Car accidents can cause a lot ofserious injuries, and among the most serious are injuries to the cervical spine. This likely explains why in excess of 80,000 neck injuries resulting from car accidents are recorded in the U.S. making traffic collisions the primary cause of neck injuries. If you give up work permanently or even on a short-term basis, the money lost through unearned wages are recoverable. Helping to stabilize and mobilize the head and neck, the facet joints in the cervical spine can become inflamed and irritated during a car accident. Prior results do not guarantee similar outcomes. Non-economic damages typically include the hardships your accident caused, including: Average neck injury settlements can be hard to estimate. However, a person with pre-existing spondylosis has a much greater risk of intensifying the illness or causing other types of back problems to occur. 4. In this image, we see the reversal of the cervical lordosis and the characteristic disc narrowing of disc thinning at the C3-C4, C4-C5, and C5-C6. Loss of cervical lordosis meaning is referred to as the condition in which the cervical curve arches too far inward. 3 Rydman E, Elkan P, Eneqvist T, Ekman P, Jrnbert-Pettersson H. The significance of cervical sagittal alignment for nonrecovery after whiplash injury. loss of cervical lordosis car accident settlement Vehicle accident settlement with cervical soft tissue injury, $93,000 In an average car accident case with a relatively minor soft tissue neck or back injury, the accident victim may expect to receive a settlement anywhere between $2,500 and $10,000 from the at-fault driver's insurance company. For example, medications can help with reducing pain and inflammation.. For example, a victim with serious injuries may experience a significantly decreased quality of life. . Rear end car accident settlement with cervical disc injury, $268,000 The severity of the injury refers to the extent of the injury itself as well as the healing time. Introduction. For injuries with lifelong complications, those costs can become insurmountable. Direct impact damage to the soft tissues containing the trachea with larynx, esophagus, and major arteries and veins to both the head and brain. loss of cervical lordosis car accident settlement Doing that requires a lot of time. For example, if the liable drivers insurance policy limit is not adequate, your lawyer may consider tapping your own policys Personal Injury Protection (PIP) or uninsured/underinsured coverage before filing a lawsuit. If negotiating with the insurance company doesnt work, you might need to file a lawsuit to recoup your damages. Whiplash Injury, Cervical Kyphosis, and Cervical Spine Arthritis The more serious your injury, the more problematic that becomes for you and your case. It is also possible to separate the injuries and prove that car accident caused a different type of neck injury. The attorney listings on this site are paid attorney advertising. If you experience any of the following, be sure to seek medical assistance as quickly as possible: Radiating pain that penetrates the shoulders, arms and hands, Any tingling, numbness or weakness in the arms, hands and fingers. European spine journal,18(3), 371-381. Treatments discussed on this site may or may not work for your specific condition. Soft tissue neck injury claims are worth between $5,000 and $20,000 on average. Whiplash. The settlement was the result of a personal injury lawsuit that was filed after the client was in a low-impact, rear-end, car accident. The Cervical Spine Research Society. This is evidenced by the multi-million examples above in which all victims required surgery. The man was a passenger traveling in a company-owned truck when the at-fault motorist ran a stop sign and collided with the trucks passenger side. In more severe cases, whiplash can cause chronic headaches, dizziness, and vertigo. Its key to work alongside a car accident lawyer to determine how your neck injury affects your lifetime income. Available medical literature shows there is approximately a 40% chance of your whiplash injuries being permanent if they persist beyond two years. $9,500 trial verdict for neck injuries resulting from a minor rear-end accident. Your neck is left virtually unprotected during a car accident. For instance, a bulging disk can make standing or sitting pure agony. Rear end truck accident settlement with cervical disc injury, $2,500,000 The largest amount found was a $1,5 million arbitration award paid to a mentally disabled victim after an accident involving a special transportation bus. degenerative disc disease of the cervical spine is from $55,000.00 to $300,000.00 or more if spinal fusion is needed and results in complications. If your job requires you to stand for hours on end or sit for long periods of time, you may not be able to return to work at all. As the disks dehydrate and shrink, signs of osteoarthritis develop, including bony projections along the edges of bones (bone spurs). A tendon is a type of tissue that links muscle to bone. Fair or not, many insurance companies will gauge the seriousness of an injury based on the nature and cost of the medical treatment required. We fight the insurance company and do whatever it takes to get you justice. It houses your spinal cord, which carries information from your brain down to the rest of your body. Medical bills and future medical expenses, including home care, Surgeries, such as discectomies, fusions, and laminectomies, Steroid and/or pain injections to reduce pain and swelling. What does this mean? T-bone car accident settlement with cervical disc injury, $1,500,000 The problem is usually detected on X-ray of cervical spine and it should be . $900K Rear-End Car Accident Settlement for a New York photographer hit by a truck at a stop sign. A fracture can heal in a few months. As you are reading this article, you likely have a problem with your cervical spine brought on by a whiplash-type injury. Since 2012, no other law firm attained more results exceeding $1 million in New York