Back Injuries After an Accident

Back pain after an accident is easy to dismiss at first. Adrenaline can hide pain at the scene, and some back injuries do not show their full effects for days or weeks. Left untreated, they can affect your work, your sleep, and your daily life.

This guide explains common back injuries after a Brooklyn accident, the symptoms to watch for, and how these injuries affect an injury claim. If you were hurt in a crash, a Brooklyn car accident lawyer can explain your options.

Why Accidents Cause Back Injuries

The spine is made of bones, discs, muscles, and nerves that work together. A sudden impact, such as a rear-end collision, a fall from a ladder, or a hard slip on an icy sidewalk, can twist, compress, or jolt the spine beyond what it can handle.

Common Types of Back Injuries

Back injuries range from mild to life-changing. Common types include:

• Sprains and strains: Stretched or torn ligaments and muscles that can cause pain and stiffness.
• Herniated discs: A disc between the vertebrae is pushed out of place or ruptures and can press on nearby nerves.
• Fractured vertebrae: Broken bones in the spine, which can be serious and may need surgery.
• Aggravation of an existing condition: An accident can make an earlier back problem much worse.

The most serious injuries involve damage to the spinal cord. Our guide to spinal cord injuries and paralysis explains these cases in more detail.

Symptoms to Watch For

Back injury symptoms can be obvious or subtle. They may include:

• Pain in the back, which may spread to the hip, buttock, or leg.
• Numbness, tingling, or weakness in the legs, arms, hands, or feet.
• Stiffness or trouble moving.
• Pain that gets worse when sitting, standing, coughing, or sneezing.

MedlinePlus, a service of the National Library of Medicine, explains in its entry on herniated disks that a herniated disk is often caused by injury or strain, and that people should contact a health care provider for severe back pain that does not go away or for any numbness, weakness, loss of movement, or changes in bladder or bowel control.

Why You Should Not Wait for Treatment

Delaying care can put your health at risk, and it can hurt your claim. Insurance companies often argue that a gap between the accident and the first medical visit means the injury was not serious or came from something else. A prompt evaluation creates a record that links your symptoms to the accident.

Proving a Back Injury Claim

Back injuries are not always visible, so documentation matters. Useful evidence includes:

• Emergency room and doctor records.
• Imaging results, such as X-rays or MRIs, when your doctor orders them.
• Notes from physical therapists, chiropractors, and specialists.
• A pain journal that tracks your symptoms and limits.
• Proof of missed work.

Insurers sometimes argue that a back problem existed before the accident. Honest, complete medical records help show what changed. Our guide on what evidence you need for a personal injury claim explains what to gather.

Compensation for Back Injuries

A claim may include medical bills, therapy, lost income, and compensation for pain and changes to your daily life. Our guide to how pain and suffering is calculated in Brooklyn explains how non-economic damages are valued. In many car accident cases, you will also need to meet New York’s “serious injury” rule to seek those damages.

What to Do After a Back Injury

1. See a doctor right away, even if the pain seems minor.
2. Follow your treatment plan and attend every appointment.
3. Keep records of bills, missed work, and symptoms.
4. Avoid heavy activity that your doctor tells you to avoid, and do not post about your activities online.
5. Speak with a lawyer before giving a recorded statement to an insurer.

Talk to a Brooklyn Back Injury Lawyer

A back injury claim often depends on strong medical proof. The lawyers at Edelstein, Faegenburg & Blyakher, LLP handle these cases, and you can learn more about our Brooklyn back injury lawyers. Call us or send a message through our contact page to request a free consultation.

We also help injured people in Manhattan.

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