Any sort of accident that results in a personal injury lawsuit can lead to severe neck and back pain. Whether it’s a car accident, a slip and fall, a boating accident or anything else, the pain associated with this type of injury can be horrible. It can also make accomplishing even the most basic tasks, such as bathing or dressing yourself, seem nearly impossible.
At Sand Law, we have a team of attorneys with a reputation for passionately representing our clients. If you’ve suffered a back, neck or any other type of injury due to the negligence of another party, we want you to obtain every bit of compensation you have coming to you – and we’ll fight to make sure you get just that.
Contact Sand Law online or give us a call at 651-291-7263 for a free consultation. We’ll listen to the details of your case and let you know how we may be able to help.
Different Types of Personal Injury Accidents That Can Cause Back and Neck Pain
Each and every day, millions of Minnesotans go about their business. They’ll drive to work, go boating on weekends, go to the grocery store every week or two, etc.
The vast majority of us don’t think twice about the potential dangers of these seemingly harmless activities, but, unfortunately, accidents happen. When they do, they can result in excruciating neck and back discomfort.
The following are just a few of the kinds of accidents that can lead to severe neck and back pain.
Motor Vehicle Accidents
When a car accident occurs, that puts an incredible amount of force on drivers and passengers. This can cause serious back and neck problems that can take years of rehabilitation and treatment. In many instances, people never fully recover.
Anytime a car collides with another object – whether it’s a tree, a building, another vehicle or anything else – everything in the car is going to move in the direction of the collision. This, of course, includes human beings. When this happens, that can put an incredible amount of pressure on the neck and back – areas of the body that are extremely sensitive to sudden movements.
Vulnerable Road User Accidents
Pedestrians, motorcycle riders and bicyclists are among the most vulnerable people on the road. When they’re struck by a much larger four-wheeled vehicle, the results are often catastrophic. In many cases, victims of this kind of accident can consider themselves lucky if they “only” hurt their back or neck. These accidents often lead to much worse consequences, such as fatalities.
Slip and Falls
It’s a pretty good assumption that the vast majority of Minnesotans have slipped on an icy surface before. You only have to do it once to realize what kind of damage it can do, to not only the back and neck, but the entire body.
However, far too many people in Minnesota suffer debilitating neck and back injuries due to negligence. The most common slip and fall accidents that occur because of negligence include slipping on a wet grocery store aisle. Not only can this damage the back, it can also lead to a severe head injury.
Grocery stores and other retail locations can be held liable if they allow hazardous conditions, such as wet floors, to go unaddressed. If they either knew, or should have known these conditions existed, yet either failed to warn customers or ignored the problem completely, they can be sued for a substantial amount of money.
Boating Accidents
As much as Minnesotans love to get out on the lake, it’s easy to see how boating accidents could be commonplace occurrences. When this kind of accident takes place, passengers – much like those involved in car accidents – can be subjected to sudden, violent movements. Oftentimes, boating accidents occur due to acts of negligence on the part of the operator. These include operating the boat while intoxicated or distracted.
Medical Malpractice
A patient should never have to worry that a doctor will make a health problem worse through medical malpractice, but it can happen. You might have gone in for a simple procedure to relieve neck or back pain, but then you become debilitated due to a medical mistake. If this happens to you, an experienced attorney can file a lawsuit on your behalf.
Injuries That Cause Back and Neck Pain
Here’s some information on some of the more common injuries that can cause severe pain in the back and neck.
Whiplash
This is a neck injury that will often occur as the result of an automobile accident, which causes the victim’s head to violently jerk forward and then backward. The name of the condition perfectly illustrates that action, because it is sort of a whipping movement back and forth. If not addressed, whiplash can lead to serious complications. This will likely increase what it costs to treat your whiplash injury.
Lumbar Sprains
A lumbar sprain happens when the back undergoes too much force, such as during a vehicle collision. The muscles, tendons and ligaments stretch too far, leading to severe pain. This kind of injury may not seem serious on the surface. However, it can lead to weeks, or even months, of debilitation.
Disc Herniation
A herniated disc is yet another injury that can be the result of a personal injury accident, such as a slip and fall or a vehicular collision. The discs in the spine are the body’s natural “shock absorbers,” so to speak. When they rupture or tear, that can lead to pain that radiates down the back and through the legs.
Spinal Stenosis
Also known as “narrowing of the spine,” spinal stenosis is a condition usually associated with aging. However, any sort of trauma can cause spinal stenosis – such as suffering a back injury in a car accident. Trauma-induced spinal stenosis often occurs because a bone fragment or a ruptured disc is applying pressure to either the spinal cord or nerves in the back.
Are These Types of Injuries Expensive to Treat?
Without a doubt. Serous spinal cord injuries can cost anywhere from about $350,000 to more than $1 million to treat – in just the first year alone. Each year afterward, costs can range from about $40,000 to more than $180,000.
Can I Receive Compensation for my Spinal Cord Injury?
You can pursue compensation for any sort of injury you’ve suffered in an accident – as long as you can prove your injury was due to the negligence of another. It’s important to know you won’t be suing the person who caused the accident, or the grocery store clerk who failed to clean up the spill that caused your slip and fall accident. You’ll be suing the insurance company that covers the negligent driver, or the insurer that covers the store where the slip occurred.
Why You Should Hire an Attorney to Handle Your Personal Injury Case
If you’ve been in any type of accident that led to a back or neck injury, you’ll need evidence to strengthen your case. That’s why it will be so important to hire an experienced personal injury attorney as soon as you can.
Sand Law has that experience, and we know how to investigate accidents and gather the evidence our clients need. Give us a call at 651-291-7263 or use our online form to schedule a free review of your case.