Common Back Injuries Caused in Auto Collisions

A common injury that car accident victims suffer is a back injury. Unfortunately, many victims never fully recover from their injuries and must endure chronic pain, limits in movements, and reduced quality of life.

Did you suffer a back injury in an auto collision? It can be overwhelming to try to pay for your costly medical treatments for your back injuries. However, you can hold the negligent driver who caused your injuries responsible for compensating you for your medical expenses and much more under Virginia law.

Types of Back Injuries Caused by Car Accidents

The force of impact in a collision—even if the vehicles are traveling at a slow speed—can injure the muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones in a person’s back. Common back injuries victims suffer include:

• Strains and sprains. Back strains are caused when the soft tissues, such as the tendons and muscles, in the back are strained unnaturally in the collision. Sprains also cause damage to soft tissues but affect the ligaments that connect joints and bones in the back. Both sprains and strains can cause pain and mobility problems.
• Herniated disk. A herniated disk is caused when the jelly-like cushions that separate the vertebrae in the spine tear and the substance inside the disk leaks out. Nerves that connect all parts of the body are also damaged. Symptoms can include pain in the buttocks, thigh, calf, or foot and weakness, numbness, or tingling in the part of the body controlled by the damaged nerves.
• Compression fracture. Compression fractures are tiny breaks or cracks in the bones in the spine. They can cause persistent pain when a person moves and breathes. Compression fractures can also cause numbness and muscle weakness.
• Spondylolisthesis. This condition is caused when the vertebrae are shifted out of alignment due to fractures, and the nerves along the spine become compressed. A car accident victim suffering from this can experience weakness, pain, numbness, and difficulty walking.

Obtaining Compensation for a Back Injury Caused in a Car Accident

You could need a variety of medical treatments, such as pain medications, physical therapy, and surgery, throughout your life if you suffer a serious back injury in an auto crash. You may be off work for months or longer while you are being treated for your injury.

Fortunately, you can recover your past and future medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering in your settlement with the negligent motorist’s insurance company. You will need the help of an experienced car accident attorney to calculate all of your damages and fight with the negligent driver’s insurance company so that you receive all that you deserve in your settlement.

Did you suffer a back or other injury in a car accident? Call our Norfolk office or fill out our convenient online form to schedule a free consultation to learn how we can assist you.