Lower back pain is one of the most common injuries suffered during car accidents. These injuries can haunt accident victims for a very long time, causing them to miss work and struggle financially. Back pain can be a sign of a sprain, a herniated disc, muscle damage, whiplash, and other soft-tissue injuries. When lower back pain is accompanied by numbness or tingling, this could indicate pinched nerves.
Unfortunately, many accident victims who suffer from lower back pain face a long road to recovery. Treatment for this type of injury can be costly, and other expenses can quickly add up. If you are coping with lower back pain after an accident that was caused by someone else’s negligence, you need to learn about your legal right to compensation. Contact the personal injury lawyers at Englander Peebles now to discuss your options in a free consultation.
How Can a Car Accident Cause Lower Back Pain?
Back and neck injuries are extremely common after car accidents. Rear-end impacts, in particular, are known for causing lower back pain.
When a car slams into another vehicle, the inertia of the opposing forces causes everything in the vehicle to also move in that direction. There is also a limited amount of room to move inside a vehicle. When a person’s body is thrown into a car door, steering wheel, dashboard, or other part of the car, the force places immense pressure on the back and neck. This is not only how lower back pain is caused during a crash, but also why whiplash is so commonly seen along with lower back pain injuries.
What Does Lower Back Pain Mean?
If you are experiencing lower back pain, you may not know what that means right away or what underlying injury you have sustained. A few of the most common causes of lower back pain after a car accident include:
- Lumbar sprains: This type of lower back pain results from excessive stretching of the ligaments, tendons, and muscles in the back. These injuries are not only extremely painful, but also very difficult to diagnose.
- Spinal stenosis: The medical term stenosis refers to the abnormal narrowing of a body channel. When this happens in the spine, it can result in ruptured discs and bone fragments in the spinal canal, which also apply pressure to the nerves and spinal cord, causing severe pain.
- Disc herniation: Vertebrae within the spinal canal are cushioned by discs. These discs can easily slip, rupture, and herniate. These are all often the same injury but referred to by a number of different names. When these injuries occur, the discs protrude from their protective cases or slip out of position.
All of these injuries are extremely painful, and it is crucial that accident victims seek medical treatment as soon as possible to ensure the best chance for recovery.
Should You See a Doctor If You Have Lower Back Pain After a Crash?
Any time you suffer an injury in a car crash, regardless of how minor you think it is at the time, it is crucial that you see a doctor. A doctor will be able to conduct a full examination to determine what injuries you have sustained and treat them as soon as possible so they do not become any worse.
Additionally, failing to see a doctor after a crash can be very destructive to any future personal injury claim you file. When insurance companies find that you did not seek medical help immediately, they will claim that you were not that injured because you did not need treatment. So, to protect your claim and begin documenting your injury, you must seek medical attention as soon as possible after your accident.
What Are Your Legal Options If a Crash Causes Lower Back Pain?
You have many legal options after a car accident if someone else’s negligence caused your crash. Florida is a no-fault state, which means that you can file a claim with your own insurance company to recover compensation for your injuries. Unfortunately, you will be restricted to your policy limits, which is usually not enough to cover the cost of a lower back pain injury, as these injuries can sometimes take months or even years to treat.
When that is the case, you can file a personal injury claim against the at-fault driver. Florida has a serious injury threshold, which will allow you to file a claim for your injuries when they are going to cost more than $10,000. Typically, the at-fault driver’s insurance company will pay this compensation. When that insurance is also not enough to cover the cost of your injuries, you can file a lawsuit directly against the at-fault driver to demand the rest of the compensation you need.
What Types of Compensation Can You Seek for Lower Back Pain?
There are many different types of compensation you can seek for lower back pain injuries. These include:
- Medical expenses, including future treatment costs
- Lost income, as well as loss of earning capacity if you cannot return to the same type of work
- Loss of household services, such as house cleaning, if you can no longer perform those tasks
- Rehabilitative costs
- Pain and suffering
- Mental anguish
These are just a few of the most common types of compensation available in car accident injury claims. In rare instances, punitive damages may be awarded. These damages are meant to punish the defendant for gross negligence or extreme recklessness.
Get Help from a Fort Lauderdale Personal Injury Lawyer Today
If you are suffering from lower back pain or any other type of injury after an accident, call our personal injury lawyers in Fort Lauderdale today. At Englander Peebles, we will fight to hold insurance companies and at-fault parties accountable for paying the full amount of damages you need.
Contact us today to schedule a free case evaluation so we can discuss your back injury and your legal options for pursuing the compensation you need to move forward with your life.