Back and neck injuries can incorporate a wide range of injuries and lead to substantial suffering for the victim. If you suffered a back or neck injury due to another party's negligence, you may deserve compensation for your injuries and the losses associated with them. Contact a car accident lawyer as soon after your accident as possible to get a better idea of what compensation you should expect.
Types of Neck and Back Injuries
Neck and back injuries can vary in severity and impact depending on where they occur, how they occur, and what part of the body suffers injury.
Spinal Cord Injuries
Annually, more than 250,000 people around the world suffer spinal cord injuries. Spinal cord injuries can cause devastating injuries and long-term limitations, including paralysis below the injury site. When the injury occurs high on the spine, in the neck area, it causes full quadriplegia: the loss of function in all four limbs. On the other hand, an injury lower on the spinal cord might cause paraplegia or loss of the use of the legs.
Incomplete spinal cord injuries may leave the victim with some injury and feeling. Some incomplete spinal cord injuries may also heal more over time, leaving the victim with increased overall mobility.
Cervical Fractures
Cervical fractures, or fractures of the vertebrae in the neck, often result from car accidents or other traumatic events, including falls.
A cervical fracture can occur without resulting in paralysis, especially if medical personnel at the accident scene respond quickly to eliminate further movement. However, cervical fractures can mean a long road to healing and considerable limitations, including using rigid braces that prevent movement while healing from the injury. Cervical fractures may cause long-term pain and some mobility limitations.
Pinched Nerves
A pinched nerve in the neck or back results when the tissue around the nerve shifts or tightens, applying considerable pressure to the surrounding area.
A pinched nerve can lead to pain, tingling, or weakness in the affected area. That sensation often radiates along the affected nerve, which means patients can end up with numbness or weakness in the arms or legs.
Pinched nerves can lead to significant long-term challenges without treatment and may substantially limit overall mobility during the recovery process.
Herniated Discs
A herniated disc occurs when one of the rubbery discs between the vertebrae in your spine tears or ruptures, causing some of the disc's soft center to push out through the tear and press on a nerve.
Sometimes, herniated discs cause little to no pain or problems. In other cases, however, the herniated disc will lead to pain, numbness, or weakness, often in the arm or leg impacted by the nerve. Herniated discs may require physical therapy, rest, or, in extreme cases, surgical treatment to resolve.
Whiplash
Whiplash occurs when the abrupt back-and-forth movement of an accident causes the neck to snap back and forth rapidly. It can involve injury to the ligaments, cervical muscles, and nerves around the impacted area.
Often, whiplash resolves on its own a few weeks after the accident. However, some victims find that whiplash symptoms linger long after the initial incident. Some patients may have chronic symptoms of whiplash, including ongoing pain, weakness, or stiffness in the neck and shoulders.
Whiplash can also cause dizziness, headaches, or shoulder injury, and back pain. While whiplash often occurs in car accidents, it can result from any type of traumatic accident, including a fall.
Accidents Resulting in Neck and Back Injuries
Many types of accidents have a high risk of neck and back injuries. After any type of accident, evaluation by a medical care provider can help identify signs of traumatic injury and give you a better idea of how you can protect yourself.
Car Accidents
Car accidents have a high risk of neck and back injury due partly to the trauma and force often associated with the accident. During a car accident, the body undergoes a great deal of force very quickly, which can result in severe back and neck injuries.
Car accidents can occur for various reasons, including negligent driver behaviors like speeding, driving while distracted, and driving while intoxicated. The driver engaging in those dangerous behaviors will often bear liability for the accident. A lawyer can help identify other potentially liable parties, including a driver's employer on the clock so that you can pursue compensation as needed.
Falls
During a fall, many people jar the neck or back, leading to a traumatic injury. Falls have a high risk of resulting in whiplash, herniated discs, or sprains and strains. Furthermore, fall injuries can cause ongoing pain and tension throughout the body that may require medical treatment.
Boating Accidents
Boating accidents, including accidents that occur when jumping off the boat in unsafe waters, often result in back and neck injuries. Most swimmers know not to dive into shallow water or not to dive if they do not know the depth of the water. However, improper diving surfaces or diving into an obstacle in the water can also result in back and neck injuries. Furthermore, boating collisions can cause back and neck injuries.
Bicycle Accidents
A bicycle provides riders no protection from the road, a vehicle that strikes them, or any obstacles they may encounter, including potential dangers on the road. During a bicycle accident, riders may experience immense trauma, including considerable strain on the neck and back.
Holliday Karatinos Law Firm Can Help After Your Neck or Back Injury
If you suffered a back or neck injury in an accident, Holliday Karatinos Law Firm could help. We have over 50 years of experience helping injury victims recover the compensation they deserve for the often devastating impact of another party's negligence. Our team of attorneys can provide the support you need to move forward with your claim.
