The team at Golitko & Daly is committed to workers and their families. It’s important to us that the injured have skilled advocates on their side to assist with the legal process. Those in the greater Indianapolis are can count on our construction accident attorneys to fight for just compensation.

Right now we’d like to use this post to consider the nature of spinal cord injuries sustained at a construction site or industrial workplace and why these kinds of injuries have to be taken seriously.

Common Causes of Workplace Spinal Cord Injuries

There are many different ways in which spinal cord injuries can occur. Some of the common causes of these injuries include:

• Lifting heavy loads
• Falls from ladders or ledges
• Work vehicle collisions
• Equipment problems
• Repetitive motion injury

The injuries below can all occur as a result of the situations we’ve just noted.

Herniated/Ruptured Discs

Between each vertebrae is a spongy disc that helps cushion the space between each bone and absorb shock. When a disc is ruptured, it bulges out of place, causing severe pain and tenderness in the back. These herniated disc injuries are especially common in the lower back given how much weight is sustained in that portion of the spine.

Serious Injury to the Individual Vertebrae

Breaks or fractures to the individual vertebrae themselves can be quite serious. Even a hairline fracture of a vertebrae can seriously impact your mobility and ability to accomplish simple tasks around the home.

Injuries to the Muscles, Ligaments, and Nerves

While injury to the vertebrae and the discs are both serious matters, injury to the soft tissues of the back can also be quite severe. Pinched nerves, pulled or strained muscles, and torn ligaments can make basic movements quite painful and your work duties next to impossible to perform.

Serious Spinal Injuries and Paraplegia

Severe injury to the spine can lead to varying levels of paralysis. One form of paralysis is paraplegia. This refers to the loss of sensation and function of the lower extremities. Paraplegics are bound to a wheelchair for the rest of their lives, making routine tasks difficult. The severity of the paralysis can vary from patient to patient, but generally the higher up the injury affects the spine, the more serious the problem.

Serious Spinal Injuries and Quadriplegia

If a serious spinal injury affects the spine in the neck (cervical) area, this can lead to quadriplegia. Also known as tetraplegia, quadriplegia refers to the total loss of sensation and function of the extremities and other parts of the body below the neck. If the injury affects vertebrae that’s close to the base of the skull, it may actually affect a person’s ability to breathe, which means that the injury victim will need the assistance of a ventilator for the rest of his or her life. Quadriplegics will suffer even more drastic lifestyle changes than paraplegics given the nature of their injury.

How Our Team Can Help You Following Spinal Injury

If you have suffered from a serious spinal injury, it’s important that you speak with a member of our legal team. Our attorneys will help ensure that you receive just compensation following you injury, and that you also receive the worker’s compensation coverage that you are guaranteed. Compensation will be especially important for those who have become paraplegic or quadriplegic as a result of their injury, since major medical care and living assistance will be required for the duration of the victim’s life.

Speak with Our Work Injury Lawyers

If you or someone that you love has suffered a serious back injury from an incident at the workplace, be sure to contact our construction accident and work injury law firm today. The lawyers of Golitko & Daly will help you with the litigation process and provide you with the peace of mind necessary to recover and move forward.