If you've been injured in a car accident in West Virginia, you understand the dangers involved in such an incident. Each year, there are approximately 12,000 new spinal cord injuries in the United States.

Of these, more than 40% are caused by motor vehicle accidents, according to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC). Although anyone can be injured in this way, young men ages 16-24 are at the greatest risk.

One of the repercussions of spinal cord injuries is loss of employment due to permanent disability from this type of injury. Although paralysis is a possibility, even cases in which paralysis isn't a factor can cause people to lose their abilities to function normally.

In turn, this forces many spinal cord injury victims to stop working, which causes great financial strain on families. Particularly in the case of families sustained by a single parent or families whose sole breadwinner is injured, loss of employment due to a permanent disability can be financially and emotionally devastating.

The NSCISC reports that, since 2005, 57.5% of people who suffered spinal cord injuries were employed full or part-time at the time of their injuries. Of those, only about 11% were back to work after one year of recovery. After 20 years, a full 20% were permanently disabled and never able to work again.

These types of injuries are life changing. If you or someone you love has been gravely hurt in a motor vehicle accident, slip and fall or other type of personal injury, contact a West Virginia lawyer who can fight for you. A lawyer can help you get the money you will need to take care of yourself and your family after a serious spinal cord injury.