Pedestrian Cervical Spine Injuries in Children
I’m Ed Smith, a Personal Injury Lawyer in Sacramento. The spinal cord is one of the most critical parts of the body. Because of its vulnerable nature, it is protected by the bony vertebrae of the spine as it runs from the base of the brain down towards the pelvis. Along the way, the spinal cord projects many nerves that travel to different areas of the body. With these nerves, motor signals are relayed to the limbs, and sensory information is passed back to the brain. Unfortunately, if any of these nerves are damaged, the results can often be permanent. If this happens in children, it could cause growth and development problems. Some of the statistics from the American Spinal Injury Association regarding spinal cord injuries in children include:
- About 20% of all spinal cord injuries occur in children.
- If a child sustains a spinal cord injury before the onset of puberty, they have a 90% chance of developing scoliosis.
- Children are far more likely than an adult to lose the function of one or more limbs in a spinal cord injury.
- Teenagers are more likely to be non-compliant with their medications and physical therapy than adults are.
Even though a tremendous amount of research has been done regarding the treatment of spinal cord injuries in children, they still prove to be severe. Often, the results of the damage are irreversible. This creates a significant amount of stress for not only the child but also the parents.
A Case Report: Pedestrian Cervical Spine Injuries in Children
A heart-breaking case report was recently published describing a young child who was struck by a car on the side of the road. The child and his family were traveling late at night when his mother noticed the car was beginning to smoke. To avoid an auto accident, she pulled off on the side of the road and turned her flashers on. As she exited the vehicle, her son did the same. He started walking towards her when he was struck by a passing car. His body flew through the air and hit a guardrail, sustaining polytrauma in the process. He was quickly taken to a local hospital where a breathing tube was placed, and his body was stabilized. He was taken in for imaging, and a tear of his spinal cord was located between C1 and C2, where he had sustained a cervical fracture. He remained intubated for over a week as his body recovered. Surgery was done to correct his pelvic and femur fractures along with a severe bleed in his liver. Even though the child survived, he wound up paralyzed as a result of his cervical injury, devastating not only the child but also his family.
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Personal Injury Lawyer in Sacramento
I’m Ed Smith, a Personal Injury Lawyer in Sacramento. If you or a loved one has been struck by a car and sustained severe injuries, call me at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400. I will provide friendly, free advice.
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Image Sourcing: The x-ray image at the start of this page was seen first on Unsplash. Permission was given for the x-ray to be reproduced here.
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