Types of Spinal Cord Injuries

The two types of spinal cord injuries are complete spinal cord injury and incomplete spinal cord injury.  

Complete spinal cord injuries are injuries to the spin that result in complete loss of function below the level of injury.  

Incomplete spinal cord injuries are injuries to the spine that result in some sensation and feeling below the level of injury. Incomplete spinal cord injuries vary depending on the way the spinal cord has been damaged.

If a victim suffers an incomplete spinal cord injury there varying degrees and types that he or she can suffer.

• Anterior Cord Syndrome- Victims of an incomplete anterior spinal cord injury suffer with loss of movement and sensation. Anterior cord syndrome is an injury to the front of the spinal cord, and the motor and sensory pathways in the front affected area of the cord are usually broken. Anterior cord syndrome can affect the entire front of the spine, or just a section of the spine. Some sensation may be possible with this level of injury depending on which pathways are broken.
  
  
• Central Cord Syndrome- The uppermost part of the spine is affected when a victim is suffering with central cord syndrome. A disruption in the communication between the brain and the spinal cord to control movement is the result of this type of spinal cord injury. Weakness and/or paralysis in the arms are the common end effects of central cord syndrome. The legs are usually unaffected, and spontaneous recovery is possible. Improvement is usually shown within 6 weeks of the initial injury.
  
  
• Brown-Sequard Syndrome- Injury to the spinal cord can happen on either side of the spine with brown-sequard syndrome. Loss of temperature and pain sensation on the opposite side of the injury is the result. The affected area is opposite the injury due to crossing pathways on the spinal cord.
  
  
• Nerve Cell Injuries- The symptoms for this type of spinal cord injury vary, depending on which nerves are injured. Usually a loss of sensory and motor function in only the injured area of the body is affected by the injured nerve root.
  
  
• Spinal Contusions- Bruising, inflammation, and bleeding blood vessels are all symptoms of a contusion in the spinal cord. Victims experience temporary disability of the spinal cord. This disability commonly lasts for 1-2 days. Spinal contusions are the most common type of spinal cord injury.

When a spinal cord injury occurs as a result of someone else's negligence "compensation is possible for the victim," according to Attorney Michael Pisanchyn.

If you or a loved one is suffering any of the above types of spinal cord injuries, please, contact our Pennsylvania Spinal Cord Injury Lawyers by calling 1-800-444-5309 or visit CatastrophicallyInjured.com now for a free consultation.

A Nurse Case Manager Keeps Calling Me- Is That Normal?

Nurse case managers, or rehabilitation nurses, will sometimes be assigned to monitor your recovery after your work injury. These nurses are hired by the insurance company. They are to report back to the company on doctor’s recommendations and will normally suggest or guide the injured worker to different doctors or specialists.

After 90 days of treating with a doctor provided to you by your employer you can seek your own doctor. In order for the insurance company to pay for your medical bills a medical report must be provided from your treating physician along with the bill. Due to this requirement, the insurance company and your employer are always kept up to date and informed on your condition so it is OK to decline a nurse case manager.
If you do accept a nurse case manager you should not allow he or she to go in the exam room with you and you should also not allow your doctor to speak to them at all, but especially not without you being present. You should also know that you have no obligation to update the nurse case manager on your condition or when your doctor’s appointments are.

If you retain us as your PA Workers’ Compensation attorneys any communication between you and a nurse case manager must go through us. Nurse case managers cannot contact you directly once you have legal representation.

Workers Compensation is a complex area of the law and having expert workers’ compensation legal help is the only way to guarantee you will be receiving any and all benefits owed to you.

Our Workers' Compensation attorneys will not only protect your rights, we will also take the time to explain and educate you on all areas of the Worker’s Compensation system so you know what to expect and what to do when certain situations come up. Just like your injury is 24/7, so is our assistance, guidance, and consultation.

