Some Common Back Injuries That Occur after Motor Vehicle Accidents
Once you suffer from injuries as a result of a car accident, you will not only feel frustrated and highly inconvenienced, but you will also have to face potentially debilitating pain and long-term discomfort. Furthermore, you will face an onslaught of medical bills for surgical procedures, recovery, and drugs as part of a potential pattern of pain management. However, among these injuries, each of us can readily say that back problems are, by far, the worst to deal with.
When you endure a car accident, you might imagine that whiplash or sprained arms are the most common injuries, but the fact of the matter is that severe motor vehicle crashes can also inflict trauma on your back, particularly from rear-end collisions. For today, let’s take a closer look at some of the most common back injuries that occur after accidents.
Whiplash Is a Contributing Factor
In many cases of rear-end accidents and other types of motor vehicle crashes, victims will sustain a whiplash injury, which takes place when the head rapidly snaps forward and backward, cracking like a whip. In severe cases, patients will suffer from numbness in their extremities or excruciating neck pain, which can indicate a more severe injury. In several cases, a whiplash injury may be an indicator for another spinal injury.
The Details of Back Injuries
Overall, the pain you may suffer after a motor vehicle accident will be instantaneous and extremely excruciating. Here is a closer look at some of the acute back injuries that victims can sustain after enduring a severe motor vehicle crash:
- Sprains or strains to the muscles in the back
- Dislocation of spinal discs or fractures, which can potentially cause paralysis
- Torn or ruptured spinal discs, which can trigger herniated discs
- Compressed spinal nerves
Typically, any acute back injury will go away after a period of one to four weeks.
Facts about Delayed-Onset Pain
In the cases of spinal injuries like whiplash, victims may not begin to experience symptoms until 24 hours after their accidents, which can lead to severe complications down the road. However, as the University of North Carolina School of Medicine discovered, nearly 70% of victims who sustained back injuries during car accidents will still suffer from pain about six weeks after the incidents.
Seeking a Personal Injury Lawyer in New York
Back injuries are absolutely terrifying, as the onset of this excruciating pain and rampant fear can be unnecessarily overwhelming. If you or a loved one has sustained injuries as a result of a spinal fracture, hemorrhage, or other type of injury, you will no doubt feet terrified and unsure of what steps you should take next.
Although this might be difficult, you must remain calm. With the assistance of a lawyer who is experienced with personal injury cases, you can gather viable resources to create a strong case in court.
We at Gattuso & Ciotoli have more than 50 years of combined legal experience and deliver some of the most high-quality legal services to victims of traumatic brain injuries in the vicinity of Syracuse, New York. We value your perspective on your case and your goals for the future and ready to help you receive the justice you deserve. For more information on our four practice areas or your legal matter, contact us at (315) 314-8000 today.