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Paraplegia

Paraplegia is a condition in which the lower part of a patient's body is paralyzed and cannot move. It is usually the result of spinal cord injury or a congenital condition such as spina bifida, but polyneuropathy may also result in paraplegia. If the arms are also paralyzed, quadriplegia is a more appropriate diagnosis. more...

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Medicines

Causes

Central nervous system: Any disease process affecting the pyramidal tract of the spinal cord from the thoracic spine downward may lead to paraplegia, as this structure transmits "instructions" for movement from the brain to the anterior horn. This is the most common cause of paraplegia. It is usually spastic: it results in an increased muscle tone in the affected limbs. Causes range from trauma (acute spinal cord injury: transsection or compression of the cord, usually by bone fragments from vertebral fractures) to tumors (chronic compression of the cord), myelitis transversa and multiple sclerosis. Sometimes, paralysis of both legs can result from injury to the brain (bilateral injury of the motor cortex controling the legs, e.g. due to a stroke or a brain tumor).

Peripheral nervous system: Rarer is the type which is caused by damage to the nerves supplying the legs. This form of damage is not usually symmetrical and would not cause paraplegia, but polyneuropathy may cause paraplegia if motor fibres are affected. While in theory the arms should also be affected, the fibres that supply the legs are longer and hence more vulnerable to damage.

Disability

While some people with paraplegia can walk to a degree, many are dependant on wheelchairs or other supportive measures. Impotence and various degrees of urinary and fecal incontinence are very common in those affected.

Complications

Due to the decreased movement and inability to walk, paraplegia may cause numerous medical complications, many of which can be prevented with good nursing care. These include pressure sores (decubitus), thrombosis and pneumonia. Physiotherapyand various assistive technology, such as a standing frame, may aid in preventing these complications.

Support organisations

  • Back-Up Trust

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Truck driver hit by forklift: Lack of training: Pelvic fractures: Incomplete paraplegia: Verdict: Punitive damages
From Law Reporter, 4/1/04

Miller v. McGrath Steel Co., Cal., Alameda County Super. Ct., No. 2001-032109, Sept. 4, 2003.

Miller, 53, was delivering a trailer to a steel company. A forklift driver allegedly came around the corner of the building and crushed him between the forklift and the trailer. Miller suffered nine pelvic fractures, a severed urethra, and kidney damage. His spinal cord was also crushed, resulting in incomplete paraplegia. As a truck driver, Miller was earning about $38,000 annually. He is unable to return to work. His past medical expenses were $225,000, and his past wage loss was estimated at $225,000. He claimed $3.2 million in total future economic damages.

Miller and his wife sued the steel company, alleging negligence in allowing the forklift driver to operate a forklift without being trained or certified. They also alleged that the forklift driver was operating at a high speed when he came around the corner. Defendant contended plaintiff had neglected to set the brake on his truck before he got out, and that he was actually chasing after his moving vehicle when he got pinned between it and the stopped forklift. Defendant also argued that the forklift operator was trained and simply lacked the certification paperwork.

A jury awarded about $11.6 million, including $8.75 million in punitive damages, but found Miller 35 percent at fault and reduced the amount accordingly. Miller's wife was awarded $2.5 million, which was also reduced. The court subsequently awarded Miller an additional $540,000 in interest and costs. The workers' compensation carrier was awarded $375,000 in an independent judgment.

Plaintiffs' experts included Thomas C. Christensen, mechanical engineering, San Ramon, Cal; V. Paul Herbert, trucking industry, Quincy, Cal.; Joanna Moss, economics, Berkeley, Cal.; Sean Shimada, biomechanics, Davis, Cal; and Carol Hyland, life-care planning, Lafayette, Cal.

Defendant's experts included Gary M. Hesler, engineering, Livermore, Cal; Winthrop Smith, biomechanics, Livermore, Cal; William Woodruff, accident reconstruction, Mountain View, Cal; and Gerald H. Udinsky, economics, Berkeley, Cal.

Plaintiffs' Counsel

*J. Jude Basile, San Luis Obispo, Cal.

*Finlay J. Boag, Pleasanton, Cal.

Copyright Association of Trial Lawyers of America Apr 2004
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved

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