress or sever the spinal cord. The twisting, hyperextension, or compression of the spine during impact and subsequent fall can cause cord damage even without fracture.
Spinal injuries occur at different levels with varying consequences. Cervical (neck) injuries can cause quadriplegia—paralysis of all four limbs. Thoracic and lumbar injuries may result in paraplegia—paralysis of the lower body. The higher the injury location, the more extensive the paralysis.
Types of Spinal Cord Injuries
Complete spinal cord injuries sever all communication between the brain and body below the injury level, causing total loss of movement and sensation. Incomplete injuries preserve some function, with outcomes varying widely depending on which nerve pathways remain intact.
Specific injury patterns include anterior cord syndrome (motor loss with preserved sensation), central cord syndrome (greater arm than leg weakness), and Brown-Sequard syndrome (different deficits on opposite sides). Proper classification affects treatment planning and prognosis.
Immediate and Long-Term Medical Needs
Spinal cord injury treatment begins with emergency stabilization and surgery to decompress the cord and stabilize the spine. Acute hospitalization may last weeks, followed by months of intensive inpatient rehabilitation.
Long-term needs include wheelchair and mobility equipment, home and vehicle modifications, ongoing physical and occupational therapy, management of secondary conditions (pressure sores, infections, autonomic dysreflexia), and mental health support. Many patients require 24-hour personal care assistance for activities of daily living.
Secondary Health Complications
Spinal cord injuries create vulnerability to numerous secondary medical conditions that require ongoing management. These include respiratory complications, urinary tract infections, pressure ulcers, blood clots, osteoporosis, chronic pain, spasticity, and depression.
Autonomic dysreflexia—a potentially life-threatening condition causing dangerous blood pressure spikes—affects those with injuries above T6. These complications require vigilant monitoring and contribute significantly to lifetime care costs.
Calculating Lifetime Damages
Spinal cord injury damages are among the highest in personal injury law. Lifetime costs for quadriplegia can exceed $5 million, and even incomplete injuries frequently result in millions in damages.
Damages include initial hospitalization and surgery, rehabilitation facility costs, lifetime medical care and equipment, home modification and accessible housing, personal care attendants, lost earning capacity, pain and suffering, and loss of enjoyment of life. Life care planning experts project these costs across the victim's life expectancy.
Proving Spinal Cord Injury Claims
Medical documentation establishing the injury severity, permanence, and required care is essential. MRI and other imaging confirm cord damage. Expert testimony from neurologists, physiatrists, life care planners, and economists quantifies current and future damages.
Vocational experts testify regarding lost earning capacity. Quality of life testimony from the victim, family members, and treating providers illustrates the full human impact of the injury.
If you or a loved one suffered a spinal cord injury in a pedestrian accident, contact an attorney experienced in catastrophic injury cases to ensure all lifetime needs are fully documented and compensated.