Car accidents happen, and they are often as terrifying as they are dangerous. One of the most common categories of injury that is associated with car accidents are back injuries, which are painful and can lead to ongoing health problems and chronic pain.
Another complication of back injuries is that they can be slow to present with telltale symptoms, which means that some victims fail to receive the medical care they need when they need it. If another driver’s negligence leaves you with a back injury, do not wait to consult with an experienced car accident attorney.
Back Pain
The Mayo Clinic identifies back pain as one of the most common reasons for doctor visits and for days lost on the job. In fact, it is the number one cause of disability across the nation and the world.
Because the back injuries sustained in car accidents can be slow to present with back pain, accident victims do not always associate the pain that follows with the precipitating accident, which means that obtaining the treatment you need can be delayed.
These symptoms are commonly associated with back injuries:
- Generalized pain
- Stiff or aching muscles
- A tingling or numb sensation in the hands, arms, feet, or legs
- Difficulty standing or walking
- Muscle cramps or spasms
- Pain that radiates down through the buttocks and into the legs
- Pain that worsens with bending, lifting, twisting, walking, or standing
If any of these apply to you, it is time to consult with a doctor. Because early diagnosis is closely associated with improved prognosis, seeking medical attention earlier rather than later is always in the best interest of your health and overall well-being.
Back Injuries Commonly Caused by Car Accidents
The immense impact of a car accident can leave you with any number of serious injuries.
DUI and Its Role in Car Accidents
One of the most dangerous and common causes of serious car accidents — and the devastating back injuries that can follow — is driving under the influence (DUI). Alcohol and drugs significantly impair a driver’s judgment, reaction time, and ability to operate a vehicle safely. Even a small amount of impairment can turn a routine drive into a catastrophic event, putting everyone on the road at risk.
DUI-related crashes often occur at higher speeds, involve sudden or unpredictable maneuvers, and result in more severe collisions — all of which dramatically increase the likelihood of spinal cord damage, herniated discs, and other back injuries. If your accident was caused by a driver who was under the influence, it’s critical to share that information with your attorney as early as possible. This detail can play an important role in strengthening your claim, proving negligence, and pursuing the full compensation you deserve.
Spinal Cord Injuries
The Mayo Clinic shares that spinal cord injuries result when any part of the spinal cord is damaged. Spinal cord injuries can lead to permanent alterations in the victim’s overall strength, sensations, and other important bodily functions that occur below the injury site.
A serious spinal cord injury can profoundly affect your life with significant mental, social, and emotional consequences. If the spinal cord is severed or seriously damaged, the physical consequences can include all of the following complications:
- Partial or complete paralysis
- A loss of sensations or altered sensations, including the capacity to feel someone else’s touch or to feel hot and cold
- Intense stinging or another form of pain at the site of the spinal cord’s damaged nerve fibers
- Exaggerated reflexes, including spasms
- Alterations to one’s sexual sensitivity, sexual function, and fertility
- Loss of bladder or bowel control
- Breathing difficulties, including having trouble clearing secretions from one’s lungs
A Herniated Disc
The discs – or rubbery cushions – that rest between each of the vertebrae that make up your spine can become herniated, which means that the gel-like center begins to bulge, push, or leak out. A herniated disc can damage the spine’s functioning, but it can also irritate a neighboring nerve, thus causing pain that radiates out from the source.
The impact of a car accident can leave one or more discs herniated, causing immense pain and a significant decrease in range of motion.
Whiplash
Whiplash is a soft tissue injury that is generally caused by the neck being shaken back and forth like the cracking of a whip. The resulting pain can affect the neck, shoulders, and back.
Rear-end car accidents are very often the cause of whiplash injuries, but nearly any kind of car crash can get the job done.
Whiplash is one of those injuries that can be slow to present with symptoms, and as a result, whiplash often goes untreated until the injury morphs into an even more serious problem.
