Indiana Personal Injury Lawyers | Truitt Law Offices Blog

Christopher Reeve is one of the most recognizable faces and names associated with Spinal Cord Injury. His life and legacy are a testament to how much someone can overcome and accomplish, when in spite of their handicap, they put their mind to it. There are countless other stories of the triumph and success of people living with spinal cord injury. Reeve and many others have discovered that life can yield great satisfaction in business, competitive sports and other arenas even after a spinal cord injury. Here are some of their stories:

Scott Chesney – became paralyzed from a sudden spinal stroke at the age of 15. A true student of life, he was not deterred by his injury and paralysis. Through his study of teachers of human behavior, Scott developed his own message for navigating life. Scott shares his philosophies as a personal empowerment coach for adults, teens and families. His success has earned him international recognition as a workshop and keynote presenter including speaking to an audience at the United Nations.

Teddy Pendergrass – singer, song writer and composer was severely injured in an auto accident in 1982. Before his accident Teddy had a successful career as a lead singer and solo artist. After completing physical therapy he returned to the studio and recorded the album Love Language. On July 13, 1985 Teddy returned to public performing then continued his career through the 1980s and 1990s. Sadly, Pendergrass succumbed to cancer on January 13, 2010. Both his music and the Teddy Pendergrass Alliance (a foundation that helps those with spinal cord injury), are a legacy and testament to what someone can accomplish in spite of spinal cord injury.

Teddy Pendergrass, Scott Chesney, Christopher Reeve and countless others like them provide a point of reference and encouragement. Realizing your potential and dreams after a spinal cord injury begins with ensuring you receive the care and consideration you need and deserve. That’s one reason you need a spinal cord injury lawyer familiar with the laws of Indiana. If you live in the Indianapolis area contact one at Truitt Law Offices.

The Social Security Administration uses a series of questions to determine disability after you have suffered some type of personal injury. These five qualifying questions provide a step by step process designed to help identify disability:

Are you working? – If you are working and your wages average more than $700 per month you will not normally be considered for disability.

Is your condition severe? – The impairments associated with your condition have to interfere with the normal work related activities to be considered disabled.

Is your condition found in the list of disabling impairments? – The Social Security Administration has a list of impairments that are organized by each of the major body systems. The impairments listed are those that are so severe they will automatically qualify you for disability status. For a condition that is not on the list, a determination must be made to determine if it’s as severe as one that is on the list. If it is not, go to the next step.

Can you do the work you did previously? – If your condition does not equal the severity of a condition on the list the Social Security Administration must determine if you can do the work you have done for the past 15 years. If you can, your claim will be denied.

Can you do any other type of work? – If you cannot do the work you have done in the past 15 years a determination must be made if you can do another type of work. Factors considered in this determination include age, work experience, transferrable skills and a review of job demands of occupations as determined by the Department of Labor. If you cannot perform any type of work your claim will be approved. If you can, your claim will be denied.

Having someone asking you all these questions can be intimidating. The outcome is important so it is essential to have an advocate who will help you navigate these questions and get the answers you deserve. If you live in the Indianapolis area, please contact Truitt Law Offices to find an Indiana spinal cord lawyer who can advise you of your legal rights at this time.

Spasticity (muscle spasms) occurs after a spinal cord injury. The cause of spasticity is that nerve cells below the level of the injury become disconnected from the brain. This results in changes to the nerves that control muscle activity. Spasticity is an exaggeration of normal reflexes that can occur any time the body is stimulated below the injury. When muscles are stretched or something irritates the body below the level of the injury, muscle spasms can occur. Sensations from the body are transmitted to the spinal cord but because the nerve cells are disconnected it causes muscles to contract or spasm.

Almost any stimulation can trigger spasticity. There are some conditions that cause more of a problem. Kidney and bladder infections or skin break down will cause spasms to increase. If an individual with spinal cord injury doesn't perform regular range of motion exercises their muscles and joints will become less flexible. The lack of flexibility can cause severe spasms even with minor stimulation. Injuries to the feet and legs can also increase spasticity.

The spasticity that results from spinal cord injury can also have some benefit to the injured person. Muscle spasms can serve as an indicator to identify pain or problems in areas that are lacking sensation. As an example, the spasms can be an indication of a urinary tract infection coming on. Spasticity also helps to maintain muscle size and bone strength, and maintain circulation in the legs.