Call us toll free at 1-800-444-5309 or visit pisanchynlawfirm.com for your free workers' compensation consultation.

U.S. Wants to Force Lower Speeds On Truck and Bus Drivers

The U.S. wants to forcibly limit how fast trucks, buses and other large vehicles can drive on the nation's highways

A new proposal Friday would impose a nationwide limit by electronically capping speeds with a device on newly made U.S. vehicles that weigh more than 26,000 pounds. Regulators are considering a cap of 60, 65 or 68 mph, though that could change. Whatever the speed limit, drivers would be physically prevented from exceeding it. The proposal, which comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, does not force older heavy vehicles to add the speed-limiting technology, but the regulators are still considering it.

The government said capping speeds for new large vehicles will reduce the 1,115 fatal crashes involving heavy trucks that occur each year and save $1 billion in fuel costs.

While the news is being welcomed by some safety advocates and non-professional drivers, many truckers said that such changes could lead to dangerous scenarios where they are traveling at much lower speeds than everyone else.

The government agencies involved will take public comment for 60 days, then determine the final limit and decide if the regulation should be put in place.

The agencies said that limiting the speed of heavy vehicles to 60 mph could save as many as 498 lives annually. Limiting it to 65 mph could save as many as 214 lives, and limiting it to 68 mph could save as many as 96 lives. There are 3.6 million big rigs on U.S. roads.

For more information on Tractor Trailer Accidents and how the Pisanchyn Law Firm's truck accident attorneys can help you or your loved one after suffering a devastating truck accident, visit our website or call 1-800-444-5309 for a free consultation.

How Do "No Win No Fee" Attorneys Get Paid?

You've heard it from many lawyers, including our attorneys at the Pisanchyn Law Firm, "No Fee Unless We Win!" but what does that mean?

At the Pisanchyn Law Firm legal consultations and advice for personal injury victims are provided at no cost to our clients unless we win their case and even then, it is never out of their own pocket; we will only be paying them the money they deserve.  

How? We work on what is known as a “contingency fee” basis. What this means for an injured individual is that he or she will not be burdened with paying costly attorney fees up front (which is often a frightening prospect for those who may not be able to afford legal services).

With a contingency fee arrangement, we will deduct our fee from the final amount awarded as part of a settlement or a verdict in the case. 

This is beneficial to clients because the more money you get, the more money we get. Thus, yours and our injury attorneys’ interests are completely aligned and in opposition of the insurance company.

To get your free consultation call us at 1-800-444-5309, or learn more about our services at pisanchynlawfirm.com.

45 Million Vehicles on the Road are Recalled but Not Fixed

At least 45 million vehicles - about one in six licensed to operate on U.S. roads - suffers from an unrepaired safety problem subject to an outstanding recall. In fact, the figure could be millions higher, according to new research by J.D. Power and Associates, but it can be difficult to track compliance rates on older recalls.
The study is in line with other recent research and reflects the fact that the U.S. has seen an explosion in safety-related recalls in recent years for everything from improperly inflated tires to airbags that can overinflate in a crash, spewing deadly shrapnel into the passenger compartments. There have been faulty ignition switches, leaky gas tanks and corrosion-prone vehicles that can drop bumpers and parts into the path of traffic.

The number of vehicles being targeted by recalls continues to grow at or near record rates. One reason is that NHTSA has adopted a much tougher policy on safety problems in the wake of scandals like the GM ignition switches, Toyota's unintended acceleration issues, Fiat Chrysler's problem with Jeep fires, and the Takata airbag mess. The latter could eventually come to encompass more than 50 million vehicles.

And that reveals another reason why recalls are growing larger, on average, while repair rates lag. In recent decades, manufacturers have put a premium on so-called "economies of scale." And that means they routinely share things like airbags, brakes and other mechanical components. So, where a recall might once have affected a single model and perhaps 10,000 vehicles, it may now cover millions, even tens of millions of vehicles, like the Takata airbag problem.

