Car accidents happen suddenly, leaving no time for the body to prepare itself for an oncoming collision. While seatbelts and airbags have helped prevent major injuries, some injuries like whiplash, neck and spinal cord injuries are nearly impossible to prevent.
Whiplash and Neck Injuries
There are a variety of different neck injuries that may occur in a car accident. The first type are sprains and strains. Strains occur when there is an injury to the tendons or muscles of the neck. Sprains occur when the ligaments, or the bands of connective tissue, in the neck are injured. These types of injuries could be minor, but can also cause substantial discomfort, reduced mobility, pain, and spasms.
Whiplash is a more severe neck strain or sprain and occurs because of sudden “whipping” motion of the head and neck during an accident. Whiplash can occur in even low-impact collisions and while whiplash is painful in itself, it can also be accompanied by more severe neck and spinal cord injuries. Quite simply, the human body is not meant to withstand the forces that a collision exerts.
Symptoms of whiplash often will not appear immediately. These symptoms will sometimes take 24 hours or longer to present and whether you feel pain at the scene of the accident or not, you should still seek medical attention as soon as possible. Some symptoms of whiplash include:
- Pain
- Blurred vision
- Tingling or numbness in the arms and hands
- Ringing in the ears
- Memory problems
- Spasms in the neck or upper back
- Tenderness in the shoulders, upper back, and arms
- Headaches
- Loss of range of motion in the neck and upper back
Most cases of whiplash can be treated, but some cases will be more severe and debilitating. Whiplash lasting over six months is considered chronic and symptoms and treatments will continue long-term. Unfortunately, because many people do not seek medical treatment until symptoms worsen, costs relating to whiplash are almost $3billion annually, including lost wages, medical treatment, disability, and cost for filing lawsuits.
Herniated discs are another injury possible with car accidents. Between the vertebrae of the spine are spongy discs that act as a shock absorber between the bones and helps the neck and spine to bend and flex. When a disc is herniated, the disc’s outer shell is cracked or broken and the inner spongy layer is pushed out where it can come in contact with the surrounding nerves, causing extreme pain. According to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, herniated discs can occur anywhere along the spinal column, with most injuries being in the cervical (neck) region and the lumbar (lower back) region of the spine.
Spinal Cord Injuries
The spinal cord is a bundle of nerves that carries messages between the brain and the rest of your body. The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC) statistics show that there are 17,700 new spinal cord injuries yearly, with 38.3% of them due to car accidents.
Spinal cord injuries can be divided into two main types of injury: complete and incomplete injury.
- Compete Injury-Complete injuries mean that there is no sensation or movement below the area of injury. Both sides of the body will be affected, and complete injuries can occur at any level of the spinal cord.
- Incomplete Injury-An incomplete injury will have some level of function below the spinal injury and can also occur at any level of the spinal cord.
Symptoms of spinal cord injuries will vary depending on the severity and location of the injury. According to the Johns Hopkins Medical Center, the higher up the injury in the spine, the more severe the symptoms. Injuries to the C2 or C3 vertebrae affect lung function and breathing, for example. In contrast, lower spinal cord injuries can affect nerve and muscle control of the bladder, bowels, and legs.
Spinal cord injuries are classified according to the amount of loss in sensory and motor functions and are divided into three main types of classification:
- Quadriplegia-This type of spinal cord injury involves the loss of sensation and movement in both arms and legs due to injuries at T1 or above. Quadriplegia also affects chest muscles and injuries at C4 or above will require use of a ventilator.
- Paraplegia-This type of spinal cord injury involves the loss of sensation and movement in both legs due to an injury to T1 or below.
- Triplegia-This type of spinal cord injury involves the loss of sensation and movement in both legs and one arm and is usually a result of an incomplete injury.
Lifetime costs of living with spinal cord injuries vary but can easily fall in the millions. The NSCISC estimates that lifetime costs for a 25-year old with quadriplegia will be almost $5million dollars.
The stress and cost of living with whiplash, neck, and spinal cord injuries can be devastating.
We at America’s Consumer Lawyer are proud to serve our fellow citizens in personal injury cases, especially when you or a loved one has been injured in an auto accident, and we are fully committed to protecting your rights and ensuring that the other party is held legally accountable when negligence occurs. We will fight until the very end to ensure that you are fully compensated for all injuries and losses resulting from the accident, including medical expenses, property damage, lost wages, and pain and suffering, and you won’t owe us a dime for our services.
If you or a loved one has been injured in an auto accident and suffered a head, neck, or spinal cord injury, contact America’s Consumer Lawyer for a free consultation. Helping our clients is about counseling, advocating, and ultimately solving problems. With years of experience successfully representing the people and not the powerful, we will take care of the insurance adjusters, your medical bills, your property damage, and your lost wages, and monitor your treatment so you can focus on healing and getting your life back to normal. We will handle your case quickly and advise you every step of the way, and we will not hesitate to go to trial for you.
Lastly, America’s Consumer Lawyer is not paid attorneys’ fees unless we win your case. Our no-fee promise is that simple. You have nothing to risk when you hire us – only the opportunity to seek justice.
