Back injuries from car accidents in Nevada can range from mild pain to life-altering trauma, affecting victims for months or even years. Even low-speed collisions can cause serious damage. If you suspect a back injury, it’s crucial to seek prompt medical attention and consult a Las Vegas car accident lawyer to protect your health and your legal rights.
Why Car Accidents Commonly Cause Back Injuries
Car accidents frequently cause back injuries because the violent forces involved put sudden, unnatural stress on the spine and surrounding tissues. In a crash, your body may be jerked forward, backward, or sideways in a split second, often faster than muscles and ligaments can react or brace.
The force from a seatbelt, hitting the car interior, and being jerked back and forth from the crash can concentrate enough energy in the back to seriously damage soft tissue, bones, or nerves.
Types of Back Injuries Seen in Nevada Car Accidents
Car crashes can result in several different types of back injuries. Some of the most common ones include:
Soft Tissue Injuries
- Strains and Sprains: Overstretching or tearing ligaments, tendons, or muscles around the spine.
- Muscle Spasms: Involuntary contractions of the back muscles, which can cause intense and recurring pain.
- Whiplash-related Back Pain: Whiplash usually leads to neck pain, but in some cases, it can extend into the back as well.
Spinal Injuries
- Herniated or Bulging Discs: Trauma can push or split the tissue between vertebrae, producing numbness, tingling, or severe pain.
- Spinal Fractures: Broken vertebrae may press on the spinal cord, which could end up needing surgery to try to repair it.
- Lumbar and Thoracic Injuries: Damage in these lower and mid-back regions can affect mobility and basic body functions, sometimes permanently.
Nerve Injuries
- Sciatica: Damage or pressure on the sciatic nerve can send sharp pain from your lower back down into your legs.
- Nerve Compression: Bulging discs or swelling can pinch nerves, producing pain, tingling, loss of sensation, and muscle weakness.
Chronic and Long-Term Conditions
- Degenerative Disc Aggravation: A collision may worsen underlying spinal conditions, bringing new or intensified pain.
- Chronic Pain: Even after healing, many accident victims struggle with constant pain that becomes a constant part of their daily lives.
After an accident where you suspect a back injury – no matter how minor you think it might be – make sure you speak with a medical professional as soon as possible.
Long-Term Consequences of Back Injuries
While some injuries you sustain after a car accident may heal quickly or in a few months, back injuries can be much more severe and long-lasting. Some issues you may face include:
Chronic Pain
Back pain is often chronic, leading to a lot of discomfort. This often makes it so you can’t engage in the activities you used to before the accident. For some people, this lasts a lifetime.
Reduced Mobility
Stiffness, weakness, or other mobility problems can develop, making it difficult to move freely or perform routine tasks like bending, lifting, or walking.
Difficulty Working
After suffering a back injury, it’s not uncommon to have to take time off work. For some, they’re able to treat their pain and get back to work after a few months. For others, they have some sort of disability that could last a lifetime, affecting their work forever.
Need for Ongoing Medical Care
Many individuals will require physical therapy, pain management, or even future surgeries to cope with the long-term aftermath of their injury. This can get incredibly expensive and overwhelming for the victim and their family.
Decreased Quality of Life
Missing out on family time, hobbies, social events, or just normal day-to-day activities isn’t uncommon after a back injury. This can take a big emotional toll on the injured person.
Risk of Permanent Disability
In the most severe cases, back injuries can cause permanent nerve damage, loss of mobility, or full disability, sometimes requiring lifetime assistance.
Living with back injuries from a car accident is challenging and often extends far beyond the initial incident.
Who Could Be at Fault For Your Back Injury After a Car Accident?
Determining who is legally responsible for your back injury after a car crash is crucial to getting compensation for your losses. In some cases, more than one person or entity could be responsible for the accident. Common parties include:
Negligent Drivers
Most frequently, another driver is to blame because they acted carelessly behind the wheel. This could be from texting and driving, speeding, driving while under the influence, or just changing the radio station. If someone else violated traffic laws and their actions led to your injury, they can be held liable.
Vehicle Owners and Employers
If the at-fault driver was operating a company car or driving for work, their employer could be partly responsible through what’s called “vicarious liability.” Additionally, car owners might be liable if they knowingly let someone unfit drive their car.
Manufacturers
If a defect in your vehicle, such as faulty brakes or seatbelts, contributed to the severity of your injury, you may have a potential claim against the car’s manufacturer for unsafe products.
Shared Fault – Nevada’s Modified Comparative Negligence
Nevada follows modified comparative negligence, meaning you can recover damages if your fault is 50% or less. If you are more than 50% at fault, you cannot recover compensation.
NRS 41.141 outlines that damages are reduced proportionally if multiple parties share fault, emphasizing the importance of accurately documenting all contributing factors.
Protecting Your Rights
Back injuries can be complex and long-lasting. A Las Vegas personal injury attorney can help determine liability, document your injuries, and ensure you receive fair compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. If you’ve been hurt in a crash, contact our team for a free case evaluation today.
