After a car accident, victims can be left reeling. In addition to potential injuries sustained, victims of car accidents are often mentally scarred and traumatized. The victims may be quite shaken up, and in the worst circumstances, car accidents can be fatal, leaving the family left to pick up the piece. On top of all that, surviving victims may face extensive financial burdens such as medical bills, automotive repair bills, and, in some cases. That’s why it can be so important to understand the weight of legal assistance.
One of the common issues that individuals face after a car accident is back and neck pain. These common maladies are often devastating and can result from a range of injuries that individuals can sustain in a car accident. To better understand, let’s explore some examples of common back injuries that can result from a car accident. We’ll also discuss the implications of these injuries, what you should do after a car accident, and more.
The Importance of Legal Assistance
Whether or not you think you’re hurt, you should often seek both medical and legal assistance after a serious car accident. After a serious injury, it is critical not just to focus on your physical condition, but to also know your legal rights.
Not only can an experienced attorney help you build the most solid case possible, but they can also help you navigate the process of filing and help you protect your rights. Even if you’re not filing a lawsuit, an attorney can help you contend with the insurance companies — whose job might be to pay you as little as possible or to avoid paying you the benefits you are entitled to — and help you ensure your rights are firmly protected.
Keeping Stories Straight
One of the most compelling reasons to quickly seek legal assistance after an accident is simple: every moment counts. The longer you wait to seek legal assistance, the more time other parties may have to change their story and the less time your attorney may have to discover evidence. The facts are important, and by seeking legal assistance as soon as possible, you may be able to bring the facts to light. Early investigation into every case is critical.
What to do After an Accident
Even if you think you’re fine, seek medical attention if emergency medical technicians are on the scene. The stress response can keep you from realizing you’re seriously injured, and some injuries won’t immediately result in pain. It is very common not to instantly feel pain, but for pain and discomfort to set in hours or even within a few days of the accident.
The importance of seeking medical attention after a car accident is twofold: first and most importantly, it’s vital to your safety, health, and well-being. Seeking medical attention is the best way to either rule out injury or ensure that you’re aware you have one so that you can properly treat it. Second, this is also an important step from a legal perspective; it establishes that you have sustained an injury on paper, which can be important for your case.
If you’ve been checked out by medical personnel and can move safely, it’s often helpful to immediately document the scene of the accident if you can. Consider taking photographs of the damage, any visible injuries, and the other vehicle’s license plate. If you have a trusted loved one, consider calling them to let them know you’ve been in an accident. Give them any applicable details, such as the make and model of the other vehicle and any injuries you suspect you’ve received.
Additionally, refrain from accepting responsibility for the accident. This can include seemingly innocuous utterances, such as apologizing. Don’t speak with anybody except for medical personnel and emergency responders until you’ve spoken with an attorney. Do not make any statements to an insurance company before consulting with an attorney.
Consider hiring an attorney immediately if you suspect you have been injured, as the longer you wait to consult a legal expert, the more time the other party may have to sway the case in their favor.
Common Back Injuries From Car Wrecks
Car accidents can lead to a range of injuries, including severe back and neck pain. In this article, we’ll delve into some common scenarios to help you understand the gravity of car accident back pain, which may initially seem minor.
Fractured Bones
Fractured bones are a serious concern, particularly when they involve the neck or back. These fractures often lead to persistent pain that can linger long after the accident. Not only can these fractures require extensive medical care, but they may also demand a prolonged recovery period. This frequently translates to mounting medical bills and enduring discomfort. Moreover, the inability to perform physical tasks can result in a loss of income for many victims suffering from car accident back and neck pain.
Whiplash – Disc Herniatons and More
Soft and connective tissues can be another cause of car accident back pain. The physical trauma of the impact can wreak havoc on tissues, such as ligaments, tendons, bones, and muscles. A very common, but significant injury, from a car accident involves herniated or bulging vertebral discs in the neck and back. When the material of the discs leaks out, they can press on the spinal cord and surrounding nerves, causing pain, numbness, weakness and tingling that extends into the arms and legs. These injuries may never heal and can lead to a permanent disability. It is important to obtain the proper treatment and testing, including MRIs, physical therapy, pain management treatment, and possibly even surgery
A more minor, but potentially significant injury, resulting from a car accident is whiplash. Whiplash is a sprain of the neck. A sprain is when the ligaments that connect your bones are damaged through tearing or stretching. A strain is when connective tissues are also damaged, but it refers to damage to connective tissue between bones and muscles rather than between two bones.
Whether it’s fractures, herniations, bulges, or any other type of injury to the neck or the back, the bottom line is that recovery can be an arduous journey; you may face medical bills, consistent pain, and an inability to perform physical actions that you’re normally able to carry out. That’s why it can be so important to seek medical attention and, in some cases, legal assistance.
Seeking Medical Attention – The Stress Response
The stress response (“fight or flight response” – “adrenaline rush”) may have kept our injured ancestors safe, enabling them to get to safety even after being badly hurt by flooding their bodies with fight-or-flight chemicals that dulled their sense of pain, gave them energy, and made them frantic. However, now, the same response can be a disadvantage. It can lead to victims of an injury being unable to feel pain or think clearly — which can keep them from realizing they’re injured or understanding the extent of their injuries.
Victims of an accident sometimes don’t experience pain right away or immediately realize how badly they’ve been injured. That’s why, even if you think you’re fine, you should immediately seek medical attention following an accident.
The Bottom Line
Survivors of car accidents can face some serious challenges. Victims often must contend with long-term pain, difficult recovery periods, permanent disability, loss of income, and mental anguish. That’s why it’s so important to seek prompt medical attention if you suspect you’ve been injured in a car accident, and seek the services of an experienced attorney.
If you’ve been injured or suspect you’ve been injured in a car accident in Manhattan, Staten Island or anywhere in the Metropolitan area, Long Island, Westchester or the surrounding area, please don’t hesitate to reach out. You’ve likely been through a harrowing experience, and you don’t need to take this on alone. We understand this may be a difficult time in your life, and we are here to help. At Grandelli & Eskenasi, we’ve been representing victims of car accidents since 1992, obtaining some of the highest recoveries in New York for our clients. We can help you protect your rights and fight for justice. Get in touch today.
