Can I Sue for a Back Injury in a Car Accident?
Can I Sue for a Back Injury in a Car Accident?
If you or somebody you care about has been injured in a vehicle accident caused by the actions of another driver in California, you will likely be able to recover compensation for your losses. This includes any back injury that occurs as a result of the accident. There are a variety of types of back injuries that can occur in a crash, some of which we will discuss here. We also want to cover the types of compensation you may be able to recover after a back injury caused by a car accident.
Common Car Accident Back Injuries
Back injuries are one of the most common types of injuries that can occur in a car accident. No matter what area of a vehicle gets impacted, there is a potential for those inside of the vehicle to sustain these types of injuries. This includes rear-end accidents, T-bone accidents, front-end collisions, rollovers, and more. Some of the most common types of back injuries include:
- Whiplash – This can occur when the force of the crash causes our upper bodies and necks to propel forward and backward in a rapid motion. This type of injury can damage the muscles, ligaments, and tissues in the upper back and neck.
- Spinal fractures – There are various types of spinal fractures that can occur in the bones of the spine (the vertebrae). Anytime there is a crack or fracture in a vertebra, this can lead to pain and other symptoms in the area of the fracture.
- Herniated discs – The discs that sit in between each vertebra are meant to keep bone from grinding on one another, but a herniated disc could lead to the compression of nerves, pain, and numbness in various areas of the body.
- Spinal cord trauma – The spinal cord runs from the base of our necks all the way through to the barracks area, and any injury to the spinal cord could lead to partial or permanent paralysis.
This is a brief and incomplete list of the types of back injuries that can occur in vehicle accidents. If you or somebody you care about has sustained any type of back injury caused by vehicle accident trauma, you may be able to recover compensation for your losses.
Can You Recover Compensation?
If a vehicle accident is caused by the careless, negligent, or intentional actions of another driver on the roadway, it may certainly be possible to recover compensation for your losses. Back injuries can lead to a wide range of expenses, including the following:
- Emergency medical bills
- Follow up hospital or doctor visits
- Physical therapy or rehabilitation
- Prescription medications and medical devices
- Lost wages if a victim cannot work
- Out-of-pocket expenses
Individuals should be able to recover compensation for these losses, and they should also be able to recover payment of non-economic expenses they experience as a result of a back injury. This can include compensation for physical pain and suffering resulting from the back injury, emotional and psychological distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and more. We strongly encourage you to work with a skilled spinal cord injury lawyer in Riverside who can help you get through every aspect of your claim. In many cases, it may be possible to recover compensation through an insurance settlement, but it may be necessary to file a civil personal injury lawsuit against the at-fault party to ensure you are properly compensated.