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Knowledgeable and Compassionate Raleigh Spinal Cord Injury Attorney

Injuries to the spine and spinal cord can be debilitating in many different ways. Just as no two human bodies are exactly alike, no two spinal injuries are the same, and each can have devastating consequences. Sometimes, damage to the spine can be corrected with extensive medical care, but often, the damage is permanent, leading to long-term disabilities. A spinal injury of any type can make it impossible to work and adversely impact the quality of your life on a daily basis.

At Martin & Jones, we’ve seen the devastating effects of different types of spinal cord injuries, and we know that insurance companies usually try to downplay the long-term impact. Instead of healing, spinal cord injuries often worsen over time. That’s why you need a Raleigh spinal cord injury attorney who understands how to ensure that you receive full compensation for each and every adverse effect of your injury. While money cannot restore what you’ve lost, it can provide the resources you need to live life to the fullest extent possible.

Overview of Injuries to the Back and Neck

The spine is made up of many separate bones, disks, nerves, and soft tissues. Your spine runs from the base of your skull down to your pelvis at your hips. Structural parts of your spine, such as the bones and muscles, provide support to your body—without them, you can’t sit, stand, or even hold up your head. The nerves in your spine are bundled into a complex known as your spinal cord. These nerves relay messages from the brain so that you can control different parts of your body, and they also send back information from your senses to your brain. When your spinal cord is injured and damaged that control can be lost.

Damage to any part of this critical system – whether to the bones (vertebrae), disks, nerves, or other tissue can have a profound impact on your ability to do most of the tasks we take for granted each day. Injuries can cause incredible, overwhelming pain, or they can cut off sensation and your ability to control parts of your body, leaving you unable to feel or connect with parts of your own body. It is truly difficult to underestimate the importance of a healthy spine and the problems that can result when your spine is injured in any way.

Geography of Spinal Injuries

The location on your spine where an injury occurs will greatly affect the impact the injury has on your body. Doctors and your Raleigh spinal cord injury attorney may refer to the injury location by a letter and number system, so it is helpful to become familiar with that system if you are dealing with any type of spinal injury. Your spine is made up of 33 separate vertebrae bones stacked on top of each other. There are five different types of vertebrae, and each one is named based on its type. From top to bottom, the bones in your spine are labeled as:

Cervical vertebrae (C1-7)
Thoracic vertebrae (T1-12)
Lumbar vertebrae (L1-5)
Sacral vertebrae (S1-5)
Coccygeal vertebrae (C1-4)

The two lowest types of vertebrae are fused together, so they are often referred to as single units: the sacrum and the coccyx.

In addition to the vertebrae, your spine also includes facet joints made of cartilage that enable the vertebrae to move so that you can twist and turn your body. These joints work together with disks that are in between each vertebrae. The disks are filled with a gel-like material that allows them to act as a shock absorber for the spine. Spinal disks are under constant pressure, and additional pressure can cause them to rupture, causing debilitating pain.

Running through the center of your spine is your spinal cord, which is full of vital nerves. These nerves can be damaged on their own, or they can be damaged as a result of an injury to another part of your spine. An injury to your spinal cord affects the parts of your body below the damage, so injuries higher up on the spine impact more of the body. For instance, cervical spinal nerves control the neck, shoulders, back of the head, arms, hands, and diaphragm. Damage to these nerves can lead to quadriplegia, where you are unable to control any part of the body below the neck. Quadriplegia can result in the loss of automatic functions such as breathing, so someone with an injury on the neck may require the use of a ventilator to breathe.

When an injury occurs lower on the spine, such as in the lumbar spinal nerves, it may prevent you from using your legs or controlling your bowels, but it may not affect your upper body.

Injuries to the Neck, Shoulders, and Back

Injuries to the back, neck, and shoulders are often caused by sudden trauma such as in a car or truck accident or a fall at work. The force of impact in an accident can damage vertebrae, ligaments, disks, or nerves in and around the spinal cord. Common injuries include:

• Complete spinal cord injury leading to paralysis
• Fractures and dislocations of vertebrae
• Herniated disks
• Facet joint injuries
• Spinal stenosis
• Cauda equina syndrome

One injury can lead to another. For example, broken or dislocated vertebrae in the neck can damage nerves, causing paralysis or damage arteries, causing a condition similar to a stroke. Spinal injuries frequently interfere with blood flow through the body, causing numerous complications that can be life-threatening.

