All types of car accidents can cause serious neck injuries. Even low-impact crashes can cause whiplash and life-altering spinal cord damage. This is why you should look for signs of a neck injury, seek medical attention and consult with an experienced car accident lawyer after you have been in a crash. You need to protect your health and your legal rights.
All types of To learn more, contact The Sloan Firm. Our personal injury lawyers can provide a free consultation for car accident victims from our offices in Longview, Houston or Santa Fe, New Mexico.
We understand how even a minor neck injury can severely affect your life, your family and your future. We see the person behind the injury. When you work with us, we will focus on what is important to you and tailor our legal representation to address the unique issues you face due to your neck injury. What matters to you, matters to us.
Signs of a Potential Neck Injury
Many people suffer a neck injury in a car accident without realizing it at first. For this reason, you should look for the following signs of a potential neck injury in the days that follow an auto accident:
- Pain or pressure in the neck area
- Pain that radiates from the neck to the head, shoulders, arms and back
- Tenderness, swelling or bruising in the neck
- Unusually long and severe headaches
- Stiffness or loss of movement in the neck
- Feelings of weakness or loss of movement in the arms or legs
Regardless of whether you experience these symptoms, you should always see a doctor after you have been in a motor vehicle accident. The doctor can examine you, order X-rays, MRIs and other tests, provide a diagnosis and start you on a course of treatment. Additionally, a doctor’s examination will provide documentation of your injury. This documentation will play an important role as you seek compensation for the harm you have suffered.
Types of Neck Injuries after Car Accidents
The neck consists of seven bones, or vertebrae. Gel-filled discs between the vertebra provide cushioning. These bones form the cervical portion of the spinal column. They protect nerves in the spinal cord that transmit signals primarily to the arms and hands. A bundle of soft tissue – muscles, ligaments and tendons – gives the neck support.
Although this structure allows the neck to enjoy significant range of motion, it also contributes to the high rate and wide range of neck injuries in auto accidents. Some of the most common car accident neck injuries include:
- Whiplash – This injury occurs when the neck suddenly snaps forwards and backwards in one sudden, whip-like motion. The tendons, ligaments and muscles in the neck can suffer severe strain, sprain or tears. Nerve damage may also occur. Although whiplash most commonly arises in rear-end collisions, any type of impact can cause it.
- Pinched nerves – This injury occurs when a bone or disc puts pressure on a nerve in the cervical area. As a result, a person may feel tingling, numbness or loss of use in the shoulders, arms or hands. A sharp, shooting pain also indicates that a nerve in the neck may be pinched.
- Herniated discs – The force of impact in a crash can put pressure on the gel-filled discs between the vertebrae in a person’s neck. The pressure can cause a disc to rupture or bulge out, which in turn pressures nerves in the spinal cord. Severe pain, numbness or weakness in the arms and hands can occur.
- Paralysis – When the spinal cord sustains damage, it can cause loss of sensation and movement, or paralysis, in all areas of the body below the point of the injury. If the spinal cord injury occurs in the cervical area, a person may experience paralysis in the arms and legs, or quadriplegia.
If you suffered a neck injury in a car accident, the treatment you require will depend on the nature and severity of the injury. For instance, whiplash may require fairly minimal treatment. You may need to apply ice and heat, take pain relievers and wear a cervical collar as the injury heals. Paralysis, on the other hand, may require multiple surgeries, extended hospitalization, assisted living, assistive devices such as a wheelchair and ongoing therapy. Additionally, paralysis can lead to infections, bed sores, blood clots and other serious complications.
No matter what type of neck injury you or a loved one has suffered in a car accident, The Sloan Firm will focus on how the injury has affected you physically, emotional and financially. We will seek compensation that reflects the full extent of that impact.
How a Longview Car Accident Lawyer Can Help You
With more than 150 years of combined legal experience, the lawyers of The Sloan Firm know how to thoroughly investigate car accident neck injuries and how to explore all sources of compensation available to our clients.
In your case, we will determine whether another driver’s negligence caused your neck injury. If so, we will seek full and fair compensation through that driver’s auto insurance liability coverage. However, you may have more insurance options available to you. We will also look at whether other policies apply in your case, such as medical payments (medpay), personal injury protection (PIP) or uninsured motorist/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage.
Additionally, our attorneys will investigate your ability to pursue a claim against any other party who bears legal responsibility for your neck injury. For example, in some cases, a driver’s employer or a bar, store or restaurant that served alcohol to the driver who caused your crash may be held liable.
Whether it is through a car accident settlement or court judgment, our goal at The Sloan Firm will be to recover maximum compensation for all of your past and future medical expenses, lost income, pain, suffering and more. You can count on us to work tirelessly to reach your objectives.
Contact Our Longview Texas Neck Injury Lawyers Today
Where many law firms see a court case, The Sloan Firm sees an individual. An experienced Longview neck injury lawyer from our team will work closely with you throughout your case in order to pursue a result that addresses your goals and, ultimately, helps in your recovery. We won’t charge any fees unless we obtain a verdict or settlement for you. To learn more, contact us today and receive a free consultation.