A spinal cord injury is one of the most life-altering outcomes a truck accident can produce. The spinal cord serves as the primary communication pathway between the brain and the rest of the body. When a collision damages that pathway, the effects can be immediate and, in many cases, permanent.
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of spinal cord injuries across the United States, and collisions involving commercial trucks tend to produce some of the worst outcomes. If a negligent truck driver or trucking company caused the wreck that injured you, Tennessee law allows you to pursue compensation for your losses. An experienced Nashville commercial vehicle injury attorney can walk you through your options, but the overview below is a helpful place to begin.
How a Truck Collision Can Damage the Spinal Cord
The force generated by a fully loaded tractor-trailer is far beyond what the human body is built to absorb. An 80,000-pound truck striking a passenger vehicle can fracture vertebrae, compress the spinal column, or sever the cord entirely. The location of the damage along the spine determines which parts of the body lose function.
Injuries to the cervical spine, which runs through the neck, can result in quadriplegia, meaning loss of movement and sensation in all four limbs. Damage lower on the spine in the thoracic or lumbar regions typically leads to paraplegia, which affects the lower half of the body. Doctors also classify spinal cord injuries by severity:
A complete injury means the cord has been fully disrupted at the point of impact. No signals pass through, and there is total loss of function below that level.
An incomplete injury means some nerve pathways remain intact. The victim may retain partial movement or sensation, but “incomplete” does not mean minor. Many people with incomplete injuries still face significant disability and require long-term care.
The type of truck crash matters too. Rear-end collisions, rollovers, and underride accidents tend to produce the most catastrophic spinal cord damage because of the extreme forces involved. A spinal cord injury attorney in Nashville can fight for justice if you suffer preventable harm in a truck crash.
The Financial Burden of a Spinal Cord Injury Can Reach Into the Millions
What makes these injuries especially devastating beyond the physical toll is the cost of living with one. According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, first-year medical expenses alone can range from roughly $450,000 for an incomplete injury to over $1 million for high-level quadriplegia. Every year after that adds tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands more in ongoing care.
Those figures cover direct medical costs but do not account for things like lost wages and the personal toll this kind of injury can take. When you factor in those indirect costs, the lifetime financial impact of a spinal cord injury can easily exceed several million dollars.
A successful legal claim can help offset that burden. Tennessee allows you to pursue compensation for both your economic and non-economic damages the injury has caused. In rare cases involving extreme recklessness by the opposing party, punitive damages may also be on the table.
Contact a Tennessee Truck Accident Lawyer About Your Spinal Cord Injury Case
A spinal cord injury reshapes every part of your life, from your physical abilities to your finances to your daily routine. The costs are massive, the recovery is long, and you should not have to shoulder that weight alone when someone else’s negligence put you in this position.
Call Woodard Injury Law today at 615-640-1487 to schedule a free consultation. We can answer any questions you may have about your case at that time.