We Offer Respect and Compassion
At Holliday Karatinos Law Firm, we believe that everyone deserves compassionate legal representation they can count on as they navigate the complex claim process. We listen to your story and allow you to share the challenges you have faced and how your injuries impact you. Then, we work to identify all parties who bear liability for your back or neck injuries so that you can pursue the compensation you deserve.
We Make Legal Support Affordable
Dealing with the aftermath of a serious accident causes enough financial challenges. Getting legal representation should not further add to your costs as you navigate your claim.
At Holliday Karatinos Law Firm, we start with a free consultation to better understand what your accident claim looks like. Then, we work with our clients on a contingent fee basis, which means you do not pay unless we win. Our team of award-winning attorneys will fight aggressively to help you maximize the results of your claim.
We Have the Resources to Fight for You
After an accident, you will often find yourself dealing with big-name insurance companies with substantial resources to throw into the case. Unfortunately, many people do not have the resources to fight for their rights themselves.
At Holliday Karatinos Law Firm, we have the resources to go up against those big insurance companies. We combine the personalized support you need and expect from a small law firm to offer you a quality experience and the support you need.
What to Do After Suffering Neck and Back Injuries in an Accident
Right after your accident, your medical needs topped your priority list. You may have hurried to the emergency room to get a doctor to evaluate your injuries. However, protecting your right to compensation can grow just as important as dealing with your medical needs after a car accident. Ensure you take the steps necessary to protect yourself after your neck and back injury.
Document Your Medical Costs
Right after your accident, if possible, keep track of any bills you must pay as you pursue medical treatment for your neck and back injuries. Note copays and deductibles, including anything you had to pay in the emergency room or urgent care center.
Keep track of your ongoing costs. When a new bill comes in, add it to the list. Keeping track of your medical costs accomplishes two key things. First, it allows you to ensure that you do not miss essential bills, which means you will be less likely to fail to pay them on time. Second, it ensures you have a clear record of everything you have paid out because of your back or neck injury.
Follow Your Care Provider’s Instructions
Depending on your type of back or neck injury, your care provider may issue highly specific instructions. Sometimes, that may mean avoiding activities that could make your injury worse or prove dangerous with your injury. For example, if you have a cervical fracture, your care provider may recommend avoiding driving during your recovery.
With some acute injuries, you may need to rest while your injury heals. On the other hand, with other types of injuries, your doctor may recommend that you get light exercise or attend therapy sessions to help you recover mobility and maintain strength as you recover.
Whatever your doctor recommends, make sure you follow those instructions carefully. Your doctor has your best interests at heart and wants you to recover fully. If you ignore your care provider's instructions, you can slow your recovery and worsen those injuries.
Second, if you ignore your care provider's instructions and it does lead to worsened injuries, the insurance company that covers the liable party may refuse to offer payment for anything that it perceives as worsening your injuries, which could mean that you miss out on the compensation you would otherwise deserve. By following your care provider's instructions, you increase the odds of recovering the compensation you deserve.
Journal About the Challenges You Face
Back and neck injuries can cause immense challenges and complications. You may find yourself struggling with the overall loss of independence after your injury, especially if your back or neck injury will cause a permanent loss of mobility.
You may suffer immense physical pain or have difficulty dealing with your inability to engage in the activities you once loved. Journaling about those challenges makes it much easier to evaluate the compensation you may deserve for pain and suffering after an accident.
Contact a Back and Neck Injury Attorney
To maximize the compensation you can recover from a back or neck injury, you need to work with an experienced personal injury attorney who knows the local legal system and can work with you to maximize the compensation you can recover.
Our attorneys can:
- Investigate your accident. An attorney can look at what injuries you suffered in the accident, including all factors that may have contributed to the accident, to better understand who likely bears liability for the accident and clearly establish that liability so you can file a claim.
- Offer insight about the compensation you deserve for your injuries. A lawyer can help you evaluate the full extent of the damages you sustained, giving you a better idea of your next steps.
- Fight on your behalf against the insurance company. Handling the insurance company alone increases your frustration and may decrease the odds that you will recover fair compensation for your injuries.
By working with a lawyer, many people find that they substantially increase the compensation they can recover.
Contact Holliday Karatinos Law Firm to Start Your Back or Neck Injury Claim
If you suffered back or neck injuries due to another party's negligence, Holliday Karatinos Law Firm can help. Contact us today at (352) 597-0009 to learn more about your next steps.
Get a personal injury attorney in Florida after an accident, whether or not it was your fault. Doing so can improve your chances of obtaining compensation for any damages you may have suffered, including property damages and accident injuries.
An experienced Florida car accident lawyer can handle all the legal elements of your car accident claim so you can focus on your recovery.
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James Wayne Holliday
James Wayne Holliday has been practicing law since 1995. He has been named as a “Best Attorney” Lifetime Charter Member in Florida, an honor awarded to less than one percent of the nation’s lawyers.
Mr. Holliday has earned a reputation as a relentless trial lawyer because of his outstanding work ethic and thorough preparation of his cases for trial.
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