Helping Clients after Painful Accidental Back Injuries
Your back is a major part of your body that supports your neck and head, as well as facilitates most of your motions. Without a strong back, it can be difficult to lift even small items, walk, engage in basic tasks, or even stand up. Back injury victims know that the slightest movement can cause severe pain, which usually deters people from moving around at all.
Back injuries can also take a long time to heal. Extensive rehabilitative therapy may be necessary, and you may have to refrain from many of your usual activities. You may even be on bed rest—or couch rest—for days or weeks so you do not risk worsening your condition. Even with the right treatment, back injuries can be chronic, and it is all too easy to re-injure your back once you have done it once.
At the Law Office of Hurst Limontes LLC, we know how seriously a back injury can affect all aspects of your life. In many cases, another party was at fault for your back injury, and that party should be accountable for your injuries and losses. Please contact our office to discuss your legal options with an experienced Indianapolis back injury lawyer today.
Types of Back Injuries
Your back consists of many parts, including muscles, bones, joints, soft tissue, and your spine. Injuries to any part of your back can result in significant pain and impairment. The following are examples of back injuries that can disrupt your life and require substantial medical treatment:
- Sprains and strains
- Torn tendons, ligaments, or muscles
- Slipped discs
- Herniated, ruptured, or bulging discs
- Fractured vertebrae
- Nerve damage
- Joint dislocations
- Spinal cord injury
Many people who hurt their back try to “tough it out” and wait for the injury to heal on its own. If your injury occurred due to an accident, it is always best to seek medical care right away, especially if you are in pain. A doctor can determine the exact nature of your injury and help provide relief from pain, as well as prescribe the right course of treatment for the swiftest possible recovery. Additionally, having a specific diagnosis connected to your accident will help if you later choose to file an insurance or legal claim.
Common Causes of Back Injuries
A back injury can happen in many situations and usually when you least expect it. The following are some common causes of accidental back injuries.
- Traffic accidents. Whether you are in a car or truck accident, hit while riding a bicycle or motorcycle, or get hit as a pedestrian, traffic accidents often result in a variety of back injuries. Sometimes, you may take the brunt of a collision to the back, especially as a pedestrian. If you fall from a bike in a crash, your back can suffer direct trauma. As a passenger in a motor vehicle, a collision can cause your back to twist or stretch in unusual ways, which can result in injuries.
- Both falls from high places and slip and fall accidents can result in serious back injuries. When you fall from a ladder or down the stairs, you can directly and forcefully hit your back on the ground or any nearby objects, which can result in traumatic injuries. When you suddenly slip or trip, you can easily wrench your back in different directions in an—often futile—attempt to catch or brace yourself. Even if your fall occurs on the level ground, serious back injuries can still result.
- Work-related injuries. Back injuries are some of the most commonly-reported workplace injuries. People can injure their backs in many ways at work, including from heavy lifting, falls, motor vehicle and equipment injuries, and more. Often, back injuries happen because safety equipment or other products malfunctioned due to a defect. Some injured workers can seek compensation from a third party in addition to seeking workers’ compensation benefits.
The above are only some of the many possible ways back injuries can happen. If your back injury occurred because a driver, company, or another party acted negligently, you deserve to receive full compensation for your losses. Contact our back injury attorneys today so we can evaluate whether the law entitles you to financial recovery.
Determining the Value of Your Claim
Just like the causes of back injuries vary widely, so can the amount of compensation that back injury victims can seek. There is no way to know the value of a claim without first closely examining the extent of your losses. However, some common losses including:
- Medical expenses – As mentioned, it is always better to seek medical care than try to simply wait out a back injury. Treatment often includes urgent care, emergency room, or doctor visits, imaging tests, medication, and physical therapy. In some situations, a back injury may require surgery or other more invasive treatment.
- Lost income – Back injuries can keep you from walking—and they can certainly keep you from working. If your injury prevents you from doing your job, you can lose a substantial amount of income while you recover. If your back injury is chronic, you may not be able to return to certain jobs, and you may lose future earnings, as well.
- Pain and suffering – The pain from a back injury can be all-consuming. Back injury victims can suffer inescapable pain for weeks, which can also take an emotional and mental toll.
Our attorneys know how to carefully calculate the value of your past and future losses, and how to skillfully seek compensation for those losses from the relevant parties.
Discuss Your Rights with Our Indianapolis Personal Injury Lawyers Today
If you suffered a serious back injury in an accident, do not hesitate to contact the Law Office of Hurst Limontes LLC to discuss a possible case with a dedicated injury attorney. We represent clients around the Indianapolis area, and we explore every possibility to help you recover financially after an accident. Call today at (317) 636-0808 or contact us online for a free consultation.