Injuring your neck or back can have significant impacts on your day-to-day life. These types of injuries can make it uncomfortable to stand, sit, or bend. In more severe cases, you may lose your ability to walk or have other mobility issues. Severe injuries can cause long-term or even permanent disability.
If you have injured your neck or back in an accident, you may be entitled to compensation. Injury lawyer David Fuchs works with accident victims to make sure they get the compensation they need to put their lives back together. If you’re suffering from a neck or back injury and need help, call a Fort Lauderdale accident lawyer from David I. Fuchs, Injury & Accident Lawyer, P.A. at (954) 246-0789, or reach out via our online form to schedule a free case consultation.
Types of Back Injuries From an Accident
Back injuries range from mild to severe. However, such injuries can be especially complicated, and the symptoms may not manifest themselves right away. It is critical that you see your doctor and get your injury properly diagnosed.
You may be experiencing pain in your upper, lower, or middle back following an accident. An experienced attorney can help you fight for compensation for the following types of back injuries:
Nerve Pain
The force of impact on your back can result in nerve damage. Generally speaking, the pain tends to radiate out through the nervous system and into your arms and legs. You may experience tingling or loss of sensation in your extremities. Nerve damage in your back can result from almost any type of accident.
Fractures
In severe accidents, you can suffer a broken back, where one or several of your vertebrae are fractured. Serious car accidents and falls often result in fractured vertebrae.
Herniated Discs
There are discs of tissue between each vertebra in your spine that serve as cushions in your spine. Violent trauma to the back can cause these discs to bulge or slip between the vertebrae, pressing on nerves and surrounding tissues. Herniated discs can be extremely painful, and often require extensive surgery to repair.
Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries are the most serious back injury you can suffer. A spinal cord injury is when the spinal cord itself is damaged or completely severed. Spinal cord injuries often result in partial or total paralysis.
You May Also Experience Neck Pain After an Accident
Accidents that result in back injuries often cause neck problems as well, since the neck is a part of your spine. You can suffer the same damage to your neck as you can to your back, including fractures, herniated discs, and nerve damage.
Neck injuries can often be difficult to distinguish from back injuries, but a medical professional can make the proper diagnosis. That said, you may need an experienced neck injury attorney to ensure that you receive fair compensation for any injuries you incur as the result of a personal injury accident.
What is Whiplash?
Whiplash is a relatively common soft tissue injury to the neck, caused by sudden, forceful back and forth movement of the head. Although whiplash injuries are not typically life-threatening, they can result in strain to the muscles and ligaments in the neck, and damage to the spinal discs and nerves surrounding the area.
Whiplash injuries are most often caused by rear-end car accidents, where the force of the vehicle from behind forces the head to snap back and forth. That said, whiplash injuries can be caused in other kinds of accidents. A skilled whiplash lawyer can evaluate your claim no matter what type of accident caused your injury.
Whiplash Symptoms After an Auto Accident
Common symptoms of whiplash include:
- Headaches
- Neck pain and stiffness
- Loss of range of motion in the neck
- Increasing neck pain with movement
- Tingling and numbness in the arms
- Pain in the shoulders, upper back, or arms
- Dizziness
- Unusual fatigue
- Ringing in the ears
- Blurred vision
- Difficulty concentrating
- Loss of sleep
- Memory loss
Whiplash symptoms range from mild to severe, and can get worse over time. It’s also important to note that you may not experience any symptoms until several days after your accident. Regardless, you should seek immediate medical attention when you begin to experience symptoms. Early detection and proper diagnosis are essential to getting the right treatment and making a full recovery.
The Effects of a Whiplash Injury
Whiplash can cause a significant amount of pain and discomfort. Neck and back pain, severe headaches, stiffness, and dizziness can make everyday tasks extremely difficult. You may find yourself unable to work, take care of your family, and participate in activities that you enjoy.
It’s also not uncommon for people who have suffered whiplash also to experience emotional or psychological effects. You may feel depressed or anxious and even suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder following an accident that caused you to experience whiplash. The pain and suffering caused by this type of injury can also result in loss of sleep, adding to the cost to your mental health.
