Back and Neck Injury Lawyer

More than a million individuals in the United States suffer whiplash yearly, and over 30 thousand receive spinal disk injuries. Suffering from a neck or back injury can be a life-changing experience that impacts every aspect of your life. Likely, you did not anticipate this injury or foresee the challenges and costs it would present. From physical pain to emotional distress, the aftermath of an injury can be overwhelming. If you or a loved one has been injured due to someone else’s negligence, it’s important to seek the help of an experienced neck and back injury attorney. 

The Dolman Law Group is a nationally recognized personal injury law firm with significant experience and a track record of success handling neck and back injury lawsuits. Our team of skilled attorneys understands the unique challenges and complexities of these types of cases, and we’re here to fight for the compensation you deserve. Whether you’re dealing with medical bills, lost wages, or other damages, we’re here to help you get the justice you deserve.

Why Choose Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA?

If you suffered injuries because an injury occurred due to someone else’s negligence or lack of care, you may have options to recover compensation for medical treatment, lost wages, and other damages, and to seek compensation through a claim.

Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, has had outstanding success with many personal injury cases related to neck and back injuries, drawing on deep experience in personal injury law to help numerous victims.

We’re proud to represent injury victims facing unfair treatment, ignorance, negligence, or uncertainty about the next steps in a personal injury case.

Our proud and respected team will stand with you to ensure a victorious result.

We provide legal help through a legal team that works on a contingency fee basis, meaning contingency fee agreements mean lawyers are paid only if they win the case.

The legal process generally follows a structured timeline from investigation through settlement or trial.

Our Results

Our law firm is proud to boast a track record of success with experience in a wide range of personal injury claims for accident victims suffering serious injuries, including severe injuries involving the back and neck.

• $1,750,000.00 for an accident resulting in shoulder surgery with a mild TBI
• $750,000.00 for a car accident that caused a subdural hematoma and shoulder injury
• $525,000.00 for a neck and back injury to the spinal disc

Settlement values vary widely by state and case facts. General examples include about $1.7 million in California, $965,562 in Florida, $503,648 in Texas, and about $2 million in Virginia.

While we cannot guarantee your case a specific result or amount of compensation, our past victories are a testament to our commitment to our clients and the fact that we will always go the extra mile to maximize their compensation. 

Neck and Back Injuries Caused by Negligence

When many people think of neck and back injuries, they often think of damage to the spinal cord first. It is also possible and all too common that accident victims sustain multiple types of injuries during the same incident. 

If you’ve suffered a serious back injury or spinal injury due to someone’s negligence, you should quickly speak with experienced personal injury attorneys. However, there are several other types of neck and back injuries that can occur in an accident.

Whiplash: This is a common injury that occurs when the head is violently jerked forward and then backward, causing damage to the muscles, ligaments, and tendons in the neck. Soft tissue injuries are among the common injuries seen after trauma. The most common symptom of whiplash is neck pain that sometimes extends into the shoulder region. However, some also experience headaches, vertigo, and other unpleasant sensations along with the pain, which can range from mild to severe.

Strains and sprains: These injuries occur when the muscles, tendons, or ligaments in the neck or back are stretched or torn due to sudden impact or excessive force, often involving direct soft tissue damage.

Herniated or bulging discs: A herniated disc occurs when the soft, gel-like material between the vertebrae in the spinal column ruptures or bulges out, which can irritate nearby nerves and lead to nerve damage.

If you’ve suffered an accident, you’ll likely have more than one kind of injury, and they may look very different from the brief descriptions offered here.

However, regardless of what your neck or back injury is, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible if you haven’t already to prevent further damage and complications. 

Medical records and other medical evidence are important to show the full extent of the injury sustained.

Causes of Neck and Back Injuries

There are several types of accidents that can cause neck and back injuries, including:

Motor vehicle accidents: A motor vehicle accident involving a car or motorcycle can cause neck and back injuries, particularly whiplash, and a truck accident can produce severe injuries to the back or spine for an accident victim.

Slips and falls: Trips, slips, and falls can cause a variety of neck and back injuries, including sprains, strains, and herniated discs. Accident victims also frequently sustain traumatic brain injuries during these events. 

Sports injuries: Sports like football, soccer, and gymnastics can result in neck and back injuries due to high-impact collisions or overuse injuries. While athletes always assume some degree of risk while engaging in these activities, sometimes another party may share liability for an accident. In this case, speaking to a team of personal injury lawyers for advice is crucial.

Workplace accidents: Jobs that involve heavy lifting, repetitive motions, or working in awkward positions can lead to neck and back injuries like herniated discs, strains, and sprains, and when the injury happens on the job, workers’ compensation may apply.

Assault or physical altercations: Violent altercations can result in injuries to the neck and back, particularly if the victim is struck or thrown to the ground.

Once the injury occurred, keeping detailed records of medical expenses and missed work can strengthen an injury claim.

Insurance claims should be reported promptly because insurers may undervalue back injury claims.

Treatment of Back and Neck Injuries

Treatment generally includes conservative care (chiropractic or physical therapy), injections, and oral anti-inflammatory medications to reduce inflammation around the nerves after a spinal fracture or other back injuries, which may cause chronic pain, and restore the overall range of motion.

Injections can take the form of an anesthetic to provide pain relief or a steroidal to reduce localized inflammation, and after major trauma, some patients face lasting limitations or even permanent disability.

A surgeon may recommend surgical intervention if conservative treatment measures and injection therapy fail to alleviate the pain.

A common surgical procedure is decompression, wherein the surgeon removes disc material and tissue (and sometimes bone) to address a spinal fracture, nerve compression, or other damage after an initial injury. Spinal decompression surgery aims to remove or greatly reduce nerve impingement. 

