A common cause of damage to the spinal cord is auto accidents, which can cause the body to be jolted. If someone’s vehicle is rear-ended, the hit to the back of their car can harm their spinal column as they sit vertically inside the vehicle, causing the disks to be moved out of the line or closer together than they should be.
Spinal cord injuries also commonly occur from falling. A person who slips and lands on their side or back might sustain a spinal cord injury because a fall can damage the vertebrae and how they sit on top of each other.