Car accident victims often suffer neck and back injuries. You might be left with pain and limited mobility for years. In the most serious cases, these issues can lead to paralysis. If you have been in a crash caused by another driver’s negligence, you should not have to deal with the financial, medical, and legal burdens involved. A good Fort Worth personal injury lawyer can help you by building a strong liability and damages case and fighting to get you the most compensation to get your life back on track.
How Neck and Back Injuries Occur on North Texas Roads
According to the National Institutes of Health, car and truck wrecks are the most common cause of spinal cord injuries in the United States.
Neck and back injuries typically occur as a result of collisions which cause extreme jolts to the body. Every crash is different but regardless of whether they are rear-end, head-on, t-bone, or side-angle collisions, they can all be disabling and even life-changing.
It is important to note that back injuries may not make themselves obvious immediately after your accident. That is why promptly seeking medical attention after a collision, even when you believe you may not be harmed, is important. This delayed onset of symptoms can also occur in people with traumatic brain injuries.
The Most Common Neck and Back Injuries a Fort Worth Injury Lawyer Sees
Our firm regularly represents people with moderate to severe spinal injuries. No case is too serious or complex for us.
Bulging Discs
The 26 vertebrae in your spine are separated by pieces of cartilage called discs. These prevent the bones in your neck and back from rubbing against one another. The physical impact of a car accident can cause the outer part of these discs to bulge and create pressure on surrounding nerves. Bulging discs lead to symptoms like:
- Neck, back, and jaw pain
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Vision issues
- Brain fog
- Fatigue
Disc Herniation
When the outer layer of a disc cracks or tears, the inner gel-like substance, known as the nucleus pulposus, can leak into the spinal canal. This is known as a herniated disc. The herniation can irritate nearby nerves, resulting in pain, numbness, or weakness in an arm or leg.
Spinal Fractures
A spinal fracture (more commonly known as a broken neck or back) is among the most serious neck and back injuries. They involve a break in one or more of the vertebrae, the interlocking bones that make up the spinal column. Symptoms include
- Severe back pain
- Numbness
- Weakness
- Difficulty walking
Treatment options for spinal fractures include non-surgical interventions like bracing and surgery aimed at stabilizing the spine and preventing further injury. Extensive physical therapy is also usually a necessary part of spinal fracture rehabilitation.
Spondylolisthesis
Spondylolisthesis is a spinal condition where one vertebra slips forward over the vertebra below it. This can occur due to sudden trauma from a car crash or other factors.
Spondylolisthesis commonly happens in the lower back, or lumbar spine, but can also occur in the cervical (neck) spine. It can lead to symptoms like lower back pain, leg pain, stiffness, muscle tightness, weakness, and nerve compression.
Whiplash
Whiplash is a common injury among car accident victims. This strain/sprain of muscles, ligaments, tendons, joints, and fascia results from the rapid back-and-forth motion of the neck and back. Symptoms include headaches, pain, decreased range of motion, and other complications.
Diagnosis and Treatment of Spinal Injuries
As we noted previously in this blog, neck and back injuries can sometimes be difficult to spot. They often go unnoticed during routine physical check-ups following road accidents. When you visit an emergency room after a collision, you will usually only undergo an x-ray which just shows broken bones. In order to accurately identify your condition and recommend an effective course of treatment, specialists may have to run MRI tests, CT scans, and other more sophisticated medical exams.
In terms of treatment, minor injuries like sprains and strains may respond well to interventions like rest, physical therapy, icing, and over-the-counter pain relievers and muscle relaxers.
More severe neck and back injuries typically require more intensive treatment, including
- Epidural steroid injections, nerve and facet blocks,
- Prescriptions for the management of pain and inflammation
- Physical and occupational therapy to support long-term rehabilitation]
- Surgery to relieve spinal compression and other issues
Every case is different. The only way to know for certain what your diagnosis and treatment protocol will be is to visit a spinal injury specialist like an orthopedic surgeon or neurosurgeon.
Of course, you’ve likely never had to even think about visiting a specialist like this before, so you probably won’t have any idea where to start. If you come to us for a consultation, we can point you in the right direction. Our firm has good relationships with many of the top neck and back doctors in the DFW area. In some cases, these medical experts will agree to work with our clients on a delayed payment schedule.
Our Fort Worth Injury Lawyer Will Fight for Your Rights
Spinal injuries can have serious consequences, so large compensation amounts are often necessary in these types of cases. Mr. Berenson specializes in these cases. For example, he filed suit and obtained $950,000 for an elderly couple who suffered neck and back injuries in a Dallas car accident.
Neck and back injuries sometimes require ongoing treatment for years, if not for the rest of your life. This type of care gets expensive, so what seems like a large settlement at first glance may not be as much as you need to cover all your costs.
Remember, time is of the essence if you are thinking of making a Texas auto accident claim. There is generally a two-year statute of limitations on car and truck accident claims in the state but shorter deadlines can apply. If you miss that deadline, your chance to recover damages is over.
You are always better off starting the process as soon as you can after your accident because it gets more difficult to build a successful auto accident case the longer you wait. Gathering physical evidence and taking eyewitness reports is difficult, if not impossible if you wait.
The legal process can be complicated. As we detailed in this post, there are many steps for an attorney to take to know what a case is worth and how to secure favorable compensation for his client.
Get in Contact Today
Contact Berenson Law today to speak with an experienced Fort Worth injury lawyer. Mr. Berenson has been representing Fort Worth accident victims for the past 42 years. Call us at 817-885-8000 or use the form on our website to schedule a free initial consultation.