Back pain is one of the most common reasons people go to the doctor or miss work, according to the Mayo Clinic. A sudden jolt, such as in a car accident, is a primary cause of back injuries, the National Institute of Health’s PubMed website says.
Back injuries cause pain and limit movement. This can make the injured person unable to work for a living or unable to perform the simple tasks of daily living. Lost wages on top of what are likely to be significant medical expenses is a good reason for a person who has suffered a back injury in a car accident to seek compensation from the driver who caused the accident.
Call 1-888-GINARTE (1-888-446-2783) today or fill out our online contact form to set up a meeting. Ginarte Gonzalez Winograd L.L.P., can review your car accident and back injury case for free. If we proceed with a claim on your behalf, we receive compensation only after you win your case.
Common Back Injuries in Car Accidents
In many cases, back injuries are impact injuries, trauma caused by the body colliding with a moving or stationary object, such as in a motor vehicle accident. A sudden awkward movement, such as being violently jostled in a car accident, can strain back muscles and spinal ligaments. The lower back is the most common site of back injuries and back pain.
Common back injuries include:
- Sprains. A sprain is a stretched or torn ligament. Ligaments are tissues that connect bones at a joint. Symptoms include pain, swelling, bruising and being unable to move the affected joint. A sprain in the back might make it difficult or impossible to bend over, stretch to reach, or to walk.
- Strains. A strain is a stretched or torn muscle or tendon. Tendons are tissues that connect muscle to bone. A back strain may cause pain, muscle spasms, swelling and trouble moving the affected muscles.
- Herniated disks. Between each of the vertebrae in the back are soft disks filled with a jelly-like substance that aid the flexibility of the back. A herniated or ruptured disk allows the jelly-like center of the disk to leak, which irritates nearby nerves. This can cause back pain or sciatica. Sciatica, an irritation of the sciatic nerve, which is the largest nerve in the body, causes pain, weakness, numbness or tingling that may start in the lower back and extend down the leg to your calf, foot or toes.
- Fractured vertebrae. In addition to the tremendous pain of a broken back, the damage from fractured vertebrae in the spinal column can leave the spine unstable. In many cases, fractured vertebrae require a type of surgery known as “spinal fusion,” which permanently connects two or more bones in the spine. Spinal fusion results in a loss of flexibility in the fused area of the back.
A serious back injury is likely to lead to a long and difficult recovery with huge medical expenses and additional costs, including lost income. Medical expenses can include the costs of hospitalization, surgery and medication, plus rehabilitation therapy and, in some cases, ongoing treatment or assistive care. Depending on the severity of the injury, lost wages from a back injury may be a temporary setback or a permanent reduction in the quality of life for the patient who can never return to working for a living.
Contact a Back Injury Lawyer in New York and New Jersey
If you have suffered a serious back injury in a NJ / NY car accident, you may be entitled to compensation for your medical expenses, lost income and other losses. The car accident lawyers of the Ginarte firm have helped hundreds of back injury patients obtain the financial assistance with their recoveries that they deserved.
Sources:
- Mayo Clinic – Back pain
- NIH – Back Injuries
- Mayo Clinic – Back surgery: When is it a good idea?