One of the most common injuries after car accidents is ongoing back injuries. If you injured your back in a car accident, it’s possible that you could sue for damages and compensation for medical bills or lost wages. These injuries can forever change your life.
The challenge with back injuries and car accidents is it can be hard to prove that your injury is directly related to the accident. You will have a fight ahead of you facing down the insurance companies for this type of claim.
But it’s not impossible. Working with a Sacramento accident attorney will be beneficial in ensuring your case gets heard and you receive the compensation you deserve.
Car Accident Back Injuries
Every year, there are more than 4 million car accidents in the United States alone. These accidents rack up medical costs of more than $350 million in medical treatments directly related to accidents. In California, there were more than 15,000 accidents in 2020.
When it comes to back injuries, these are the most common injuries experienced from a car crash. The thing is, you can experience a back injury even if you are only in a fender bender. Sometimes the injury doesn’t show up right away. It stems from the jostling and impact of the crash in most cases.
According to statistics, there are more than 860,000 spinal injuries related to car accidents. The most commonly affected area of the spine is the lumbosacral region. Additional injuries include spinal disk and spinal column injuries.
The Challenge of Proof
Why is it that back injuries are so hard to prove following a car accident? To some, it might seem logical that after a collision, a back injury could be common. But back injuries can be caused by a number of other issues as well, including bad furniture, a bad mattress, manual labor, and more.
The insurance company is going to do everything in their power to discredit your claim so that they don’t have to pay you. They will go so far as to insist you already had back problems prior to this crash, or tie it to other health issues you have.
Another challenge of a back injury is they don’t heal quickly. If you have ever had an injury in the past, the defendant and their insurance company try to pass your injury off as being connected to that.
These fighting tactics are why hiring a skilled accident attorney in Sacramento is a must.
Strengthening Your Back Injury Claim
If you’ve experienced a back injury, there are some steps that you can take to help back up your claim. You will need to provide that your back injuries were directly related to this incident. You will also need to prove any financial damages related to the injury. Finally, you will have to prove negligence on the part of the other driver.
These things will be helpful for backing up your claim:
- Testimony of any witnesses
- Physical evidence, including debris, pictures, and more
- Police reports and investigations
- Photos of the scene (damages, scene, skid marks, road conditions, surroundings, etc.)
- Video footage from any available sources
The other component is to prove your medical needs related to the back injury and that the injury was caused by the accident. It is imperative that you see a doctor and be treated right away when you have a car accident. A full exam should be completed, including X-ray, MRI, and CAT scans to document your injuries.
Even if you don’t know the full extent of any injury, having these exams completed immediately following the accident can be helpful.
Keep track of these details as well:
- Lost wages
- Medical expenses
- Future medical bills or lost wages
- Pain and suffering
- Life changes specifically related to injury
Get Help From an Experienced Attorney
When you’ve been injured in a car accident, you should seek help from an experienced accident attorney in Sacramento as soon as possible. Be sure to seek treatment right away. Contact an attorney quickly to set the wheels in motion and get the compensation that you deserve.