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Claiming Compensation when Injured in Public Place
Making a Personal Injury Claim
Limitation on Personal Injury Claims
Spinal cord injuries occur when the white or grey matter in the spinal cord is damaged.
The white matter carries signals to and from the brain whilst motor neurons and interneurons reside in the grey matter.
These injuries are usually of a debilitating nature and sadly it tends to afflict mostly younger people, especially those barely out of their teens.
Spinal cord injuries can vary widely in terms of seriousness. On one end you can just have minor neurological symptoms or maybe gall bladder or renal stones. At the other end of the spectrum, it can result in permanent disability, making the person a quadriplegic.
Usually, the particular point in the spine where the injury occurred is a major determinant of the extent of the disability and / or effects.
Injuries are usually classified according to their location as follows: (1) cervical; (2) thoracic; and (3) lumbar and sacral.
The generally held belief is that one gets spinal cord injuries mostly through trauma. This can be through automobile accidents, sports accidents (especially in sports with horses) or household accidents.
However, the reality is that aside from trauma, spinal cord injuries could be caused by various medical conditions ranging from tumours to developmental disorders, neurodegenerative diseases and other conditions.
That said, aside from sports that are hazardous to your spinal health, parents can also play a part in protecting their child from injuries. Simple safety tips and techniques go a long way in reducing the number of injuries. Instilling in the child a healthy sense of vulnerability in order to reverse the usual youthful tendency to throw caution to the winds can serve to prevent many accidents brought about by youthful exuberance unrestrained by fear.
In the UK alone, an average of 1000 spinal cord injuries are recorded every year. A rather sad statistic is that most occur at the average age of 19 years old.
At this time, there are about 40,000 spinal cord injury victims in the UK.
Because this condition can be a most disabling one, there are many governmental and private institutions that were created to provide support, care and knowledge to victims of spinal cord injuries and their families.
Moreover, there are many government funded studies which focus on the reversal of this condition through many means such as enabling regeneration in the white and gray matter.
The Spinal Injuries Association is a leading charity and information clearing house for spinal cord injury victims. On their site and other non-profit sites, one can find a lot of information and resources pertinent to the needs of spinal cord injury victims.
Basically a victim of a spinal cord injury who is disabled can already apply for benefits from the government under the Disability Living Allowance. However, this may be just the tip of the iceberg for the victims particularly for work related spinal cord injuries.
There is a vast array of companies that aim to assist victims of spinal cord injuries in obtaining support and compensation for injuries that qualify for benefits. A good number of injuries do occur while the victims were performing their duties related to work. In as much as a large number of injuries result in permanent and substantial disability, the victim may be unable to work for a long time or in some cases permanently.
Thus, these companies attempt to streamline the procedure of filing claims for benefits as well as maximizing their amounts.
To their credit, in an altruistic move, many companies offer to accept clients for free while the case is under study. The company then analyses closely the circumstances and tries to see how the client can receive maximum benefits. Once they have come up with a good picture regarding the viability of the case, that's the only time that they start the discussion about payments. Even then, most companies are very lenient and considerate with their fees since these are after all, people who are in a most unfortunate state.
However, it must be stressed that the operative word about the companies is "many". Not all companies are as altruistic and considerate so the victim and / or their family must evaluate the companies well. It is advisable to get recommendations and to enlist the assistance of the various non-profit support groups out there.
One word that has always been used to describe the human race is resiliency. That alone is a source of hope for victims of spinal cord injury. Inspiring cases abound and this is why it also important to have a support group since this is truly a case of the whole being so much greater than the sum of its parts. The human spirit grows exponentially when groups come together in adversity and need.
But hope goes beyond the spirit of the victims as it has ignited the desire of many to use science to find new solutions. The inexorable march of science has come up with several new discoveries that may soon be the miracle these victims are waiting for. Stem cells treatments have already begun accumulating a growing record of cases with neurological restoration and the future for this looks very promising.
Another discovery that has already made inroads in the restoration of sight, and has shown a lot of potential in cell regeneration is Chondroitinase treatment. Scientists engaged in studying the potential of this treatment are quite excited at the results so far though they are understandably a bit careful about being too enthusiastic and say too much too soon and give false hopes. Suffice it to say that they see major promise in this treatment.
Lastly, in this day and age, technology has also come up with developments that can uplift the lives of spinal cord injury victims. From allowing the brain to control devices, to robot like attachments that can provide mobility and strength, technological development is progressing at a feverish pace and is coming up with new technologies and solutions on an almost daily basis all over the world.
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