Nerve damage is a common injury in many types of personal injury accidents. Nerve damage can be hard to diagnose and harder to treat. Severe nerve damage can cause paralysis. Many Kennewick accident victims who suffer nerve damage live with a lifetime of chronic pain. This pain can prevent the victim from working, functioning, and enjoying his/her life. Many nerve injury victims work with a range of healthcare providers just to be able to get through their day with some degree of hope and comfort.
We work with your medical team and our network of doctors when nerve damage happens due to a personal injury accident. We want to know what’s causing the nerve damage, what can be done to treat it, and how the injury affects every part of your life. At Telaré Law, our Kennewick nerve damage lawyers represent victims of car accidents, truck accidents, motorcycle accidents, medical malpractice, premises liability accidents, dog bites, and other types of negligence.
Johns Hopkins Medicine states that “the peripheral nervous system is a network of 43 pairs of motor and sensory nerves that connect the brain and spinal cord (the central nervous system) to the entire human body.” The peripheral nervous system controls your sensations, movement, and motor abilities. Peripheral nerve injuries include:
The peripheral nervous system includes the nerves that branch out from the brain and spinal cord – reaching out to the muscles, organs, and other parts of the body. The central nervous system includes the brain and the spinal cord.
Common causes of nerve injuries include trauma, lacerations (cuts/tears of nerve tissue, contusions (severe bruising), traction, drug injection, injury, electrical injuries, and gunshot wounds. Trauma can be caused by most types of personal injury accidents including vehicle accidents, medical malpractice, slip and falls, construction accidents, nursing home abuse, bicycle accidents, pedestrian accidents, sports-related accidents, and other accidents.
According to the Mayo Clinic:
Nerves can be damaged through direct force (such as when a part of your body strikes a dashboard or window). Whiplash injuries can cause the nerves to become pinched or stretched as your head and neck suddenly move forward and backward.
Motorcycle accidents are especially likely to cause nerve damage because victims are often injured by the initial impact with another vehicle and then again when they strike the hard ground. The rider can then be dragged along the road for a good distance. In addition to nerve damage; riders may also suffer brain injuries, amputations, burn injuries, broken bones, road rash, and other severe injuries. Many riders suffer spinal cord damage. A nerve damage lawyer in Kennewick could collect evidence to prove the accident was the cause of injury.
Symptoms of nerve injuries include intense pain, burning sensations, loss of sensation, tingling, dizziness, numbness, limb weakness, shoulder weakness, hand weakness, loss of motor control, and other types of pain. Peripheral nerve damage is categorized, using the Sunderland classification system, as anywhere from a first-degree (the least serious) injury to a fifth-degree injury. Surgeries such as nerve grafting and other procedures are normally required for fourth- and fifth-degree peripheral nerve injuries.
One of the most severe types of nerve injuries is a spinal accessory nerve injury:
The spinal accessory nerve is the 11th of 12 cranial nerves, which originate in the brain. It allows two sets of muscles in the neck to function: the sternomastoid muscles, which allow the head to tilt and rotate, and the trapezius muscles, which allow for several motions, such as shrugging the shoulder or moving the shoulder blades. The spinal accessory nerve can be damaged during trauma or even during surgery when surgeons are operating on lymph nodes or the jugular vein in the neck.
The treatments for this type of injury can range from physical therapy to nerve grafting, nerve regeneration, or tendon or muscle transfer.
Peripheral and central nervous system damage may be diagnosed by electrical conduction tests that pass electrical currents through nerves. These tests include electromyography and nerve conduction velocity. Imaging tests include CT scans, MRIs, and an MRI neurography.
Our Kennewick nerve damage lawyers understand that many types of nerve damage cannot be fully repaired. The best many nerve damage victims can do is to learn how to best cope with and manage their pain.
John Hopkins summarizes the possible treatments as follows:
Our Kennewick nerve damage lawyers demand compensation for all your financial and personal damage. At the heart of most nerve damage claims is the likelihood that victims will live with pain every day of their lives. We demand the responsible individuals and companies for all your current and future:
In some cases, we may seek punitive damages.
Telaré Law meets personal injury victims at our office in Kennewick at 819 South Auburn St. We have another office in Richland. Our lawyers also make home and hospital visits for clients who are too ill or injured to travel to us. Video conferences may be possible.
We’ll answer all your questions, work with your doctors, and guide you through the claims process.
Telaré Law understands just how difficult your life is. Just reaching for a towel or sitting can hurt immensely. When the pain is multiplied for each motion, each stretch – every day of your life – the trauma is extreme. Contact our a Kennewick nerve damage lawyer now to schedule a free consultation.