The following signs and symptoms tend to indicate whiplash:
- Decrease in neck’s range of motion
- A stiff, painful neck
- Pain that increases with movement of the neck
- Pain or tenderness in the upper back, arms, or shoulders
- Numbness or tingling in the arms
- Dizziness or fatigue
More serious symptoms include:
- A ringing in the ears
- Blurred vision
- Difficulty focusing
- Increased irritability
- Bouts of depression
- Memory challenges
- Sleep disturbances
Whiplash can be especially hard to pin down because the painful consequences can be intermittent. Further, whiplash can lead to chronic pain and to a serious and debilitating decrease in range of motion.
Soft Tissue Injuries
Soft tissue injuries (also known as sprains, strains, and tears) refer to injuries in the tendons, muscles, and ligaments. When soft tissue injuries occur in the back, they can be especially painful and especially slow to heal.
These symptoms are some of the most common signs of a soft tissue injury in the back:
- Severe back pain
- Stiffness in the back
- Tenderness in the area of the injury
- Spasms in the affected muscles of the back
Bone Fractures
The immense impact of a car accident can generate considerable pressure, which can – in turn – cause one or more of the bones that make up the spine to crack (or fracture). Bone fractures often lead to the sudden onset of intense back pain, pain that increases when you stand or walk, and a serious decrease in spinal mobility.
Your Losses
If a motorist’s negligence causes you to suffer a back injury, the pain and decrease in mobility you suffer can lead to very serious losses. These losses are addressed by the law as your physical, financial, and emotional damages.
Your Medical Bills
The medical bills for a serious back injury can mount very quickly and may include all of the following treatments:
- Emergency care and treatment at the scene of the car accident and emergency transportation to the hospital
- Surgical care and follow-up care
- Hospital stays
- Medical care from doctors and specialists
- Physical or occupational therapy
- Rehabilitation
- Adaptive physical devices
- Pain management
- Medical treatments, procedures, and tests
- Prescription medications
- Home health care
Lost Earnings
A serious back injury can cause a considerable decrease in earnings. If your ability to do your job or to return to work is affected, these losses can extend to a decrease in earning potential that reverberates into your future.
Pain and Suffering
The emotional and physical pain and suffering you experience as a result of a back injury can be profound and may be one of the most challenging obstacles you face.
Ensuring that your car accident claim carefully addresses your full range of damages is very likely a critical component of your recovery and is best left in the skilled hands of your dedicated car accident attorney.
The Insurance Company
The at-fault driver’s car insurance company should cover your car accident claim, but it will do what it can to settle with you for as little as it can get away with.
The car insurance company is in the business of generating profits, and as such, it may implement several industry tactics designed to help keep profits high and settlements low. As such, it’s best to familiarize yourself with how the insurance company will approach your case and what tricks it may use to minimize your compensation.
Settling Early
If the insurance company is eager to settle your car accident quickly, you should take a step back and think about their motivations for a moment or two. A speedy settlement offer likely means that the insurance company wants to get your claim settled before you become fully aware of how extensive your physical, financial, and emotional damages are.
Without adequate compensation, you can have a very difficult time reaching your most complete recovery, which amounts to one very good reason why you shouldn’t accept a settlement offer until after you have discussed the matter carefully with your skilled car accident attorney.
The insurance company recognizes exactly how vulnerable you are at this juncture, and it is very likely not above taking advantage of the fact.
Complicating the Matter
Car accident claims are complicated enough. If the insurance company handling your claim chooses to further complicate and protract the process, it can leave you in a very difficult position.
There are laws against artificially lengthening the insurance process, and your knowledgeable car accident attorney knows how to hold the insurance company responsible for such actions.
Shifting Fault
The insurance company may attempt to shift the element of fault in your claim toward you – the injured party – and away from its policyholder. Insurance companies may even use your social posts to find any shred of evidence against you.
In the end, the facts of the case and the available evidence – not the insurance company’s protestations – will determine fault in the matter.
It Is Time to Consult with an Experienced Car Accident Attorney
To defend your rights and secure the best possible outcome for your case, it is essential to work with a trusted car accident attorney who has the experience, keen legal insight, and resources to aggressively advocate for you. Your case is important, so please do not hesitate to contact a lawyer for more information today.