Florida Motorcycle Accidents and Spinal Cord Injuries

The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC) reports that the leading causes of spinal cord injury (SCI) are motor vehicle accidents, followed by falls. This makes motorcycle riders twice as susceptible to a spinal cord injury if they are involved in an accident because of the force of the crash, the lack of structural protection, and falling or being thrown from their bike.

Spinal cord injuries are caused by bruising, crushing or tearing the delicate cord tissue, the Florida Spinal Cord Injury Resource Center explains. Swelling of the spinal cord after an injury can cause even more damage. The primary concern of SCI is paralysis, which may mean either the loss of function in one or more limbs (paraplegia) or over larger portions of the body (tetraplegia).

According to the NSCISC, lifetime care costs for an SCI victim can be as high as $3.2 million for a 50-year-old and exceed $5.8 million for a 25-year-old patient (in 2022 dollar values).

At Philip DeBerard, Injury Attorney, we help motorcyclists who have suffered spinal cord injuries in motorcycle accidents through no fault of their own. Since 1975, we have helped accident and injury victims obtain the compensation they deserve after motorcycle accidents.

Call us at toll free today or submit our online form to set up a free initial consultation about your legal rights to compensation.

SCI Injuries in Motorcycle Accidents Are Costly

Because motorcycle riders are not protected by the structure of their vehicles, a biker involved in a motorcycle accident can incur serious injuries, including traumatic brain injury (TBI) and spinal cord injury (SCI).

The Florida Department of Transportation (DOT) says that motorcycle crashes, fatalities and injuries in the state have increased in recent years. In 2022 alone, there were 9,153 motorcycle crashes in Florida, resulting in 7,863 injuries and 590 deaths.

The DOT’s Ride Smart Florida program says that 20 percent of non-fatal injuries among hospitalized motorcycle riders from 2013 to 2014 were torso injuries, which includes back and spine injuries.

Many spinal cord injuries result in some permanent loss of feeling, strength and motor function below the site of the injury. A spinal cord injury is described as “complete” if almost all sensory function (feeling) and motor function (ability to control movement) below the site of the injury is lost. An SCI is “incomplete” if some motor or sensory function below the injury is lost but an appreciable amount remains.

The NSCISC says that tetraplegia (paralysis over large portions of the body) is caused by injury to one of the eight cervical (neck) segments of the spinal cord. Paraplegia (paralysis in one or more limbs) is caused by injury to the thoracic, lumbar or sacral regions of the spinal cord.

The NSCISC also reports that the median number of days an SCI victim spends in the hospital is 12, and less than 1 percent of SCI victims make a complete neurologic recovery by the time they leave the hospital.

Spinal cord injuries are costly. According to Ride Smart, the median cost of a motorcyclist’s hospital stay and treatment in Florida is $133,924 as of 2020.

In terms of lifetime costs, the NSCISC estimates that a 25-year-old who develops high tetraplegia, or complete paralysis from the neck down, may need to spend $5,837,155 towards their injury for the rest of their life. Even for a 50-year-old SCI victim, lifetime care costs can range from $1.4 million to $3.2 million, the NSCISC says.

Contact a Florida Motorcycle Accident Attorney Today

A motorcyclist who has suffered a spinal cord injury is likely to be partially or totally disabled from paralysis and may need ongoing medical treatment, therapy, assistive devices (walker, wheelchair, hospital bed) or in-home care. An SCI can leave a motorcyclist unable to return to the job he or she once held and possibly unable to work for a living at all.

If you are dealing with a spinal cord injury suffered in a motorcycle accident that was not your fault, contact Philip DeBerard, Injury Attorney. You may have the right to compensation for your injuries and financial losses.

Philip DeBerard has helped motorcycle crash victims and their families on the Treasure Coast and elsewhere in South Florida since 1975, and have offices in Stuart, Port St. Lucie, Vero Beach, Okeechobee, Palm Beach Gardens and West Palm Beach. We work hard to obtain justice for our clients.

Call us toll free today or fill put our online contact form for a free legal consultation.