With treatment, most people can expect to make a full recovery from whiplash. In severe cases, however, you may experience symptoms for months or even years. People who have previously suffered whiplash and the elderly are at risk for suffering from more severe cases of the harm. Some people experience persistent, chronic whiplash systems for the remainder of their lives.
What to Do if You Have Whiplash After an Accident
Once you’ve seen your doctor, the most important thing you can do is to follow your doctor’s instructions. This may mean staying home from work for a couple of days and getting plenty of rest. While this won’t be easy, it’s a necessary part of your recovery.
The next thing you should do is inform your insurance company that you have been injured in an accident. Explain that you are receiving medical care. They may try to settle your claim right away, but you should not accept their initial offer. Accepting the offer will include a waiver of any future claims, and you don’t yet know what the total cost of your injury will be.
You should also inform the insurance company if you have hired an attorney to represent you.
You also want to carefully track any expenses caused by the injury. Keep a copy of all medical bills, but also write down any lost wages or other income, as well as any other money you spent on treatment and recovery.
In addition to tracking your expenses, you want to compile all of the documents related to the accident. This includes doctors’ notes and other medical reports, as well as police reports and any witness statements.
Finally, you should contact an experienced whiplash attorney. They can help you understand your options, work with you to collect the bills and other documents you need, and pursue a fair settlement of your whiplash claim.
Common Causes of Neck and Back Injuries in Florida
Many neck and back injuries are the result of degenerative conditions, either due to disease or aging. Over-exerting yourself or other physical strains may cause other back injuries. However, many back injuries are caused by someone else’s negligence.
Motor Vehicle Accidents
Auto accidents, truck accidents, and motorcycle accidents can all result in serious damage to your back. Due to the speed and forces involved in these accidents, the violent impact can cause injury to your back in a number of ways. Motorcyclists face a heightened risk of back injury, as they will also fall to the ground and possibly collide with other objects. It is very common to experience upper, lower, and middle back pain following a car accident.
Bicycle and Pedestrian Accidents
Unlike when you are in a car accident, you have almost nothing to protect you from the impact when you are hit by a car while riding a bike or walking. As a result, your body will absorb most of the force of the impact, which will almost certainly result in injury to your back.
Construction Accidents
Construction accidents cause a considerable number of back injuries, as workers are exposed to numerous hazards every day. Severe back injuries can result from falls due to missing or faulty safety measures, falling objects or equipment, malfunctioning heavy machinery, and other accidents.
Slip and Fall Accidents
Property owners have a legal obligation to maintain their property to ensure your safety. When they fail to address known hazards and it results in a fall, the property owner can be held liable for your injuries.
What Happens After a Neck or Back Injury?
Neck and back injuries can result in a great deal of pain and suffering, and often carry life-long consequences. People who suffer a neck or back injury often experience the following effects:
- Loss of reflexes
- Chronic pain
- Difficulty sleeping
- Numbness or loss of sensation
- Loss of fine motor skills
- Loss of mobility and flexibility
- Respiratory problems
- Paralysis
People who suffer serious injuries are often unable to work, take care of their families, participate in hobbies and activities they enjoy. The medical bills, loss of income, and daily struggle caused by a back injury can quickly become overwhelming.
Why You May Need a Fort Lauderdale Neck and Back Injury Lawyer
If someone else’s negligence caused your neck or back injuries, you should contact an experienced attorney to discuss your case at (954) 246-0789.
The other party may not want to admit that they were responsible, and their insurance company is going to try to pay as little as possible on your claim. A lawyer can help prove the other person’s fault and the value of your claim so that you get the compensation you deserve.
Contact Our Neck and Back Injury Attorney for Help
David I. Fuchs, Injury & Accident Lawyer, P.A. believes that each case deserves personal attention. Aggressive and dedicated, attorney David Fuchs knows that your future is at stake, so he works to get you the best possible result. If you’ve suffered a neck or back injury in the Fort Lauderdale area as a result of someone else’s negligence, call (954) 246-0789, or reach out via the online form to schedule a free case evaluation.
If you cannot come to the Fort Lauderdale office, accident attorney David I. Fuchs will send a representative to see you. His staff speaks English and Spanish.
Se habla Inglés y Español. Llame a David Fuchs abogado de accidentes en la Fort Lauderdale. Ofrece consultas gratuitas.
