Dealing with cross-border personal injury to the spinal cord

British Columbia residents and those in Washington frequently travel across the border for business or pleasure. Of course, accidents can occur at pretty much anyplace and at any time. Regardless of whether a Vancouver resident suffers injuries in Seattle, or a U.S. citizen is involved in a car crash in British Columbia, cross-border personal injury claims can be challenging when the insurance practices and laws of two countries come into play. The complexity can be exacerbated if the accident victim suffered spinal cord damage, paralysis or another back injury.

Spinal cord damage can interfere with the nerve impulses that use it as a highway to carry messages to and from the brain. To wriggle a finger or take a step, the message must come from the brain, and if a person touches something sharp or stubs a toe, the brain will instantly be informed via the spinal cord. Damage to this thick bundle of nerves can permanently impact strength, sensations, motor ability and other bodily functions.

When damage occurs to the spinal cord, and impulses are prevented from getting through, loss of sensation and mobility below that point of damage typically follows. Vehicle accidents, sporting injuries, violent acts and other events can cause traumatic spinal cord injuries while damage caused by infection, inflammation or cancerous tumours are known as nontraumatic damage. Complete spinal cord damage results from an entirely severed spinal cord that causes paralysis below the point of injury, or incomplete when nerve signals are not entirely blocked.

Navigating the legal complexities of a accident that caused life-changing injuries can be overwhelming without the support and guidance of an experienced cross-border personal injury lawyer in British Columbia. These claims typically involve a double load of legal challenges. With appropriate legal counsel to step in and take over the legal burden, the victim might not risk ending up with less compensation than is deserved.

Source: sci-can.ca, “Learn About Spinal Cord Injury“, Accessed on Feb. 9, 2018