Guide to Spinal Cord Injuries After Commercial Trucking Accidents

The number of commercial trucks operating on roadways in the United States, including California, has sharply increased in recent years. Approximately 500,000 accidents involving 18-wheelers occur in the US every year, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. And, tens of thousands of people are injured and thousands of others die in these crashes.

Around 5,000 people are killed in truck accidents across the country annually. As much as 98 percent of all fatalities and injuries associated with commercial truck accidents occur to occupants of other vehicles involved in the collisions.

In California alone, between 15,000 and 16,000 big rig accidents occur on the roadways, according to the California Department of Transportation. About 300 fatalities are reported annually in these road hits on the state roads, while many more people seriously get hurt.

Severe Injuries and Commercial Truck Accidents

Due to the sheer weight and size of commercial trucks, there are high chances of serious injuries to the motorists and passengers in automobiles involved in such types of collisions. Spinal injuries are among the more common types of injuries that people involved in truck accidents sustain. Consequently, hundreds of people suffer spinal injuries in California every year as the result of accidents with big rigs.

Understanding a Spinal Injury

Spinal injuries occur because of a sudden and traumatic blow to an individual’s spinal cord. The high impact causes fracture or dislocation of vertebrae in a person’s spine. This immediate damage progresses quickly over time. Fragments of displaced bone and other disc material can spear into the spinal cord tissue itself. The damage to the spine could cause long-term or even permanent harm or disability.

Compensation for a Spinal Cord Injury

Due to the grave nature of spinal cord injuries caused by a truck accident, an injured person must obtain proper compensation to cover those injuries, damages, and associated losses.

The type and amount of financial recovery in the case of commercial truck accidents causing spinal injuries depends on the facts and circumstances of the accident.

Having said that, the examples of the types of losses against which compensation is sought in a big rig accident case resulting in spinal injuries include medical bills and expenses, pain and suffering, long-time or permanent disability, mental anguish and emotional distress, and lost wages or reduction in one’s ability to work.