Is it possible to receive compensation if a car accident resulted in back injuries?

Regardless of how strong you are or how much pain you think you can endure, when you have so much as a strained muscle in your back, all bets are off. Back injuries from auto accidents can cause significant discomfort and disruption to your daily routine, which makes seeking compensation a must.

Types of Back Injuries

For car accident claim purposes, the term “back injury” is pretty broad, and covers injuries from the lower back all the way up to the neck. The basic definition of a collision back injury is any pain, discomfort, or wound, caused by the accident, that affects the following:

• Your spinal cord. Car accidents are the leading cause of spinal trauma which can result in partial or incomplete paralysis, paraplegia or quadriplegia, and spinal cord swelling.
• Your back muscles. The human back contains 77 muscles that intertwine and layer to support your skeleton and protect your body. The three layers are known as the first, second, and deep tissue layers and car accidents have been known to cause significant damage to all three.
• Your nerves. There are thousands of nerve endings spread throughout your back. Damage to one of these delicate pain receptors can cause severe cramps and spasms as well as localized numbness.

Unfortunately, since the back is a wide area and has such an intricate design, even a minor car accident can have disastrous consequences. A single injury can cause pain severe enough to affect the entire body’s ability to move and function. Furthermore, common yet otherwise insignificant wounds, like a pulled or strained muscle, can cause pain that is nearly impossible to endure.

Short-Term Compensation for Back Injuries

Although you may be able to bravely downplay leg or arm injury pain, back injuries are well-known to make even the strongest men whimper with every spasm and cry out in pain with every movement. For a back injury that is expected to heal fully, you may be eligible to receive compensation for:

• Hospital and doctor bills, including surgery expenses
• Car repairs
• Prescription medication costs
• Lost wages from missed time at work

Long-Term Compensation for Back Injuries

If you have suffered a long-term injury that isn’t expected to heal fully, your costs may be ongoing. In this case, you also could be eligible to receive compensation for:

• Physical therapy
• Ongoing nursing care
• Certain modifications to your home
• Loss of future earning potential, if you’re no longer able to work or working in a lower paying position due to your injuries
• Loss of consortium
• Pain and suffering

Protecting Your Legal Rights

If you are considering filing a personal injury claim to receive financial compensation after a Houston car crash that was not your fault, it’s important that you ask for both short-term and long-term costs. A lawyer with experience in this area can help you put together your case.

For more information about how these claims work, contact an experienced Houston car accident attorney you can trust. The first consultation is free, and there is no obligation to proceed afterward.

Don’t wait to call. Delaying your claim could jeopardize your chance of receiving the full amount of compensation you are due. Call the office of attorney Steve Lee today at 800-232-3711.