Our Kansas City Spine Injury Lawyer Fights for Accident Victims
If an accident has caused an injury to your neck or back, you are facing one of the most painful and debilitating physical conditions in modern medicine. Even relatively minor injuries to your neck or back can last weeks, months, or even years. Spinal cord injuries can very serious. Spinal cord injuries have a number of symptoms, including complete or partial paralysis, reduced motor skills and sensitivity, breathing complications, headaches, chronic pain, bowel and urinary difficulties, inability to keep blood pressure normal, and reduced immunity to infection.
Whether you have suffered a stiff neck, a bulging or herniated disc, or a serious spinal cord injury, pain and other symptoms can have a big impact on your quality of life.
Neck or back pain can make it hard to sit, stand or sleep comfortably. It can prevent you from working or taking care of your family. More severe spine injuries can cause total paralysis, quadriplegia, paraplegia, loss of major bodily function and even death.
Neck, back and spine injuries can be very hard to treat and endure, but victims do not have to go it alone. Our Kansas City spine injury lawyer is experienced in helping accident victims who suffer neck, back and spine injuries due to the negligence of another. We will fight to protect your legal rights so you get the compensation you deserve and the medical care and treatment you need for a maximum recovery.
Even if you are not sure what to do, please contact our office at 816-203-0143, for a free, no-obligation consultation, so we can help you make the best decision possible for your case.
Common Neck, Back and Spinal Cord Injuries
Each year, approximately 11,000 serious spinal cord injuries occur in the United States. Most of these are caused by trauma to the vertebral column, thereby affecting the spinal cord's ability to send and receive messages from the brain to the body's systems that control sensory, motor and autonomic function below the level of injury.
Common injuries to the neck, back and spine include:
- Spinal trauma, including fractured or dislocated vertebrae
- Spinal cord compression or deformity
- Chronic pain including lower back pain and neck pain to sciatica nerve pain
- Herniated discs
- Annular disc tears
- Spinal stenosis
- Whiplash-associated disorders
- Muscle or neck strains in spinal tissue
Injuries are often identified in reference to the area of the spine affected. For example, an injury to the spine in the neck area affects the cervical vertebrae, so an injury to the nerves or disc at the third cervical vertebra would be called a C-3 injury. Further down your spine are the thoracic vertebra, and injuries to that area be identified as T-2, T-3, etc.
At any of these points, your injury can cause an injury to your spinal cord. An injury to your spinal cord can change your life. Depending on the severity of the injury, you may face a lifetime of discomfort and restricted movements. In severe cases, spinal cord injuries can leave a person paralyzed.
For this reason, it is important to treat neck, back and spine injuries and get prompt medical care. If you were injured by the negligence or fault of another, you also should seek legal representation from an experienced spinal injury lawyer to protect your rights.
Common Causes Of A Back and Neck Injury
Some of the most common causes of neck, back and spine injuries include:
- Car, Truck, Motorcycle and Bicycle Accidents. According to the Mayo Clinic, vehicle accidents, including those involving cars, trucks, motorcycles and bicycles, are the top cause of spinal cord injuries in the U.S., and account for almost half of new spinal cord injury reports every year. In addition, whiplash, vertebrae fractures, spinal cord compressions, and more are all common results of car collisions.
- Slip and Falls. Also according to the Mayo Clinic, slip and falls cause more than 15 percent of spinal cord injuries. However, the top cause of spinal cord injury for persons over age 65 is a fall.
- Swimming Pools. Swimming and diving, especially in shallow water, cause roughly 10 percent of spinal cord injuries.
- Alcohol. Alcohol use is a factor in about 1 out of every 4 spinal cord injuries. This could be in the context of an alcohol-impaired driver who causes an auto accident that results in a spinal cord injury.
