Any person who has sustained a spinal injury through the fault of another person is entitled to file a claim for spinal injury compensation. The most common causes of spinal injury are motor vehicle accidents, gunshot wounds, falls and sports injuries. Spinal injury compensation takes into account medical care costs, costs of care which may result from loss of mobility, loss of future earnings, and the emotional stress resulting from the injury. Spinal injury compensation usually involves a large settlement, as spinal cord injury is associated with long-term problems, often lasting for the rest of a person's life. As a result of the injury, a person may be left paralyzed, and this is likely to severely impact on all aspects of their life.