State than Block O'Toole & Murphy. $537,000 settlement for a man who required cervical fusion surgery following a car accident. Also referred to as whiplash-associated disorder (WAD), its actually a type of sprain caused by a tear in the necks delicate ligaments. . Getting Your Car Accident Neck Injury Settlement After a Crash Whiplash is one form of soft tissue neck injury. You need to be careful with neck injuries that do not seem serious. A loss of normal neck curve or lordosis (hypolordosis) was observed in only 4% the normal/non-injured patients. Paralysis involves permanent damage . Throughout the insurance claim or lawsuit process, you must provide a plethora of evidence, give a detailed breakdown of all damages (special and general), and establish liability. More severe cases, such as herniated disk, bone spurs or pinched nerves, are . The answer is also yes. Learn more about how the nature and extent of injuries affects claim value. However, the association between these variables and pain conditions remains poorly understood. What these researchers did then was to examine all these factors to see if they could figure out what type of problems the curvature of the cervical spine could create in whiplash victims. Yes. There are too many unique factors in any given personal injury case to predict the value of a neck injury claim, but there are commonalities to consider, and lessons to learn from past cases. For this reason, theyre referred to as non-economic damages, since theyre not tied to a number. The best way to know if your injury is serious is to contact a medical professional and get the proper testing. When extreme force is put on an unhealthy cervical curve during an auto . A chiropractor may also recommend a series of safe and gentle relaxation techniques to help the healing process. Spondylolisthesis is the medical term for when a single vertebra slips out of place. Neck disc injury cases that result in surgery average over $200,000. Kinematics of human cadaver cervical spine during low speed rear-end impacts. Getting a diagnosis is imperative for making sure that you get the treatment needed that can help you best. Clin. Slowly turn your head from neutral position to the right and left side of your body and back to neutral position again. A doctor can diagnose if you have a facet joint injury by using a type of injection with a local anesthetic. Damage to the spinal cord is one of the more serious injuries you could sustain in a car accident. The challenge is that for decades now, one of the most common neck injuries whiplash injuries has developed a reputation of being a claim raised by fakers and exaggerators. The victim sustained serious injuries to his neck and lower back, including herniated discs. The spine has three main sections: cervical (neck), thoracic (middle and upper back), and lumbar (lower back). Several radiological cervical angular variables (the change of the angle of the cervical spine as in lesser angle degree manifest as straightening or loss of lordosis) are suggested to have constitutional (impacting the neck and the whole body) characteristics, that is, them being minimally influenced by body positioning (the neck curvature has become its own world, the movements of the body no longer impact a neck with significant curve problems). Loss of cervical lordosis from a car accident - Caring Medical Florida Violent collisions may damage one or more spinal discs, causing a bulge or disc herniation. Can Car Accidents Cause Spondylosis? - The Barnes Firm BMC public health,16, 13. If you suffered a disc injury in your neck and had surgery, that always causes and leaves permanent issues and symptoms. If yes, contact a lawyer referral service. Each of these is a recoverable element of the damages in your neck injury settlement amount. Uninsured & Underinsured Motorist Accidents, The National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center. In an auto accident, this can cause you to have short-term and long-term pain. If the jury verdict finds the other driver at-fault, the driver or their insurance company must release a check to your attorney which will then be dispersed to you. Severe, chronic headaches. Similarly, injuries requiring treatment by physiciansas opposed to chiropractors, or even physical therapistsare given more weight by many insurance adjusters. Some whiplash injuries even occur when a car is traveling at speeds as low as 5mph. They are inundated with average injury attorneys who will settle your case fast while leaving money on the table. A minor sprain can heal within a few weeks. Permanent Injury From Whiplash - X-ray Proof - Dr. Martin Schmaltz loss of cervical lordosis car accident settlement. Journal of accident & emergency medicine,13(1), 38. Let us help you win. If youve recently injured your neck in an accident, doctors have likely referred to your injuries as damage to the cervical spine, the medical term for the bones and tissue that make up your neck. Also, if you do not go to the hospital, the insurance company will use that as an excuse to say you were not really hurt. Muscle Weakness. Car accident neck injury settlement amounts related to whiplash can often double and triple, but only after we push the case towards the finish line i.e., into litigation towards trial. Mechanism of injury is the medical explanation of what happens structurally to your body during a traumatic event which caused your injury. Auto accident settlement with cervical disc injury, $375,000 Pain and suffering are non-economic damage that can significantly increase your accident settlement. Having two avenues for filing could increase your settlement amount. A bulging disc injury can be caused by age-related wear and tear or pre-existing spinal conditions. Loss of cervical lordosis (neck curve) - Phoenix Rising ME/CFS Forums $2,840,000. Whiplash symptoms can appear days or weeks after the accident occurred. In turn, this factor increases its overall settlement amount. Disability Benefits For Neck Pain Or Cervical Spine Disorders - Epainassist