After many weeks of lying in a hospital bed and watching your savings run out, you’ve finally decided to take action against the person who caused your suffering. There are many benefits to filing a Fairfax car accident lawsuit, such as regular income payments, additional medical treatment, and the replacement of your damaged vehicle. But what you really want to know is: how much can you expect to recover?
Common Car Accident Back Injuries
At Shevlin Smith, we know that the amount of your settlement will depend on the extent–and permanence–of your injury. While every injury is different, here is what you can usually expect from damage to the:
- Vertebrae. An injury to one of the 24 bones (or vertebrae) that make up the spine can cause extreme pain and cause work or movement restrictions for months or even years to come. If your injury has only affected your backbone, it is unlikely that you will suffer paralysis; however, if your job involves heavy lifting, bending or twisting, you may need to seek other employment.
- Spinal discs. You’ve probably heard the terms “slipped” or herniated discs before. This means that the soft tissues between the vertebrae have moved out of alignment, allowing the bones to grind against one another or clamp down on a nerve in the back. Victims often have trouble bending or carrying heavy weights, and may even need surgery to correct the disc placement, but they are not likely to suffer any permanent loss of mobility.
- Spinal cord. If you have sustained a spinal cord injury, it is very likely that you will suffer some form of paralysis as a result. Since the spinal cord relays commands from the brain to the rest of the body, any injury that interrupts the connection will mean a loss of bodily function. This could mean anything from an inability to walk or move one’s arms to an inability to breathe independently. And since the nerve cells in the spinal cord cannot regenerate, the injury will most likely be irreversible.
We know that any back injury will cause a victim intense pain, time off work, and frustration from the helplessness of the situation. It is important to remember that you are not alone: our board-certified DC injury attorneys can advise you on your case FREE of charge.
Contact a Fairfax Back Injury Lawyer
To find out what we can do for you, call Shevlin Smith today at 703-721-4233 to start your FREE, one-on-one consultation.