Devastating bodily injuries are not always visible to the naked eye. After a serious accident, neck and back injuries can be intensely painful and long lasting. Although these injuries may not look like much on the surface, they are often so damaging that can negatively impact just about every aspect of a person’s life.
A serious back or neck injury can cause more than discomfort. The damaging effects of a chronic back or neck injury can affect a person’s work, home life, relationships, and mental health. A person who cannot work because of a serious injury can suffer financially and emotionally. The pain and physical impairment of the injury can prevent an accident victim from enjoying family time or once-loved leisure activities. It can prevent them from helping out with chores and duties at home, which can affect their family relationships and self-worth.
What Types of Accidents Cause Neck and Back Injuries?
Accidents that cause serious damage to the neck or back can include car accidents that harm drivers, other vehicle occupants, pedestrians, or cyclists as well as other types of incidents. These accidents include:
- Transportation accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Sports injuries
- Being hit with a falling object
- Violence
- Work accidents
What Are Back and Neck Injuries that Cause Chronic Discomfort and Impairment?
The following are some common back or neck injuries that cause lasting discomfort and impairment.
Whiplash. Whiplash results from a person’s upper body being injured by violent force. The results of the injury are not always immediate; it can take more than 24 hours for a victim to begin experiencing symptoms. Sometimes they do not become apparent for a few days. Most cases of whiplash are better within a few weeks, but in extreme cases, the injury can endure.
Herniated disk. This injury occurs when a person’s spinal disk is damaged from pressure or force that causes the disk’s soft inner padding to become displaced, causing a pinched nerve that can cause pain, numbness, and weakness.
Muscle damage. Muscle damage in the neck and shoulders is a common result of auto collisions and other types of accidents. When bracing for a fall or a crash, people naturally tense their muscles, which actually makes their bodies less likely to avoid injury.
Sprains and strains. Strained or sprained muscles happen when muscles or their connective tissues are stretched or twisted in such a way that they tear or otherwise become damaged. These injuries result in pain and stiffness. Physical therapy or even surgery may be required for these injuries to be resolved.
What Types of Car Accidents Cause Back and Neck Injuries?
Rear-end collisions cause some of the most common car accident-related neck and back injuries. These are usually the result of whiplash, which occurs when a person’s head is violently thrown forward on impact and is then thrust backward again, causing muscles and connective tissues in the neck and upper back to be damaged.
Besides rear-end accidents, side impact collisions can have similar effects when a crash causes a person’s head and neck to be jolted around inside their vehicle.
Any accident that suddenly and forcefully pulls the victim’s head and upper body in awkward positions has the potential to result in a serious neck or back injury.
Car accidents involving motorcyclists or bicyclists can cause even more severe injuries, as these individuals are often thrown from their bike, meaning they may be injured on impact with the vehicle that hits them as well as with the road’s surface as they hit the ground.
Who Can Be Held Responsible for These Injuries?
Anyone who is found to be negligent in a way that caused the accident can be held liable. Often the liable party is a reckless driver who showed negligence by driving while drunk, distracted, or drowsy. Drivers can be liable for other careless behavior as well, such as speeding, running red lights, or tailgating.
Drivers are not the only people that could be at fault in a car accident. A car manufacturer responsible for a defective car part may be found liable in a car accident. In other cases, it is possible that an accident was caused by a missing or obscured traffic sign, in which case the municipality responsible for road upkeep may be held liable.
How Can a Serious Neck or Back Injury Affect a Person Physically and Emotionally?
A person with a back or neck injury may experience the following symptoms:
- Neck or back pain
- Headaches
- Nausea and/or vomiting
- Dizziness
- Stiff neck
- Tension in shoulders
- Tender muscles
- Numbness or tingling in extremities
- Limited mobility
- Paralysis
Neck and back injuries can certainly be painful, but when the pain persists, the results can affect more than just the accident victim’s comfort. Often a person suffering from this kind of constant pain has trouble living a normal life, as they are always preoccupied with the agony they must endure as a result of their injury.
Sometimes pain medications do little to help or result in side effects that do more harm than good.
Too often a persistent back or neck injury becomes all-consuming and affects the victim’s quality of life.
Mount Laurel Car Accident Lawyers at the Law Office of David S. Rochman Help People Who Have Sustained Serious Injuries in Car Accidents
If you were in a car accident and sustained a back or neck injury because of someone else’s negligence, you have the right to pursue compensation from the person at fault in your accident. The Mount Laurel car accident lawyers at the Law Office of David S. Rochman can help you recover any damages you suffered as a result of another person’s carelessness. We can help you identify the liable party and build a case that will support your claim. Call us at 856-751-2345 or contact us online today to schedule a free consultation. Located in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, we serve clients throughout Burlington County and surrounding areas.