It is fair to say that no one is truly prepared to face a spinal injury. While the symptoms it leads to vary depending on the severity of the injury, in more serious situations it can lead to partial, or total, paralysis. The aftermath of a spinal injury can dramatically change the life of the person living with it. This is particularly true if that individual was very active before the incident occurred. A woman, who lost the use of her legs after she was hit by a car while cycling, knows this all too well.
Evan Blaser via CC BY 2.0
The 41-year-old woman suffered broken ribs, a broken neck and back in the incident. She also suffered a fractured skull. Shattered vertebrae caused the paralysis. She spent close to three months receiving treatment in the hospital recovering and her family plans to purchase a new house that will provide the accessibility their current 100-year-old farmhouse does not.
Five months after the incident that left her paralyzed, she is finding other ways to move her body. She now rides a special stationary bike that contracts her muscles with electric currents. She also swims once a week and goes to physiotherapy twice a week. Some of those visits involve the use of an exoskeleton. Through the use of hydraulics, despite her inability to feel her legs, the machine allows the woman to walk.
In addition to taking a lot of time, the treatments the woman is undergoing are likely financially expensive. It is possible she and her family could seek damages from the person responsible for the injury producing accident, to help cover the costs that have accrued as a result of the injury. Contacting a personal injury lawyer is the first step.
