One of the most common personal injury claims in Shepherdsville, Mount Washington or anywhere in Bullitt County Kentucky is the result of an injury to the neck or back in a car accident. It doesn’t take much of an impact at all to result in the types of forces necessary to cause injury to your back or neck. It might surprise you to learn that most neck and back injuries resulting from a car accident can take days or even weeks before any symptoms become noticeable.
Many people who are in a car accident may not feel the effects of an underlying injury to the neck or spine in a car accident when they get out of the car or in the hours that follow. This is the reason it is so important to see a doctor for a thorough examination within 24 to 48 hours of any car accident, even if you think the impact was “minor.”
The G-forces inflicted on the human body in any car accident are not only unexpected, they are powerful. The body is actually violently moved in many directions within a few microseconds. Your back and neck were not meant to absorb these types of forces or move in contrary directions based upon the force of any sudden impact.
We have often been told by our clients they thought they were just “shaken up” after the accident, but actually didn’t think they were hurt. When an injury to the neck or back in a car accident finally does begin to show symptoms they often cause the patient to become bedridden, missing work, school and other important activities in their life.
While the specific types of forces in a head-on collision may be different from being hit from the rear or in a side-impact the impact on your back and neck can be the same. The muscles, tendons and ligaments of your back are suddenly and violently stressed, in effect often fighting against themselves to keep your spine aligned and to protect your spinal cord. Injury to the neck or back in a car accident often results in small tears or “herniations” in the discs of your spinal column.
These discs are designed to prevent your vertebrae from rubbing against each other and to protect the integrity of each bone, somewhat like shock absorbers. When a disc is ruptured it can takes a few weeks or even more than a month for the interior fluid of the pad(s) to leak out enough to reduce the padding they are designed to provide. You might feel relatively ok after the immediate impact, but two to three weeks later you are in immense pain and unable to get out of bed or move.
If you aren’t examined by a trauma doctor within 24 to 48 hours of the impact it may not be possible to file what otherwise would be a legal and enforceable personal injury claim. The insurance company will say “you didn’t even go to the doctor. You must have been injured doing something else and you’re just trying to blame in on the accident.”
Personal injury to the neck or back in a car accident is often not immediately noticeable. It doesn’t matter how minor the impact seemed to be. If you are involved in any vehicle collision it is important to be examined by a trauma physician within 24 to 48 hours.
There are many other things you need to know about injuries in a car accident, insurance and the process of a personal injury claim. This is why it is important to see a doctor and speak with John Schmidt for a free consultation after any car or motor vehicle impact.
How will your medical bills be covered? What about the wages you lose due to missing work as well as compensation for having to endure your injuries and the process of recovery? Is it ever in your best interests to talk to an insurance adjuster?
The Law Offices of John Schmidt & Associates PLLC can and will help. We invite you to contact us via e-mail, schedule an appointment or call us today at (502) 509-1490 to get the answers you need and just and fair compensation for an injury to the neck or back in a car accident, as well as any and all other types of personal injury.
