Are you experiencing neck and back pain after a car accident? Did you suffer a neck or back injury due to someone else’s careless driving? Even relatively minor injuries could require extensive physical therapy and a long recovery, while more severe neck or back injuries from a car accident could have lasting or permanent consequences. Depending on the circumstances, you could be owed significant compensation from the at-fault party. But how do you know what you’re owed? Read more to find out. The Burch Law Firm can explain.
Common Back and Neck Injuries After a Car Accident
Some of the most common back and neck injuries suffered in car accidents include:
- Whiplash
- Strained muscles and tendons
- Fractures
- Disc injuries
- Spinal cord injuries
Some minor injuries may heal on their own, but most back and neck injuries will require treatment, including physical therapy, braces, or surgery.
Average Settlement for a Car Accident Back or Neck Injury
Since every case is different, it is difficult to calculate an average settlement for neck or back injuries that result from a car accident. You may receive a few thousand dollars for minor injuries, while someone with severe injuries can recover hundreds of thousands of dollars of compensation.
At Burch Law Firm, the highest settlement our team has secured for a back or neck injury after a car accident was over $700,000 for a man who suffered a herniated disc in his neck when his truck was hit head-on by another vehicle.
Factors That Affect Your Back or Neck Injury Settlement
Factors that could affect the amount of your back or neck injury settlement include:
- Severity of your injuries – Those with major injuries typically recover larger settlements for several reasons. These injuries often require more intensive medical care right away, which can be extremely costly. The duration of medical care is also much longer for severe injuries, sometimes lasting a lifetime. Additionally, individuals with permanent disabilities from their injury may require adaptive devices, such as specialized wheelchairs and modifications to their homes.
- Lost wages – If you had to take unpaid time off work to recover from the accident, you might be owed compensation for the lost wages. In more severe cases, injured victims may never be able to return to work in the same capacity, so they may be owed compensation for loss of future earning potential in addition to the work they have already missed.
- Pain and suffering – Many physical and emotional challenges after a neck or back injury can’t be categorized. Although pain and suffering can be difficult to quantify, it is essentially how your injury has impacted your lifestyle and livelihood. Texas law allows you to recover compensation for back and neck pain after a car accident you endure.
- Your own level of liability – Texas law allows individuals to receive compensation if they’re considered to be under 50 percent at fault for the accident. The law is designed to make the compensation you can receive proportional to your level of fault.
Many other factors could affect the value of your case. An experienced attorney can help you understand these details.
How a Personal Injury Attorney Can Help
Were your back and neck hurt after a car accident? You have the right to seek justice and compensation if you’ve suffered a back or neck injury in a collision that was not your fault. At Burch Law Firm, our experienced Texas car accident lawyers are confident that we can help. We have the right experience and skill to demand what is fair, so call us or reach out to us online for a free consultation with a member of our team.
