Have you or a loved one suffered severe trauma to the back, neck or spinal cord because of an accident? Let expert Florida injury lawyers at Lorenzo & Lorenzo stand up for your legal rights.
Each year, there are approximately 12,500 new spinal cord injury (SCI) cases according to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC).
SCI affects the daily life of an estimated 276,000 people – and that’s not including other catastrophic injuries of the back and neck such as whiplash, which affects over 3 million Americans annually. In many cases, injuries to the neck, back and spinal cord are caused by someone other than the victim.
When faced with a lifetime of medical and rehabilitation bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering, victims of severe back and neck trauma as a result of negligence should consult an expert personal injury lawyer immediately to discuss their case.
Lorenzo & Lorenzo is intricately familiar with the complexities of spinal cord injury cases.
Consult an expert back and neck injury lawyer for free.
What is Spinal Cord Injury?
The spinal cord is a tubular bundle of nerves that run down your spine – from the base of the brain down your middle back and ending above the waist – and it is the most critical structure connecting the brain to the body. The spinal cord is protected by the bones in your vertebral column; however, a traumatic injury to the back or spinal column can dislocate a vertebrae disk and damage the spinal cord.
Depending on the severity of injury and location of damage to the spinal cord, back trauma can result in total or partial paralysis, loss of movement, loss of feeling and other injuries.
Types of Back Injury
Diagnosing the source of your back pain is dependent on how you describe the pain, where the pain is located and other symptoms associated with the pain. The various classifications of back injuries include:
- Axial – Also known as “mechanical pain,” this type of pain can be dull or sharp, be constant or in waves, and is is commonly the result of a muscle strain.
- Referred – Often described as dull and achy, referred pain fluctuates in intensity and can be caused by degenerative disc disease.
- Radicular – Sometimes accompanied by numbness or weakness, radicular back injuries often produce deep and intense pain. This type of pain is caused by inflammation, compression and/or injury to a spinal nerve root (examples include a herniated disk, pinched nerve or spinal stenosis).
- Mid-Back & Lower Back – Injuries of the middle and lower back, including sprains, strains and fractures to the lumbar spine, can make daily tasks excruciatingly painful.
- Upper Back – Pain originating from the neck and/or upper spinal column (also known as thoracic spine injury – the region where your spine connects to your ribs) can cause severe pain and permanent impairment.
- Acute – An acute back or neck injury involves pain that lasts from 3-6 months or less, or pain associated with tissue damage.
- Complete – Injury to the spinal cord which results in total paralysis, wherein the patient has no feeling or is unable to voluntarily move any body part below the point of injury and on both sides of their body.
- Partial – In the case of partial spinal cord injuries, individuals may have some feeling and function below the point of injury.
- Chronic – Pain in the neck and/or back that lasts for 12 weeks or longer is considered chronic. Chronic pain has a clearly identifiable cause. Examples of common chronic back injuries include degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, radiculopathy (pinched nerve) and spondylolisthesis.
- Spinal Cord – Of all neck and back injuries, damage to the spinal cord is the scariest of all. Spinal cord injuries have the potential to be the most severe, often resulting in total or partial paralysis and other detrimental side effects.
- Neuropathic – Also known as nerve pain or neuropathy, neuropathic back pain occurs when receptors in the spinal column continue to send pain signals to the brain even though there is no ongoing tissue damage. This type of pain has only begun to be studied recently.
“I appreciated the personal attention I received from Mr George Lorenzo during this difficult time. I was kept up to date throughout the ordeal by Mr Lorenzo and his staff. Their recommendations for my physical recovery was exactly what I needed to help me heal. They worked really hard, making sure I received the compensation I deserved. I highly recommend the Law offices of Lorenzo & Lorenzo. Thank you Mr. Lorenzo and the Lorenzo and Lorenzo staff.”
Common Causes of Back, Neck & Spinal Cord Injuries
Any time your head, neck and back experiences too much pressure or force, you are susceptible to an injury. Common causes of back, neck and spinal cord injuries include:
- Slip and fall accidents
- Whiplash
- Lifting or carrying heavy loads
- Pregnancy
- Arthritis
- Degenerative bone/nerve diseases
- Sports injuries
Whiplash resulting from a car accident is the most common neck injury. Whiplash refers to the violent movement the neck experiences when the body stops abruptly but the head continues.
Based on the severity of the impact, the soft tissue of the neck, shoulders and upper back may be damaged, resulting in painful side effects for weeks and months following the accident.
Back/Neck Injury Treatment & Compensation
Although modern medicine is unable to completely heal a person who suffers severe back, neck or spinal cord damage, various treatment options, such as surgery and rehabilitation, can prevent further injury and help patients return to a semi-normal life. Decompression surgeries, like microdiscectomy and lumbar laminectomy, can greatly improve nerve impairment caused by a pinched nerve. Similarly, X-rays, CTI scans, MRI scans, discograms, diagnostic myelograms and other medical tests can be run to diagnose the cause of a back, neck or spinal cord injury.
Regardless of an individual’s path to recovery, treatment of back and neck trauma is often a long, difficult road. Medical and rehabilitation expenses will likely follow them for the remainder of their lives, and it may be impossible to return to work. In addition, the chronic pain and suffering that is so common in these types of injuries can have devastating, long-term effects on the person’s quality of life.
Florida is a “no fault” state, meaning if you’re injured in a car accident you should be able to start receiving medical treatment immediately under the Personal Injury Protection (PIP) clause found in your auto insurance policy. As soon as you have been diagnosed and begin receiving medical care for your back, neck or spinal cord injury, it is important that you also consult a personal injury attorney who is experienced in these types of cases to talk about your legal right to fair compensation from the at-fault party.
Our Expert Tampa Back and Neck Injury Attorneys Will Fight for the Compensation You Deserve
While the pain and suffering inflicted upon you or your loved one may be obvious, proving that someone else’s negligence directly caused the excruciating injury is often difficult. Lorenzo & Lorenzo has a prestigious reputation and record of success in handling personal injury and auto accident cases throughout Tampa, St. Pete and Clearwater, Florida. We are eager to take on your case and fight for the compensation to which you may be entitled.
Don’t ignore your suffering. Contact Lorenzo & Lorenzo to discuss your case with one of our expert Tampa back and neck injury attorneys. We will never charge you for attorney consultations, and we promise to handle your case with personal care and skilled representation.