Treatment records can also help document rehabilitation costs and future medical expenses, since both the initial injury and long-term treatment needs matter when clients pursue compensation.

The Two Most Common Decompression Surgeries

Microdiscectomy – (also known as a microdecompression) is often utilized to treat leg pain caused by a herniated lumbar (back) disc that is causing leg pain. The leg pain caused by the herniated lumbar disc is commonly referred to as radiculopathy or sciatica.

Lumbar laminectomy is a procedure to treat symptoms caused by lumbar spinal stenosis. Stenosis refers to the narrowing of the disc spaces and can be caused by many factors. Stenosis may be caused by the normal aging process in which the disc deteriorates over time, and as fluid leaves a healthy disc, the disc itself becomes flatter, and the space at such disc level decreases greatly. We may also see bone spurs intruding into the disc space due to aging. In turn, this frequently results in pressure on the nerves. Stenosis may also be caused by trauma that can alter the spinal anatomy and lead to instability. In a laminectomy, the incision is much larger than in a microdiscectomy. However, the procedures are very similar in that a piece of bone or disc material impinging upon the nerve root will be removed to create more space.

Spinal fusion is when adjacent vertebrae are stabilized together to relieve or somewhat alleviate compression and chronic spine pain. In the case of the cervical spine, decompressions are often accompanied by a fusion of at least one level due to the greater likelihood of instability of the neck compared to the back.

This article is not intended to be an exhaustive description of all procedures or injuries; it is simply an overview.

Recovering Compensation for a Neck and Back Injury

The compensation you can receive in a personal injury settlement for a neck and back injury depends on various factors. These include the severity of your injury, the extent of your medical treatment, and the impact your injury has had on your life. 

A personal injury claim or personal injury lawsuit may seek compensation for losses caused by a back injury. Working with a skilled neck and back injury lawyer will be critical to calculating these damages such that no expense is omitted.

Generally, a settlement or verdict in a neck or back injury case aims to compensate you for the economic and non-economic damages you’ve suffered, from the initial medical response through the long-term consequences of the injury. These may include:

Medical expenses: Compensation for past and future medical bills, including hospital stays, surgeries, medications, therapy, rehabilitation costs, and future medical expenses integral to your healing process.

Lost wages: Compensation for the income you’ve lost due to your injury, as well as potential future lost earnings if you’re unable to work, including cases involving permanent disability or ongoing limitations after a spinal injury.

Pain and suffering: Compensation for physical pain, emotional distress, and your injury’s impact on your quality of life.

Property damage: You may have experienced damage to your vehicle or other property as a result of the accident. 

Punitive damages: In some cases, you may be entitled to additional damages intended to punish the responsible party for their negligence or wrongdoing.

Settlement values vary significantly by jurisdiction; for example, New York’s average back injury settlement is approximately $8.6 million, while Alabama’s average is $414,467. These figures are just to make a point; they do not predict the outcome of any individual case.

Working with an experienced personal injury attorney who can help you understand your rights and fight for the compensation you deserve will ensure that your case has the best possible chance of success. 

How a Neck and Back Injury Attorney Can Help Your Claim

Our lawyers know that when you suffer an injury due to someone else’s negligence, the legal process of an injury claim is often difficult for back injury victims without counsel. Injured victims occasionally try to represent themselves in these claims and conduct their own negotiations with the insurance company. However, these efforts are usually in vain.

You need a skilled attorney to secure the funds you need to pay for your injuries, support yourself and your family while out of work, or cope with the emotional distress that an accident may have left you. Here’s what our team can do for your case: 

Investigate the accident: Your attorney can conduct a thorough investigation of the accident to gather evidence and establish liability. This can include reviewing police reports, interviewing witnesses, and gathering medical records and other evidence showing how the injury occurred.

Negotiate with the insurance company: Insurance companies are often more interested in protecting their bottom line than in fairly compensating injured individuals. Insurers may also undervalue a serious back injury claim. An attorney can negotiate on your behalf to ensure you receive a fair settlement covering all of your damages.

Prepare and file a lawsuit: If the insurance company refuses to offer a fair settlement, your attorney can prepare and file a personal injury lawsuit on your behalf. This can include drafting legal documents, gathering evidence, and representing you in court.

Work with medical experts: Neck and back injuries can be complex and require specialized medical attention. Your attorney can work with medical experts to ensure that your injuries are properly diagnosed and treated and that your medical expenses are fully compensated. Knowledge of medical evidence is crucial when proving a back or neck injury.

Protect your rights: Finally, a personal injury attorney can protect your legal rights throughout the entire process. Your powerful legal ally will ensure that you’re not taken advantage of by the insurance company and that you receive the compensation you deserve. Additionally, we will keep you informed of each and every development in your case and maintain open lines of communication with you about its progress. 

Before hiring counsel, compare personal injury attorneys and confirm through the state bar association that a lawyer is in good standing. Interviews with multiple firms can also help you find the right fit for communication and service.

Dolman Law Group is Here to Help

If you or a loved one has been involved in a situation regarding this topic, Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers, PA, offers a completely free consultation and case evaluation. We are eager to sit down with you, hear your case, inform you of your rights, and offer you our most suited attorney to handle your situation, all completely free of charge. 

We also offer our clients a confident “no recovery, no fee” promise on a contingency fee basis, giving you the peace of mind to know that you aren’t obligated to pay us anything until we achieve a payout. That means you do not pay attorney’s fees unless our firm wins.

Our skilled attorneys aim for satisfaction from start to end and have no doubts about achieving this goal. Do not wait to pursue compensation, because filing deadlines apply, and you have two years to file a personal injury lawsuit in Florida. 

Contact Dolman Law Group Accident Injury Lawyers today by calling 727-451-6900 or filling out our simple contact form. We’re ready to get started on your case quickly and confidentially.