Spinal cord injuries (SCIs) can result from trauma, accidents or disease and can cause various symptoms, depending the location of the injury and the severity of it. In many cases, they happen as a result of car accidents. After all, for most people, riding in the car every day is one of the biggest risks they take on a regular basis.
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It is important to identify potential symptoms of an SCI. This can be beneficial because seeking prompt medical treatment is critical to the potential recovery of an injury victim in Oklahoma City, even though some symptoms may not manifest immediately after an injury occurs.
10 top symptoms
As noted above, severity and location make a big difference in what symptoms a person will experience in the wake of an injury. These symptoms can include:
- Loss of movement: Paralysis or loss of voluntary movement in parts of or the entire body below the site of the injury.
- Loss of sensation: Numbness, tingling or loss of sensation or feeling below the injury.
- Difficulty breathing: If the injury is high on the spinal cord, it can affect the muscles involved in breathing, leading to difficulty breathing or respiratory issues.
- Loss of bladder or bowel control: Incontinence or difficulty controlling bowel or bladder function.
- Muscle spasms: Uncontrollable muscle contractions or spasms.
- Changes in sexual function: Loss of sexual function or changes in sexual sensitivity and function.
- Exaggerated reflexes: Overactive reflexes or reflexes that are heightened compared to normal.
- Pain or intense stinging sensation: This type of stinging pain is often caused by nerve damage.
- Low blood pressure: An SCI could lead to a stark drop in blood pressure, which could in turn lead to lightheadedness, dizziness or fainting. This could be due to the inability of the nervous system to regulate blood pressure effectively.
- Difficulty walking or balancing: Trouble with coordination, walking or maintaining balance.
It is worth emphasizing that some symptoms might not be immediately apparent and can develop or change over time as the body responds to the injury.
If there is a suspected spinal cord injury, prompt treatment at a medical center is critical to avoid further damage and compounding complications. Emergency responders or medical professionals will often stabilize the spine and transport an individual to a hospital for evaluation and treatment. This treatment can be very expensive, though, which is why those who have been injured by another party may need to seek compensation through an insurance claim and/or the courts.
What to Do If You Develop Spinal Cord Injury Symptoms After a Crash
Do not minimize any numbness, tingling, weakness, or loss of coordination that appears after a motor vehicle crash, fall, or other traumatic event. These symptoms can develop or intensify in the hours following an injury as swelling increases around the spinal cord. Accept emergency transport if it is offered at the scene. If symptoms develop after you have left the scene, go directly to an emergency room — not urgent care, not a next-day appointment. Spinal cord injuries are medical emergencies; early imaging (CT and MRI) determines the extent of the injury, and early intervention can affect outcomes.
Do not self-transport if you or someone else has spinal cord symptoms after a traumatic event — movement without proper stabilization risks worsening an incomplete injury. Emergency responders are trained to immobilize the spine. From a legal standpoint, the emergency evaluation creates the critical early medical record that ties your symptoms to the crash event. If imaging shows spinal injury and you did not seek care at the scene, insurers will argue the injury predated the crash or resulted from something else.
The Legal Significance of Spinal Cord Injury in Oklahoma Personal Injury Claims
Spinal cord injuries — whether complete (total loss of function below the injury level) or incomplete (partial retained function) — dramatically affect the value of a personal injury claim. Oklahoma law allows recovery of all damages caused by the injury, including expenses that extend decades into the future. A C5 complete injury in a 35-year-old can generate lifetime costs exceeding $5 million when attendant care, equipment, adaptive housing, repeated surgeries, and lost lifetime income are fully projected. These projections require life-care planning experts, vocational economists, and treating physicians — resources that experienced personal injury attorneys assemble before any settlement negotiation.
Oklahoma’s modified comparative negligence system means that even if you bear some responsibility for the crash — failing to wear a seatbelt, for example — you can still recover damages as long as your fault is not greater than 50%. Insurers frequently raise contributory fault arguments in SCI cases because the damages are high and reducing the recovery percentage has enormous financial impact. An attorney who handles spinal cord injury cases knows these arguments and prepares evidence to counter them.
Oklahoma’s Statute of Limitations for Spinal Cord Injury Claims
Two years from the injury date is the general deadline for filing an Oklahoma personal injury lawsuit. Spinal cord cases often involve extended hospitalizations and incapacitation, and Oklahoma law tolls (pauses) the statute in certain circumstances where the victim is legally unable to act. However, waiting on evidence preservation is dangerous: electronic crash data, surveillance footage, and driver records are legally destroyable on carrier-set schedules. An attorney can issue preservation demands and investigate the crash while the victim focuses on treatment and rehabilitation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if my SCI symptoms were delayed — does that hurt my case? Delayed symptom onset is medically common after traumatic crashes. What matters is a clear documented event followed by symptom development and a medical record connecting the two. An experienced attorney anticipates the insurer’s delay argument and prepares evidence to counter it.
Can I still recover if the other driver had minimal insurance? Yes. Incomplete SCI cases often involve underinsured drivers. Your own UM/UIM policy may cover the gap, and multiple parties (vehicle owner, employer, others) may carry additional coverage. An attorney maps all available sources before any settlement is discussed.
What does a free consultation with Warhawk Legal cover? An attorney reviews the crash facts, identifies all liable parties and available coverage, gives an honest assessment of case value, and answers your questions — at no cost and no obligation.
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If you or a loved one has been injured, contact our experienced Oklahoma City personal injury attorney at Warhawk Legal. We offer free consultations and only get paid when you win.