Imagine you are driving in Hoffman Estates near NOW Arena or Paul Douglas Preserve. Someone slams into your car and you have a severe back injury.
Anyone who has a back injury in an accident knows how painful and debilitating it can be. You could have difficulty walking, standing, driving, sleeping, and more. In addition, you might be entitled to compensation if someone’s negligence caused your back injury. Whatever back injury you have, a serious back injury lawyer in Hoffman Estates can help you Claim Your Justice.
Some accident-related back injuries are much more severe than others. Whatever your back injury is, you should seek immediate medical attention after the accident for a diagnosis and treatment.
A common serious back injury after an accident is a bulging or herniated disc. This happens when a disc between the vertebrae is damaged because of excessive force. A spinal disc is sometimes described as a small, thin jelly donut with a soft inside and a hard outside.
A herniated disc means the inside of the disc pushes out through the tough exterior. This may inflame nearby nerves and cause arm and leg numbness and tingling, and even muscle weakness.
However, some people with injured discs do not have debilitating symptoms. Therefore, back surgery is not always required for a herniated disc. Instead, your physician will review treatment options, including medication, epidural shots, rest, and physical therapy.
This is the most severe accident-related back injury. When there is damage to the spinal cord or nerves, there may be long-term damage, including loss of sensation and strength or even paralysis. People who have spinal cord injuries are often plagued by infections, too.
This grave injury will require months or years of rehabilitation and care. So, if someone was negligent in the accident, you should work with an attorney to get appropriate compensation.
A fractured vertebra is also sometimes called a compression fracture. This is a gap or crack in the vertebra. This condition can happen from a car accident.
Your lumbar spine is your lower back and just above the sacrum – the lowest spine area. The lumbar spine includes the largest vertebrae. A severe car accident can damage the muscles in your lumbar spine, causing pain, swelling, and reduced range of motion. The vertebrae are referred to as L1 through L5.
This is the spine in the middle and upper back. It is located between your neck and lumbar spine, offering support to your ribcage. Thoracic spine injuries are severe in car accidents. A high-speed car crash may fracture the thoracic spine and lead to permanent nerve damage. The vertebrae are referred to as T1 through T12.
This area of the spine is at the neck level and just below the neck. Cervical spine injuries are severe in car accidents. A high-speed car crash may fracture the cervical spine and lead to permanent nerve damage and upper extremity pain and limitation of movement. The vertebrae are referred to as C1 through C7.
Facet joints are located between many vertebrae. The nerve roots pass through the facet joints to different body areas. For example, the back’s facet joints allow you to twist or bend in different directions without injuring the spine. However, when facet joints are damaged, they pinch the nerves and cause pain.
Issues with facet joints can happen from back trauma. There may be muscle spasms in the back and pain on the outside of your back. The pain can radiate up and down the spine.
Back injuries often happen in car accidents. The violence of a collision can damage your vertebrae, tendons, ligaments, and nerves. Therefore, it is critical to be checked by a doctor immediately. Even if you do not go to the ER directly, set an appointment with a back specialist the same day. Prompt medical treatment for your back injury will get you on the road to recovery faster. In addition, your doctor will determine if there are regular daily activities you should avoid or work restrictions not to aggravate the injury.
For example, carrying your child up the stairs could worsen your back injury. Aggravating the issue can cause a longer recovery and even worsen the damage.
Your physician could order an MRI or x-ray to look for vertebra or disc damage. Your doctor may perform a discography or other type of study to find the problem bone or disc if there is a problem.
Back pain does not always present acute symptoms. After an accident, your body may flood with endorphins, which mask back pain temporarily. A severe back injury is an excellent example of a car accident injury that may take time to manifest.
After an accident, be aware of any pain or discomfort in your back or spine. Also, note if you have tingling in your hands, feet, arms, or legs. After a severe car accident, it is a good idea to go to the doctor to be examined. If you delay treatment and wind up with a severe back injury, the insurance company will argue your injury is related to something else.
Every back injury is different, so it is difficult to say what your case may be worth. Some sources say the average settlement value for a back injury in a car accident is between $10,000 and $100,000. Other sources have data that if there is back surgery, the average settlement exceeds $200,000.
Between $10,000 and $50,000 is typical for a back strain or sprain. However, you should have a back injury lawyer in Hoffman Estates review your accident claim for more information.
Compensation for your back injury claim usually includes your economic (medical bills, lost wages) and non-economic damages (pain and suffering and permanent disfigurement).
Economic damage is sometimes referred to as special damages and includes:
Your back injury medical bills will vary based on the injury severity. Some treatments necessary for back injuries are disc surgery, steroid injections, MRIs, physical therapy, and massages. You may also need long-term medical care for a severe back injury with nerve damage or paralysis.
You are entitled to money for your lost earnings in your back injury claim. Also, you should receive compensation for lost wages in the future. Lost income is usually determined by showing your pay stubs, W-2s, and related financial information. You also should show how much work time you missed and the vacation and sick time used.
Proving your lost future income from your back injury requires economic experts who can show what your earnings should have been without the back injury.
Non-economic damages are often called general damage and include non-monetary damages related to your back injury. These damages are subjective and include compensation for:
The insurance company may use a pain multiplier to figure out how much to award for your pain and suffering from a back injury. This means the economic compensation for lost wages and medical bills is multiplied by a number between 1.5 and 5. So, for example, if your monetary damages are $20,000 and the multiplier is 3 for pain and suffering, you could receive $80,000.
Having an attorney help, you value pain and suffering is vital to your health and future. Unfortunately, most non-attorneys do not understand what pain and suffering in a back injury case are worth. Back injuries can be excruciating, so be sure you get sufficient compensation for what you are experiencing.
Emotional distress damages may be added if you suffer mentally from your back injury. For example, you may be depressed from the pain and inability to do things you enjoy.
Sometimes a back injury is so severe, such as paralysis, your loved ones do not enjoy a routine loving relationship with you. This may include the loss of the ability to have sexual relations with a partner.
Spinal injuries and whiplash have many of the same symptoms. However, whiplash is in a different category because it is an injury to the neck.
Auto accident victims with extreme neck bending forward and backward bending suffer a whiplash injury. This is a common injury in rear-end crashes. Whiplash causes damage to your neck nerves, discs, tendons, and muscles.
While whiplash is not as severe as other back-related injuries, it can be excruciating and limiting to your activities. See a doctor immediately if you have neck pain after a car accident.
You may have the most pain if you were recently hurt in a car accident and suffered a severe back injury, you may have the most pain. Being unable to move comfortably, walk, run, and do daily activities can be unbearable.
Our Hoffman Estates back injury lawyers know what it is like to have your life limited by a severe back injury. If someone was negligent in the accident, we could obtain money for your damages and pain.
Claim Your Justice attorneys handle back injury cases in Hoffman Estates, Mount Prospect, Rolling Meadows, Grove Village, Schaumburg, Hanover Park, and throughout Chicagoland. Please contact Claim Your Justice at 847-434-3555 for more information about your case.
Disclaimer
This information is not intended to be legal advice. You should consult an attorney for advice regarding your individual situation. We invite you to contact us and welcome your calls, letters, and electronic mail. Contacting us does not create an Attorney-Client relationship. An Attorney-Client relationship is created when you sign a written agreement with our law firm. Please do not send any confidential information to us until such time as an Attorney-Client relationship has been established.
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