Orange County Back Injury Lawyer

This is because even a seemingly minor car accident can cause an excessive amount of stress on the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in your lower back. This is commonly referred to as a sprain or strain. A car accident can also put an undue amount of stress on your spinal column that results in a disc moving out of place and putting pressure on your nerves or spinal cord.

How Do You Know If a Back Injury Is Serious?

Car accidents are traumatic, and when your back hurts it’s anxiety-provoking to wonder whether the pain is serious. The best way to find out is to see a doctor that specializes in spine injuries that can examine you and determine whether your back injury is serious. An x-ray will show whether there is a fracture or dislocation, which are the most serious types of back injuries. If the x-rays are negative, most strains and sprains will resolve within a few months with physical therapy, acupuncture, chiropractic adjustments, or a combination of these modalities. If the pain persists for a few months, a doctor can determine if a back injury that’s resistant to conservative treatment is serious by ordering a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI.) The MRI results will show whether there are serious soft-tissue injuries such as bulging or herniated discs that are responsible for the pain.

What Should I Do If I Hurt My Back in a Car Accident?

If you hurt your back in a car accident, it’s a good idea to go to the emergency room from the scene to see if immediate treatment is necessary. Sometimes back pain doesn’t begin after a car accident until the following day, in which case you should go to an emergency room or an urgent care center as soon as you become aware of any pain. It’s also a good idea to contact an Orange County back injuries lawyer to discuss a possible lawsuit to collect money damages as compensation for your injuries. Deadlines can be short, so it’s a good idea to call as soon as possible.

How Long Does It Take to Recover From a Back Injury?

Minor back injuries usually resolve within a few months, but more serious injuries to the spine can require years of treatment and there may never be a full recovery. Some back injuries may require several surgeries and an extensive amount of in-patient rehabilitation. Catastrophic injuries to the spine can cause paralysis that may or may not be temporary, and it may take many years of therapy to achieve even a small amount of mobility. Promptly getting the proper testing and treatment for your back injury is the best way to ensure the fullest possible recovery in the shortest amount of time.

How Much Compensation Will I Get For a Back Injury?

There are two types of compensation available to accident victims that have suffered back injuries, economic and non-economic. Economic compensation is reimbursement for out of pocket medical costs, current and future lost earnings, and other reasonable expenses incurred due to your back injury. For serious back injuries, just the economic damages can get a very large amount of compensation, but the largest awards are usually for non-economic damages such as pain, suffering, and mental anguish. It’s sometimes possible to collect money for close relatives that lost “services” and companionship from a back-injury victim. It’s not unusual for compensation for back injury victims to be a million dollars or more.

Contact an Orange County Back Injury Lawyer Today

Contact our Orange County back injuries attorney to find out how to get the highest possible amount of compensation. We’ll review the facts of your case, explain the process, and develop a strategy to suit your matter. Call (888) 965-3827 to schedule a free consultation.