Vehicle malfunctions are preventable, so are the injuries and fatalities they cause. The Pisanchyn Law Firm has recently held GM responsible for their faulty ignition switches resulting in a $1.9 million settlement for the family of a Dunmore man after years of GM denying any wrong-doing. According to Attorney Michael Pisanchyn, “GM clearly knew there was a problem with the ignition switch. They were getting reports of deaths quite often. It came down to they put corporate profits over peoples’ lives.”

If you or a loved one has been injured as a result of a car recall or a vehicle malfunction call our accident attorneys now for a free consultation, 1-800-444-5309.

Make sure your car is safe

The NHTSA now requires all manufacturers to make it easy for owners to check if their vehicles are subject to an outstanding recall. You'll find that on their public websites, as well as the government's own, SaferCars.gov. You'll just need the Vehicle Identification Number, or VIN. You can find it on your registration, as well as on a tag at the base of the windshield.

What Causes a Tractor Trailer Accident?

Some truck drivers can take foolish risks or keep driving through mandated rest periods. The result can be a devastating tractor trailer accident.

At Pisanchyn Law Firm, we represent victims of truck accidents and other acts of negligence. We work to help our clients obtain medical care and compensation for the wrongs done to them. Our firm has a record of success in such cases and a determination to prevail for our clients.

We've seen cases where the causes of truck accidents include:

• Insufficient driver training
• Driver fatigue
• Long work-shifts
• Unrealistic schedules
• Truck drivers driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol
• Dangerous or reckless driving
• Tailgating
• Speeding
• Cell phone use
• Failure to install blind spot mirrors
• Poorly maintained brakes
• Overloaded or oversized trucks
• Poor driving conditions (fog, snow, rain, or smoke)
• Truck defects (defective tires, safety systems, lights, and other equipment)
• Hiring illegal aliens who cannot read and follow traffic control signals
• Fixed log books
• Jackknifing

For the 8th time in the past two years The Pisanchyn Law Firm has obtained well over $1 Million in Tractor Trailer Accident cases. To say the Pisanchyn Law Firm are excellent Tractor Trailer and Personal Injury attorneys is an understatement. We make the person and company whose fault it was pay, which saves other persons lives by way of sending a message to these negligent truckers and trucking companies. Learn more about our recent cases here.

Not only are our Pennsylvania tractor trailer accident attorneys on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, we also offer free consultations and representation for tractor trailer accident victims until we win your case and even then you will never pay out of pocket; we will only be paying you the money you deserve.

If you or a loved one have been injured by a tractor trailer accident call the Pisanchyn Law Firm now  for a free consultation at 1-800-444-5309.

Jeep Recall Notice Received 7 Days After Celebrity's Death

Anton Yelchin, Star Trek Actor, Received Jeep Recall Notice 7 Days After His Death

A recall notice for a Jeep Grand Cherokee was mailed to actor Anton Yelchin seven days after he was killed in a freak roll away accident. Fiat Chrysler recalled more than 800,000 vehicles in April, after receiving hundreds of rollaway complaints.


The shifter in 2014 and 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokees operates like a joystick, returning to the same position no matter what gear the vehicle is in. Some drivers have become confused and exited the vehicle while it is still in gear, leading it to roll away.

Yelchin died on June 19 when he was pinned by his vehicle against an entrance post at his Studio City home. The LAPD and Fiat Chrysler are still investigating the death, but it appears that it could be the first fatality related to the rollaway issue.

As of late June, the NHTSA was aware of some 700 complaints regarding the issue, including 266 crashes and 68 injuries.

Vehicle malfunctions are preventable. So are the injuries & fatalities these errors cause. Call our Pennsylvania accident attorneys at 1-800-444-5309 if you or a loved one have been injured, or you have lost a loved one, due to a vehicle recall.

Visit pisanchynlawfirm.com for more information on vehicle malfunction accidents and vehicle recalls.