Hamden Lawyers Seek Compensation for Back and Neck Injuries
Connecticut personal injury law firm serving Hamden and East Haven
The human spine is a vulnerable mechanism. An impact caused by a motor vehicle collision or a slip and fall can result in serious, lingering and even permanent injury. At Gesmonde, Pietrosimone & Sgrignari, L.L.C. in Hamden and East Haven, our personal injury attorneys are skilled in litigating cases involving neck and back injuries. We’ve represented victims who’ve suffered harm ranging from chronic pain to permanent disability. We are highly professional and aggressive in our pursuit of the maximum damage award possible. Whether you’ve sustained a spinal injury, a broken vertebra or harm to soft tissue, we are determined to obtain the fair compensation you deserve.
Common types of back and neck injuries following an accident
The most common causes of neck or back injuries are caused by overexertion, overextension, rapid shaking and blunt force trauma. In our experience, these most commonly occur in auto accidents and slips and falls. Resulting injuries can include the following:
- Soft tissue trauma to ligaments, cartilage and discs
- Displaced (herniated) discs
- Compacted or fractured vertebrae
- Pinched nerves
- Whiplash, caused when the neck is overextended violently forward and back or from side to side.
- Spinal cord injuries causing temporary or permanent paralysis, such as paraplegia or quadriplegia
The most severe back or neck damage results from when there is an actual break in the spinal cord that prevents nerve signals from crossing from the brain to the extremities. The result is permanent paralysis below the trauma point. Though spinal injuries are rarely fatal in and of themselves, they can cause a loss of bodily function, such as incontinence and kidney failure. These complications may shorten the life expectancy of the victim.
Warning signs that indicate a neck or back injury
Not all back and neck injuries are immediately apparent. Often, the adrenaline rush you experience during and just after an impact can mask the pain of injury. But hours or days later, pain and other symptoms settle in. Headaches, a loss of motor control, dizziness, bladder and bowel incontinence and tingling or numbness in the extremities are all signs of a neck or back injury.
Because you might suffer a delayed reaction, it’s important to seek medical treatment after an accident even if you don’t feel injured. Getting treatment immediately is also helpful for your legal case. If you go a day or longer without seeking care, a defendant can claim your injury came from some intervening event that you’re not reporting.
Damages for your neck and back injury
Because a neck or back injury can be permanent and life-altering, your claim for damages should include future medical expenses, future lost earnings and compensation for the loss of your quality of life. Our team consults with medical experts to get an accurate prognosis about your prospects for physical recovery. We also consult with financial experts about the impact on your future earnings and expenses. We want to make sure you are compensated as fully as possible for the entirety of your losses.
Contact our Connecticut accident lawyers regarding your neck or back injury
Gesmonde, Pietrosimone & Sgrignari, L.L.C. in Hamden and East Haven, advocates on behalf of Connecticut clients who have suffered neck and back injuries in an accident due to another person’s negligence. To discuss your case, please call 203-745-0942 or contact us online.