Injuries to any part of the spine cause intense pain that can make it impossible to stand or even sit comfortably. Spinal injuries can prevent you from working or even resting.

A Raleigh Spinal Cord Injury Attorney at Martin & Jones Can Help You Obtain Resources for the Future

When you suffer a spinal injury, the road of life takes a dramatic and difficult turn. But with the right medical care and life assistance, it is possible to keep your life moving forward. At Martin & Jones, we know that spinal injuries can impact every aspect of your life and that they can be extremely unfair. When your injuries could have been prevented if someone had only behaved responsibly, we fight for justice and fair compensation for those injuries to give you the resources you need to support yourself and your family and provide a sense of justice for what you are suffering.

Prompt assistance from an experienced Raleigh spinal cord injury attorney can prevent you from inadvertently making a mistake that could jeopardize your ability to recover compensation. The team at Martin & Jones can start building your best case for recovery and handle calls from insurance companies while you focus on healing. For a free consultation to learn what may be possible in your case, call us at 800-662-1234 or contact us online now.

Hear it from our clients

“We hired Martin & Jones in March 2015 and Steven Corriveau became our personal lawyer. Steven is a true professional who is understanding and easy to communicate with. He clearly explained the legal process to us. We are confident in the specific information, advice and feedback he gives us and know that he always has our best interest in the case. He responds quickly to our questions and concerns being available 24 hours a day. As our legal journey continues we look at the number of contacts we have with Steven. There have been 52 plus phone calls and conversations, 50 plus emails, 3 plus personal meetings, and 18 plus legal documents. We are honored to have such a caring lawyer as Steven in a stressful situation, in which he makes the process less difficult. We highly recommend Steven Corriveau who is great, intelligent, persistent and will deliver to the client. Our expectations are very high and Steven is the best.” 

- Ronnie & Patricia

“We would like to express our gratitude to you (Hunt Willis) for accepting our case. First of all, when I called this law firm, a very sweet and kind lady answered the telephone and gave me assurance by asking and going over the accident with me, while my husband was in the hospital. I felt assured I was doing the right thing for us. She was so helpful in so many ways. What a professional lady. Secondly, we are much pleased that you have settled this case with the insurance company to receive the proper amount to assist us in so many ways. My husband and I are very happy with you and the firm in handling our case. You made us have confidence in your professional and integrity along with your assistant Ms. Routh, when you both came to see us in our home, in which we saw your compassion and thoughtfulness at that time. We will never forget what you have done for us, and we thank the lord for directing me to contact this firm. I’m glad I did.” 

- Linda

“I would like to leave a testimonial thanking Steven and Allison for their care and understanding. Steven’s pursuit and success in getting some compensation for our loss. A final closure of our loss of brother Mike. Thanks to Martin & Jones for looking after Mike’s care since his injury in 2005. You have been there for Mike and his family for a long time. Mike passed in 2016 and you stood for the family up to the present (July 2017). Many thanks.”

- Dan

“Thank you for always making me feel welcome and at ease in your office. I respect the work you do and your enthusiasm for it and am grateful for your talents.”

- Tracy

“Thank you for the work you have done for Carl and our family. We so much appreciate your sincere professionalism and kindness you showed us. I know Carl is smiling right now and the Lord has blessed us through you. May God bless you.”

- Connie, whose husband Carl worked as a brakeman for CSX Transportation and died of mesothelioma

“Thank you for your concern of my well-being every time I spoke with you. It always meant so much. I hear nothing but awful stories of dealing with attorneys and their offices, but I have had nothing but positive experience. You have many special ways of working with people in need of help. Words can never express the way your support has been so helpful. I pray you will continue to help others. I wish you all the best.”

- Mary

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