Orange County Back Injury Lawyer

Back injuries are one of the most common, and potentially debilitating, injuries that can occur during car crashes and other types of accidents. Back injuries can negatively affect all aspects of someone’s life, including his or her ability to perform daily activities and earn a living. People who suffer back injuries due to the negligent actions of others could be owed significant compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and other damages. A back injury attorney could advocate for the rights of Orange County back injury victims and help them obtain the settlement they deserve.

What Is A Back Injury?

A back injury can involve the spine, muscles or ligaments of an accident victim’s back. There are 33 vertebrae in a person’s spine, and each one of these bones has connecting muscles and ligaments that help facilitate stability and movement. Fractures and soft-tissue injuries to the back can cause acute or chronic posture problems, flexibility issues, muscle weakness, mobility limitations, and pain.

Back Injury Types and Severity

There are several types of back injuries, and they can vary greatly in severity. For example, muscle pulls and strains can be minor and heal on their own in a matter of days or weeks. However, muscle tears, ligament damage, bone fractures, and slipped discs could require extensive medical treatment and take months or years to heal fully. In some cases, they may even cause permanent disabilities.

Back injuries can cause victims to suffer pain in their:

• Neck
• Upper back
• Middle back
• Lower back
• Sacrum

Back injuries can also cause mobility and stability issues, such as:

• Difficulty bending or rotating neck
• Difficulty rotating torso from side to side
• Difficulty bending torso forward and backward
• Difficulty lifting objects or bearing body weight
• Difficulty standing, sitting or lying down for prolonged periods

In severe cases, back injuries can also impact the spinal cord. The vertebrae of the spine house and protect the spinal cord, which carries nerve signals from the brain to the rest of the body. If the vertebrae are damaged, the spinal cord could be compressed, bruised or even severed, leading to acute pain, chronic pain, tingling, numbness or paralysis. Victims who suffer spinal cord damage could face years of expensive medical bills and rehabilitation costs.

Back Injury Causes

According to the American Chiropractic Association, approximately 30 million Americans are suffering back pain at any given time. Also, nearly 50 percent of the U.S. workforce say they experience back pain each year. Overall, around 80 percent of the U.S. population will suffer some form of a back injury during their lifetimes. Some of the most common causes of back injuries include:

• Car accidents
• Pedestrian accidents
• Work-related accidents
• Slips, trips, and falls
• Sports-related accidents

Types of Car Accident-Related Back Injuries

Car accidents cause thousands of back injuries throughout the U.S. each year. Some of the most common types of crash-related back injuries include:

• Whiplash
• Herniated discs
• Vertebrae fractures
• Compression fractures
• Spondylolisthesis, or vertebrae displacement
• Spinal cord injuries, including bruising, cutting or severing of the spinal cord

Even low-speed car accidents can cause severe back injuries, and it can sometimes take hours or days for the symptoms of a back injury to appear. Car accident victims who experience back or neck pain, back or neck stiffness, numbness or tingling in limbs, pain that radiates down one or both legs, muscle spasms or pain that worsens when moving, coughing or sneezing should seek emergency medical treatment. Medical professionals can diagnose back injuries through the use of CT scans, X-rays, MRIs, bone scans and myelograms. Treatment for back injuries may include pain medication, anti-inflammatory medications, physical therapy, and surgery.

A back injury lawyer could examine an injured victim’s medical records and help prepare a personal injury claim to recover medical costs and other related losses.

Why Hire A Back Injury Lawyer?

Back injuries can disrupt every aspect of a person’s life, causing acute or chronic pain, racking up expensive medical bills and making it difficult or impossible to earn a living. However, an Orange County back injury attorney could level the playing field and help injured victims get the compensation they deserve, whether through negotiations with insurance companies or through litigation.

A fair and full back injury settlement may include compensation for:

• Current and future medical bills
• Rehabilitation costs
• Wages lost while a victim is unable to work
• Loss of future earnings for victims who are left disabled
• Emotional distress
• Punitive damages in cases involving serious negligence

Contact our back injury lawyer today to start your free consultation.