The neck is so central to everyday living that many people are permanently confined to bed when they suffer a serious neck injury. At Correll Law Firm, our Winchester personal injury lawyer is committed to helping anyone hurt in an accident obtain compensation. Neck injuries not only cause pain, but they can completely immobilize you for months. This required rehabilitation might force you to take several months off from work. Please call our firm to find out more about your ability to sue for compensation.
Serious Neck Injuries & How They Happen
Our clients have injured themselves in many accidents where they are not to blame, and they can end up in the hospital with:
Whiplash
This is a common soft-tissue injury. Muscles, ligaments, and tendons help stabilize the neck and allow it to move. But a violent blow to the body could cause your head to snap back and forth or side to side. This type of motion stretches and tears the soft tissue, leading to swelling and intense pain. Other symptoms include headaches, dizziness, nausea, and weakness in your limbs. Neck stiffness and immobility are also common. These symptoms could last for months.
Many of our clients suffer whiplash in a Winchester car accident. However, you might also suffer whiplash after a slip and fall or in another premises liability accident. Someone struck by a ball while playing sports could also suffer whiplash.
Treatment options vary. Many doctors today try to introduce movement in the neck as soon as possible, but you will also need medication to manage intense symptoms, including pain, sleeplessness, and possibly depression or anxiety. Very serious whiplash might require surgery.
Pinched Nerve
Nerve pain is a source of tremendous discomfort. Anything that presses on a nerve can lead to chronic pain and possibly nerve death. Sometimes bone fragments, tendons, or muscles press on nerves after a horrifying accident. Ideally, your doctor will try to release the nerve from whatever is pressing against it. You might need surgery.
Cervical Fracture
The vertebrae in the neck make up the cervix, and a fracture in any of the vertebrae is called a cervical fracture. These are very painful and potentially life-threatening injuries. Any crack in the bone could lead to pressure on a nearby nerve root. Also, bone fragments could nick the spinal cord, leading to paralysis. Sometimes the vertebrae separate, which is especially dangerous.
Many cervical fractures require surgery to fix the vertebrae in place so that they don’t cause more damage. This surgery could require a period of intense rehabilitation.
Less serious fractures might respond to conservative treatment, such as steroid shots and rest. Nonetheless, the impact on your life might be just as significant. Many people are forced to miss work and lose out on income for months.
Disc Herniation
The vertebrae have soft discs in between them acting as cushions. They help you bend your neck and tip your head forward without suffering intense anguish. Unfortunately, traumatic accidents can damage one or more discs, which might be torn or moved out of position. Most treatment is conservative in nature, but doctors have had success inserting artificial discs in particularly serious cases.
Facet Joint Injury
Any injury to the facet joints in the neck can lead to:
- Diffuse pain in the shoulders, neck, and skull
- Recurring headaches
- Neck stiffness
If the cartilage is damaged, then you might suffer a degenerative neck condition which will only get worse the older you get. Otherwise, many people can treat facet joint injury with exercise, stretching, pain medication, and massage.
Spinal Cord Damage
The spinal cord connects to the brain at the base of the skull. Any damage to the cord this high up can have dramatic, negative consequences. You could suffer impaired sensation in the rest of your body, such as tingling or numbness or an inability to feel heat or cold. You could also suffer impaired movement. An injury this high on the cord could impair all four limbs, as well as the ability to breathe.
Some accident victims recover from spinal cord damage with rehabilitation and rest. But everything depends on the severity of the injury. If the cord is cut in two, you’ll end up paralyzed. Absent experimental medical procedures, you will not recover movement in your extremities.
The Full Cost of a Neck Injury
Correll Law Firm is dedicated to protecting the rights of accident victims. When someone causes a car crash or slip and fall, you should seek compensation without delay. Our Winchester personal injury is glad to help our community members after an accident.
To fully calculate the value of a neck injury, do the following:
- Keep all bills related to your medical care. If you see the doctor or get prescription medication, then hold onto receipts. These help us calculate the cost of care.
- Document the amount of time you miss from work. Even if you go out on disability, you should still count the days you miss. You can receive compensation for loss of income.
- If you lose your job, then share with your lawyer the salary for any new job you obtain. You can seek loss of earning capacity damages.
- If your car was damaged in a car crash, then hold onto the cost of repairs. You deserve reimbursement.
Also pay close attention to how you feel and how your neck injury impacts your relationships. Some people slip into a deep depression or become so irritable that no one wants to spend time around them. Our Winchester personal injury lawyer has successfully sought damages for pain and suffering.
Speak with a Winchester Personal Injury Lawyer
Beau Correll is the accident lawyer to call following a disabling neck injury. He has negotiated many settlements for accident victims and can strengthen your claim for compensation by gathering relevant evidence to use in negotiations. Please call our law firm today to talk with him about your case. Correll Law Firm offers a free, no-risk consultation to anyone who was hurt in an accident.