One area of your body that is the most likely to suffer injury after a car accident is your spine. Some spine injuries are surprisingly minor and you may be able to recover from them, while other spine injuries can cause you to be permanently crippled. Regardless of the severity of your injuries, you will want to seek compensation with the help of a personal injury lawyer.
Less Severe Spinal Injuries
Whiplash is often considered a less severe spinal injury and can cause your neck to hurt. It is the result of your head moving back and forth quickly. In most cases, you will recover from whiplash in a few weeks. However, some cases of whiplash can lead to long-lasting pain and other complications.
Because of the nature of the whiplash injury, you might run into trouble if you take legal action against the other party. The other driver's insurance provider might argue that a whiplash injury is not very severe. Therefore, you will need to work closely with your personal injury lawyer to gather evidence that your whiplash injury is causing you severe pain.
More Severe Spinal Cord Injuries
More serious spinal cord injuries include broken vertebrae and spinal cord damage. A broken vertebra results from a spinal cord fracturing after an accident. This might result from your body colliding with an object inside or outside of your vehicle. The force can lead to your vertebra snapping.
Spinal cord damage can interfere with communication between your brain and other parts of your body. If you are permanently paralyzed, you will likely be considered to have a catastrophic injury that can substantially increase the compensation that you are entitled to since you will be unable to support yourself.
How to Maximize Your Compensation
Regardless of how severe your spinal injury is, the other party will do everything possible to avoid compensating you for your injuries. They might attempt to hold you responsible for the accident, or at least attempt to hold you partially responsible to reduce the settlement. They might also claim that you are not as injured as you claim.
Therefore, it is necessary to have medical evidence so you can make a strong case for why you deserve compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. Calculating your damages and negotiating with an insurance provider can be difficult and you may want to consult with a personal injury attorney before getting started.
For more information about personal injury law, contact a law office near you.
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