Caring Cleveland Attorneys Help Quadriplegia Victims Recover Compensation for Suffering and Long Term Care
Skillful personal injury attorneys take on the most traumatic cases
Quadriplegia (also called Tetraplegia) is paralysis caused by injury that results in partial or total loss of use of all four limbs and the torso. Paraplegia is similar but affects only two limbs (typically both legs). Quadriplegia usually involves loss of both sensory and motor function. The terms “quadriparesis” or “tetraparesis” are used when sensation remains normal but the ability to move is lost. These injuries are almost always caused due to the negligent actions of someone other than the victim. Victims in Cleveland and throughout Ohio turn to the attorneys at The Eisen Law Firm when they want justice from the person that has permanently changed their life.
What is quadriplegia?
Quadriplegia is caused by injury to the spinal cord at a “high” level, usually at the level of the cervical spine. The cervical spine comprises the first seven vertebrae in the neck. These vertebrae are numbered from the skull down; they are designated C1 through C7. The effect of an injury to the spinal cord in the cervical area depends upon the level of the injury. For example, an injury at the C1 level (near the base of the skull) will lose all function below that level. Such an individual typically will be dependent upon a ventilator to breathe. A C4 injury will typically involve both arms and legs. A C7 injury may affect the torso and legs but spare portions of the arms.
What are the causes of most quadriplegia cases in Ohio?
Most cervical spine injuries (and therefore most quadriplegia) occurs as the result of trauma – car or truck accident, recreational activity (diving in shallow water, for example), or bullet wound. Sometimes, however, quadriplegia is the result of medical negligence. For example, a surgeon performing an operation on the surgical spine may not be sufficiently careful and may injure the cord with an instrument.
Whatever its cause, quadriplegia is a devastating injury. A person with quadriplegia will need a lifetime of expensive medical and nursing care. They also will need expensive equipment, assistive devices, and aids. Their home will need to be remodeled and made wheelchair accessible. Such injuries affect the entire family. Unless they can afford full -time help, spouses cease to be husbands and wives and instead become full-time nurses. The entire family dynamic changes when a family member has a spinal cord injury.
Contact our Ohio birth injury attorneys today for a free initial consultation to discuss your negligence case
There is little time to waste if you think your child may have been injured due to the negligence of a doctor during pregnancy, labor or delivery. The medical malpractice lawyers at The Eisen Law Firm are on your side, working to bring closure and understanding to what happened to your baby. Call us at 216-687-0900 or contact us online to schedule a free initial consultation and case review. We are proud to represent injured victims in Cleveland, Lorain, Columbus, Toledo, Akron and all of Northeast Ohio.
If you or a loved one has suffered a spinal cord injury – whether from trauma or possible medical negligence – call us to discuss your situation.