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Back and neck injuries following a car accident can be life-altering. Spinal cord injuries are among the most serious injuries a person can experience in a car accident and can result in permanent paralysis. This article doesn’t address spinal cord injuries. Instead, the Cooper Law Firm is taking a close look at back and neck injuries that result in herniated disks, and those that leave patients suffering from pain. While these injuries are not as serious as spinal cord injuries, they may require surgery, can impact a person for years, or even for life, and can require long-term rehabilitative care. If you have been hurt in an accident in Texas, consider speaking to the Cooper Law Firm today to learn more about your options and rights when it comes to back and neck injuries. You may be entitled to seek damages or compensation for your medical expenses, rehabilitation costs, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Let’s look at the most serious types of back injuries first.
Herniated Disks Following Car or Truck Accidents in Texas
In rare cases, individuals can sometimes suffer a slipped disk or herniated disk in a car or truck accident. If you experience jarring pain after a car, truck, or slip and fall accident, the cause of your pain very well might be a slipped or herniated disk. Sometimes, over time, a disk in your spine can begin to slip out of place. While this tends to happen as a person ages, a sudden motion can also jar the disk out of place, resulting in pain. Many patients suffering from a herniated disk experience lower back pain. Others may experience radiating pain that moves down their legs. If the nerve is affected by a herniated disk, patients might experience numbness or tingling of their extremities. Sometimes a herniated disk can lead to other complications, so it is important to speak to your doctor as soon as possible if you are suffering severe back pain.
How is a herniated disk treated? Individuals might be prescribed pain medications, muscle relaxers, and other medicines to alleviate pain in the short-term. In the long-term, patients might require physical therapy to manage the pain of a slipped disk. In some rare cases, patients may need to undergo surgery to repair the ruptured or slipped disk. Every patient’s needs will be unique, so it is important to seek proper medical care if you are suffering from back pain following a car accident. The Cooper Law Firm is a personal injury attorney in Texas who works closely with individuals who have been hurt due to the negligence or neglect of another person or party. You may be entitled to seek damages for your losses if another person’s negligence behind the wheel resulted in your back injury.
Fighting Insurance for Back Pain Claims in Texas
If, following your truck, car, or slip and fall accident in Texas, you experience ongoing back pain, making a claim can be particularly challenging. Why? First, back pain without a clear organic cause—that is, back pain where there is no spinal cord injury or herniated disk that can be seen on an MRI—might be linked to age or other factors. Insurance companies might try to deny back pain claims following car or truck accidents, because companies might try to prove that you might have suffered from the back pain before your accident.
But what if you had no back pain before your car accident? What if you are relatively young and healthy and find yourself suffering from chronic back or neck pain following a truck or car accident? There are several cases where patients suffering from back pain after a personal injury may have a strong case. If you:
- Have never received medical treatment for back or neck pain in the past, but have since had to seek treatment, you may be able to prove to insurance companies or negligent parties that your back pain is the result of your car, truck, or slip and fall accident.
- If you are young and can show that the back pain is not due to aging, you may also be able to successfully make a claim.
- If you had back pain in the past, but received treatment long ago and have since recovered, but now find yourself suffering from back pain again, you may be entitled to make a partial claim. While insurance companies or courts might consider your condition “pre-existing,” you still may be able to show that your car accident, truck accident, or slip and fall accident re-injured you.
- You suffered from back or neck pain before the crash, but the accident made your pain much more serious. If physical therapy previously was able to manage your back pain but now you find yourself needing medications, you may be able to show that your personal injury worsened your condition, and may be able to seek a claim for additional treatment you may need to receive.
These are just some of the scenarios where you may be able to seek damages for back or neck pain following an accident. However, every case is unique. If you are suffering from back or neck pain after a crash, and believe that the accident worsened or led to your pain, consider speaking to the Cooper Law Firm today. Our personal injury attorneys can review your case and help you build the strongest case under the law.
Living with Back Pain After an Accident in Texas? Seek Help
Back pain can be notoriously difficult to treat because it can involve the spine, muscles around the spine, nerves, and strains. Seeking proper medical attention can be costly, but proper care can result in better quality of life. If you or a loved one were hurt in a car accident in Texas, the Cooper Law Firm are personal injury attorneys who may be able to help you seek damages for your back injuries following an accident. Contact us today to l