While these are common causes, there are many other ways one can suffer a serious injury. If you are unsure if your neck, back or spine injury qualifies for legal action, you should still contact our Kansas City injury law firm. Our Kansas City spinal cord injury lawyer and legal team are ready to investigate and guide you and your family through your legal options so you can recover any compensation you deserve.
Seeking Prompt Medical Treatment
All accident victims should seek prompt medical treatment. This is particularly critical for victims who have suffered neck, back or spinal cord injury. If this applies you or your loved one, please seek immediate medical care so you can be evaluated for the possibility of a spinal injury. This is important because:
- Serious spinal injuries are not always immediately obvious. If an injury is not promptly diagnosed and treated, a more severe injury may occur.
- Numbness or paralysis can occur immediately or gradually as bleeding or swelling occurs in or around the spinal cord.
- The time from injury to evaluation and treatment is critical in determining the severity of injury and the possible extent of expected recovery.
For these reasons, neck, back and spine injuries should be evaluated by a medical professional immediately to give victims the best chance at recovery.
Recovering Compensation
Unfortunately, even with excellent medical treatment, some neck, back and spine injuries will cause victims ongoing pain for many years or even the rest of their lives. The financial cost of these injuries can be devastating for the victim and his or her family. To recover damages for such injuries, injured victims must prove that another party’s negligence caused or contributed to their injury. An experienced injury lawyer can help establish this proof by bringing together eyewitness accounts, medical providers, police reports, investigators and accident reconstruction specialists.
If successful, injury victims may be entitled to recover compensation for:
- Past and future medical bills.
- Lost wages and future lost earnings capacity.
- Past and future pain and suffering.
Obtaining this compensation can be critical for the livelihood of an accident victim and his or her family. Our Kansas City spine injury lawyer and legal team understand this and can pursue every potential legal avenue to maximize a potential recovery. Please contact us with the form below or call us today: 816-203-0143.
FAQ’s of Victims of Neck, Back & Spine Injuries
Q: I was involved in an accident and suffered a back or neck injury. What should I do?
A: Here’s an action plan for you:
- Seek medical care as soon as possible. This step is so important to your health and legal case that you must do it before doing anything else.
- Gather important documents, photos and information about the accident, including any details about the accident, the names and contact information of any witnesses, and any other information that may help your claim.
- Do not talk to insurance companies or opposing lawyers until you first speak to an attorney.
- Contact our law firm and ask to speak to an experienced injury attorney. We can help you evaluate your case and determine your legal options with a free, no-obligation consultation.
Q: How much is my spine injury claim worth?
A: Every injury is unique, and every case is different. Your right to legal compensation and the ability to recover for your injuries depends on a number of factors, including how you were injured, was another party clearly at fault, how severe are your injuries, what is the financial impact of your injury, and what will be your future costs of care. Our attorney can review your individual case for free and help you understand these factors given your particular circumstances.
Q: How do I know if my spine injury is serious enough to require an attorney?
A: It is often hard to know the extent of a neck or back injury immediately after an accident. Sometimes, the severity of an injury and complications can develop over time. Relatively minor injuries can have a big impact on your life. If you are uncertain as to whether you have a legal claim worth pursuing, you should at least get a free legal consultation to learn more about your rights and potential legal options.
Call our Kansas City Spine Injury Lawyers
Our Kansas City spine injury lawyer helps clients all across Kansas and Missouri. If you have suffered a neck, back or spine injury, our legal team has the expertise, skills, and resources to represent you and pursue the compensation you deserve. We are ready to help you, just as we have helped so many other injury clients, so you can focus on what matters most – your health and wellness and being with your family.
If you or a loved one has experienced neck, back or spine injury, please contact our office at 816-203-0143, for a free, no-obligation consultation. You can also contact us using our free online consultation form below. We would be honored to discuss your case with you.
Related Links How do I choose a lawyer for a spinal cord injury case? Spinal Cord Basics (Part I): Anatomy, Injury Types, and Symptoms Spinal Cord Basics (Part II): Diagnosis, Treatment, and Recovery |