El Centro Spinal Cord Injuries ~
Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) involves damage to the spinal cord that results in a loss of function such as mobility or feeling. Frequent causes of injury are trauma (car accidents, gunshot wounds, falls, etc.) or disease (polio, spina bifida, Friedreich's Ataxia, etc.). 
The spinal cord does not have to be severed in order for a loss of functioning to occur. In fact, for most people with SCI, the spinal cord is intact, but the damage to it results in loss of functioning.
Almost 11,000 people in the U.S. sustain a traumatic spinal cord injury each year, resulting in temporary or permanent sensory deficit, motor deficit, or bowel or bladder dysfunction. In this country, more than 250,000 people live with paralysis caused by SCI.
Over half of the people who sustain an SCI are between the ages of 16 and 30. More males than females sustain this type of injury - the ratio is more than four to one. The most common cause of SCI is a motor vehicle accident, accounting for at least 36% of these injuries (broken down as follows: no restraints used - 20%; restraints used - 13.7%; motorcycle - 7.4%; accidents involving pedestrians - 5.2%; other - 2.1%).
Violence-related SCIs have been steadily increasing over the past two decades, and unfortunately, today violence is associated with 29% of SCIs. Falls and sports injuries result in 21% and 7% of SCI cases, respectively.
Damages In SCI Cases
The amount of damages that may be recovered against a party responsible for causing SCI injury is substantial. The average out-of-pocket cost of coping with a spinal cord injury in the first year can be as high as $741,000 for the most severe injuries. For each year after that, the average cost is approximately $132,000. These amounts don't include indirect damages (which averaged $60,000 in 2006) such as:
All of these damages continue throughout the life of a victim.
If you or a loved one has sustained an SCI due to the negligence of another party, you might want to consult with an experienced El Centro spinal Cord injury lawyer to find out what your legal rights are.
