Spinal cord injuries are catastrophic events that can not only permanently change your life but that of your family as well. Often requiring lifelong care, victims of spinal cord injury must get used to a very different type of life from the one that they lived prior to their injury. Prevention is the best cure and while there is no way to be sure to prevent spinal cord injury, following some basic safety procedures from your Baltimore spinal injury lawyer can go a long way. Learn more about avoiding spinal cord injury in today’s blog.
Drive safely
Automobile accidents are one of the leading causes of spinal cord injury in the United States. In 2011, more than 2 million people were hurt in a car accident. While not every one of these accidents resulted in a spinal cord injury, even one accident that causes this catastrophic injury is too many. Seatbelts should always be worn and children should be strapped into car seats until they reach the appropriate age, weight, and height. Children under the age of 12 should never be allowed to ride in the front seat in order to prevent injury from air bag deployment.
Don’t dive blindly
Another common cause of spinal cord injury is diving accidents. When swimmers dive into water that is shallower than expected, they can easily break their neck and cause a range of spinal cord injuries. In order to prevent this, always be sure to check water depth before diving in and do not let children dive unattended. Never dive into water that is less than 9 feet deep and avoid diving in above-ground pools, which are rarely deep enough to be considered safe.
Gear up when playing sports
Sports are another major cause of spinal cord injury so be sure to exercise common sense safety when playing sports and always wear the appropriate safety gear. Never dive head-first toward a goal or a ball and during gymnastics, use a spotter when trying out a new move.
If you believe you may have been a victim of spinal injury medical malpractice in Maryland, contact The Law Office of Snyder & Snyder, P.A.’s medical malpractice attorneys in Baltimore, Maryland for a free consultation. Our team of medical malpractice attorneys in Baltimore takes only the best of the best cases with the intent of bringing them to the finish line. We have more than 50 years of combined experience and have obtained more than $1 billion in verdicts and settlements on behalf of our clients.