A sharp, shooting pain is often the first symptom that you have suffered a neck injury. Over time, pain can progress to massive neck stiffness and an inability to turn your head without crying out in agony. Neck injuries are expensive to treat and often lead to repercussions like depression and diminished enjoyment of life. These are some of the most serious injuries you can suffer.
If you were involved in an accident and feel neck pain, go to the hospital for treatment. And then contact Powers & Santola, LLP to speak with our New York personal injury lawyer about your case. These injuries cost our clients considerable sums of money, and you deserve a settlement if someone negligently hurt you in a car or other accident. Our case evaluations are free and confidential, and there’s no risk to calling.
What Accidents Cause Neck Injuries?
Many of our clients suffer neck injuries in traumatic accidents, such as:
- Car accidents. Unbuckled passengers can be tossed around, but even those wearing a seat belt can suffer serious neck injuries when their heads hyperextend and tear soft tissue.
- Truck accidents. Even more dangerous than car accidents, truck collisions can lead to serious neck injuries. The weight of large trucks crush people with tons of force.
- Slip and falls. Many hazards on the ground cause a person to slip or trip, including trash, ice, water, loose carpeting or tiles, or extension cords. A person can suffer a neck injury when landing or while wrenching their body to prevent a fall.
- Falling merchandise. A heavy object shelved improperly could come tumbling down at a store, landing on a consumer’s head or neck.
- Defective products. A dangerous product could explode and cause a serious neck injury. Other defective products, like ladders or step stools, could collapse underneath you and send you pinwheeling to the ground.
These accidents are often caused by negligence. For example, a motorist is not paying attention or is intoxicated while out driving, so they fail to stop in time to avoid hitting you. Or a property owner fails to keep the premises safe even though they invited you onto the property. Negligence is avoidable.
After an accident, it’s vital to reach out to an experienced New York personal injury lawyer. We will have advice about what steps to take next. For example, you should document the accident if at all possible. Also head to the hospital.
Types of Neck Injuries
Neck injuries range from temporary to permanent and everything in between. Some of the most common neck injuries include:
Compressed nerves. A pinched nerve can lead to excruciating, chronic pain. Conservative treatment might include steroid injections to reduce swelling, but many people need surgery to finally release the nerve from whatever is pressing against it.
Whiplash. This is a soft tissue injury affecting muscles and ligaments in the neck. Neck stiffness and immobility are common symptoms. A doctor will help you manage your pain and, once swelling subsides, introduce movement to the neck. But even moderate whiplash can take months to fully heal.
Cervical fracture. The vertebrae in your neck make up the cervix. Any fracture to one of these vertebrae is a serious injury. Fractured vertebrae can damage the spinal cord running in the middle or damage nerve roots that branch off from it. Paralysis is possible. Cervical vertebrae can also come apart, which might require surgery to keep them fused together.
Herniated disc. A violent accident can damage the cushions between your vertebrae. This type of injury can lead to pain and compressed nerves.
These are only some of the most common neck injuries our clients suffer from. You should visit the doctor immediately following the first signs of neck pain. Some neck injuries could take a day or two to fully develop, but any pain in the week following an accident is a sign you were injured.
Consequences of a Neck Injury
Neck injuries are often more disabling than injuries affecting other body parts, like your arm or leg. When your neck is hurt, you can’t easily turn your head or bend your neck. Everyday activities like dressing, driving, texting, and working become impossible. Many neck injury victims feel excruciating pain which does not go away when they lie down to sleep. In fact, the pain often forces people to try and sleep while sitting up, which is certainly a challenge. Fatigue and anxiety only make physical pain worse.
Neck injuries also cause emotional distress, like depression or irritability. Being unable to move your head or sleep at night can cause anguish that is hard to describe to another person.
You Deserve Fair Compensation for a Neck Injury
New York personal injury law allows anyone suffering a neck injury to sue the person who caused it. Our legal team has brought claims against other motorists on the road, as well as product manufacturers, retailers, and property owners. Contact our team so we can fully review all possible defendants.
We seek full economic damages for out-of-pocket expenses like:
- Medical care to treat your neck injury
- Surgical costs
- Rehabilitation expenses
- Income loss if you cannot work
- Future medical expenses for permanent injuries
- Loss of earning capacity
- Defective product replacements
We also seek compensation for non-economic damages, such as:
- Physical pain
- Emotional anguish and distress
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Disability
- Loss of consortium
What starts as a persistent ache after a car accident could end up costing you tens of thousands of dollars if you miss work and require months of rehabilitation. These are expensive injuries.
In some situations, your own negligence could reduce the compensation you receive for a neck injury. As an example, you might have also been driving distracted when you suffered a crash. Any negligence on your part can reduce the settlement you receive.
Our Personal Injury Lawyers Are Here to Help
Contact Powers & Santola by phone or by submitting an online message. We can meet at a convenient location to discuss your accident, as well as your prognosis. Our case evaluations are free.
