What Are The Most Common Causes of Spinal Cord Injuries?

Many spinal cord injuries that receive media attention involve sports and recreation accidents.

Sporting accidents do account for about 1 out of 10 new spinal cord injuries every year. This makes sports and recreation accidents one of the most common causes of spinal cord injuries.

However, motor vehicle accidents are by far the most common cause of spinal cord injuries each year. They account for almost 50% of all new spinal cord injuries annually.

Slips and falls cause the second most new spinal cord injuries annually. Among those over 65, falling is the leading cause of new spinal cord injuries.

Coming in slightly ahead of sports and recreation injuries, injuries due to violence like shootings or stabbings cause 12% of new spinal cord injuries each year. It was not clear whether accidental gunshot wounds counted as sports and recreation injuries or as acts of violence.

Too Often, Spinal Cord Injuries Are Entirely Preventable

No matter the causes, severe spinal cord injuries are too frequently entirely preventable.

For example, many people wind up with a spinal cord injury after a motor vehicle accident at the hands of a negligent or reckless driver in another vehicle.

Likewise, many falls happen because a property owner or someone else was negligent. Michigan landowners have a legal duty to protect from falls those who visit their land.

Even many sports and recreation injuries are avoidable.

Although to some extent participants know sports and outdoor activities can be risky, they still have the right to count on certain standard safety measures. They also can expect their equipment to be safe.

Spinal cord injuries can leave a person paralyzed or otherwise permanently disabled. They cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to treat, not to mention the loss of income and the emotional cost of dealing with this type of injury.

If the negligence of another caused a victim’s spinal cord injury, that victim may have legal options.