Neck injuries are common after many collisions, including rear-end collisions and rollovers. The first sign is probably pain and neck stiffness. Over the following days, some people experience other symptoms like ringing in their ears, blurred vision, or difficulty speaking. You might also experience mood swings.
Neck injuries are debilitating, and many motorists are stuck at home or in the hospital for weeks. Call Larson & Gallivan Law so we can discuss your injuries. Our firm excels at building legal claims for compensation. Schedule a free consultation with our Vermont car accident lawyer.
We Can Help with Any Neck Injury
1. Whiplash
This is a very common neck injury. Many people with neck stiffness or pain are suffering from whiplash. Other symptoms include headaches, dizziness, and fatigue.
How it happens: Our clients usually suffer whiplash when a car rapidly decelerates. As the car slows, a passenger’s head continues to move forward, often stretching outside the normal range of motion, before it snaps back like the tip of a whip. This extreme, violent motion can damage muscles and ligaments in the neck, as well as nerves.
Treatment: The treatment is often conservative, relying on pain management to give the body time to heal. Serious whiplash might require surgery, but it is rare.
2. Herniated Discs
Rubbery discs sit in between the vertebrae in your spine to provide cushion. These discs can be damaged, causing the softer filling to push out through the exterior against nerves.
Common symptoms: Most motorists will notice constant pain. You can also experience pain when trying to move your head.
Treatment options: Damaged discs are hard to treat because they do not heal on their own. Your doctor can manage symptoms with anti-inflammatory injections and pain medication. Physical therapy can help reintroduce movement without aggravating the injury.
3. Neck Fracture
This is a dangerous injury. One or more vertebrae in the neck (called cervical vertebrae) could crack in an accident. Broken bones so close to the spinal cord could possibly puncture or shred the cord.
Symptoms of a cervical fracture: You can experience swelling or bruising in the neck, as well as severe pain. Some motorists might also experience paralysis if the spinal cord is damaged.
What to do next: if you experience neck pain, head to the hospital. A doctor can order an X-ray or an MRI to see the damage. This type of injury can require immediate surgery to protect the spinal cord.
4. Cervical Dislocation
Traumatic accidents can force vertebrae out of alignment. Consequently, the bones can press against the spinal cord, leading to numbness, weakness, and possibly immobility.
Why this is serious: Any compression on the spinal cord risks permanent damage, which can result in lifelong impairments. Also, vertebrae can damage the nerve roots, which shoot off from the spinal cord. The result is much the same: numbness and weakness.
Treatment options: Your doctor will need to get the vertebrae back into alignment. Some patients need spinal fusion surgery to ensure the dislocation does not happen again.
5. Nerve Damage
Nerves in the neck are injured when they are stretched or compressed. Many motorists will notice shooting pain or a burning sensation. They can also struggle with weakness in their arms or hands. The brachial plexus is a network of nerves in the neck that runs down through the shoulder and arms. They can be injured in all kinds of car accidents, including rollovers and T-bones.
How to treat nerve damage: Often, nerves need time to heal on their own. Physical therapy can help with regaining strength in your arms and hands.
6. Spinal Cord Injuries
The spinal cord is well protected by the vertebrae, but it could be injured if bones break or if the accident is especially traumatic.
Why this is a serious injury: Any injury to the spinal cord in the neck can result in impairment below the site of injury. A complete spinal cord injury can render a person a quadriplegic, paralyzed from the neck down. Even incomplete injuries can make it hard for people to walk.
How to treat spinal cord injuries: There might not be any treatment. However, if you retain some functioning in limbs, then physical therapy can help strengthen your muscles or retrain your body to perform basic tasks, like getting dressed. A major concern is making sure the spinal cord is not damaged, so a doctor might use surgery to strengthen the spinal column.
You Deserve Compensation for a Neck Injury
Nobody should disregard neck pain, so go to the hospital for treatment. Anyone who refuses treatment can be held responsible for their pain and ongoing disability, which usually means a smaller settlement.
Then reach out to Larson & Gallivan Law. We have helped Vermont motorists negotiate compensation for an accident. There are many steps involved:
- Gathering evidence to establish fault for a collision. We need to show how the defendant was liable for your accident and neck injury; they are not obligated to pay you anything.
- Documenting your neck injury. We can collect medical records, doctor testimony, and pain medication information. This evidence can help insurance adjusters understand the seriousness of your injuries.
- Analyzing your damages. We can request compensation for medical care, which might be extensive depending on the injury. We also seek money damages for lost income, pain, mental anguish, and more.
- Negotiating with the defendant and their insurer. A settlement can help speed up the process of receiving compensation. Our firm knows how to negotiate with a driver’s liability insurer.
- Protecting your rights. Larson & Gallivan Law can take other steps to protect your legal claim, such as filing a lawsuit before the expiration of the statute of limitations. You get three years to file a lawsuit for personal injury (in most cases), and a judge can dismiss your case. (12 V.S.A. § 512.)
Neck pain prevents most people from tackling their own car accident case. The good news is that we work on a contingency basis, which means you can obtain our services without upfront legal fees.
We Offer Free Consultations
Call (518)-862-8799 or contact us to speak with a Vermont car accident lawyer today.