Spasticity is just one condition related to spinal cord injury. If you live in Indiana and are dealing with Spasticity or other injury related conditions contact an experienced Indiana Spinal Cord Lawyer at Truitt Law Offices.

Whether you have a recent spinal cord injury or have been living with one for some time understanding your rights is important. The rights of medical patients are defined in a number of federal and state laws. The specifics may vary from state to state but most laws provide protection in some key areas:

Freedom of choice - You have the right to choose where you will receive care and who will provide that care. In the case of an emergency those decisions might be made for you if you’re unable to make decisions about treatment.

Prompt and adequate response - The medical facility and care providers must answer all reasonable requests within their ability to meet them.

Informed consent – So that you can consider all of your options, the physician and others coordinating your care must provide you with adequate information. In context, this means any information the care providers posses or reasonably should possess is available to you so that you can assess the risk and options to make informed decisions.

Your medical records - The law provides protections for confidentiality. You may have access to your own records but will likely have to pay for copies if you request them.

Information - Copies of any rules and regulations governing your care and the basic information about the physician and others coordinating your care is available to you.

Federal and state provisions are in place to help protect your rights as a patient. Knowing and exercising your rights is an important ingredient to help ensure you receive the best care possible and never suffer from neglect, oversight or abuse. The provisions listed here are just a few of those that exist to guarantee the quality of your care. Finding an attorney who specializes in safeguarding the rights of patients with spinal cord injury is also an essential step. If you live in the Indianapolis area and have suffered a spinal cord injury, please contact the Truitt Law Offices.

Over 5 million people in the United States report having some form of paralysis. 23% of those cases are caused by spinal cord injury. That means 1,275,000 people reported being paralyzed due to a spinal cord injury. That number is approximately 0.4% of the total U.S. population.

When you look further into the information that's available, you find that nearly 25% of the people suffering from spinal cord injury are under age 40 with half of those under age 30.

The leading causes of spinal cord injury are traffic accidents and work-related accidents. These two categories account for 52% of the injuries. There are a number of other causes of spinal cord injury including birth defects (3%), falls (9%), sports & recreation accidents (16%), natural disasters (1%) and victims of violence (4%).

Knowing the number of people impacted and the circumstances that can cause spinal cord injury is valuable information. If you or a loved one has suffered an injury there’s much more that you need to know. Statistics can be gleaned from many sources but the information and assistance that you need when you are impacted by a spinal cord injury is best obtained through an attorney that specializes in Spinal Cord Injury.

Don't be overwhelmed by the data. If you live anywhere in Indiana and you or a loved one has suffered a spinal cord injury contact an experienced Indiana spinal cord injury attorney at Truitt Law Offices today to schedule a consultation.

When someone suffers a spinal cord injury it can be difficult to understand the type and severity of the damage. In fact, in the medical community there has been much confusion about the terminology that defines injury levels, classifications, and severity. If you or a loved one has received a diagnosis of spinal cord injury you may be overwhelmed by the terms that are used to explain the damage. Terms like ASIA Impairment Scale and Zone of Partial Preservation are essential for clinicians but can be confusing to most people.

The ASIA Spinal Cord Injury Classification approach is used by most major organizations dealing with spinal cord injury. One key result is that more consistent terminology is used to describe the injuries. Within the ASIA Impairment Scale are some terms that are more understandable for patients and family members. There are two key terms that help us understand how serious an injury is:

Complete - The traditional definition of Complete Spinal Cord Injury is that there
is no voluntary motor function or conscious sensory function below the injury site. Another definition is that the patient does not have sensory and motor function at the S4 / 5 level.

Incomplete - The ASIA impairment scale provides three different definitions of Incomplete:

• Sensory but not motor function is preserved below the injury site
• Motor function is preserved and more than half of the key muscles below the injury site are impaired
• Motor function is preserved and at least half of key muscles below the injury site are impaired

Understanding terms like Complete and Incomplete is helpful but having someone on your side who really understands the issues surrounding Spinal Cord Injury is essential. If you live in the Lafayette area and you or a loved one has suffered a spinal cord injury contact an Indiana Spinal Cord Injury Attorney at Truitt Law Offices.