Back injuries can be catastrophic and impair one’s ability to lead a balanced life of productive work and leisure. Simply put, back injuries can shut down your life. The muscles and bones in your back support your body so you can stand upright. Meanwhile, your spine transmits signals that enable a large majority of the physical functions you perform on a daily basis. Sometimes, the damages and prognosis become immediately clear after a back injury. However, you can’t know the full extent of the damages until later after sustaining the injury.
This is one of many reasons why it is imperative to call a Jacoby and Meyers back injury lawyer, as time is critical when it comes to building a case that will help ensure you receive the right medical care and the highest possible cash settlement for your pain and suffering. You need an experienced, caring back injury lawyer by your side to prove the severity of your injuries. An attorney can show how your injury will impact your future and negotiate a settlement. They will get you the highest compensation while insurance companies try to minimize injuries and downplay your future situation.
What Justifies Partnering with a Back Injury Lawyer
Back injuries are complex. They can be challenging to diagnose and new symptoms can later arise. Sometimes, the victim can have a back injury with delayed symptoms. A back injury lawyer knows what evidence to gather and how to collect the evidence, they have expert witnesses and are able to shift the approach of your case, with zero notice, based on new diagnosis and symptoms.
Back injuries can be minor, such as strained muscles, or catastrophic, like a paralysis case. These injuries can involve the spinal column, ligaments, muscles, certain organs, and skeletal structure. If a safety harness on a job site malfunctions and you fall, you could break some of the fragile bones in your back. If you slip and fall in a retail store, you could injure your spine, damage your lower back muscles, and pull ligaments.
Back Injury Lawyers Get You the Highest Settlement You Deserve
When you sustain a substantial injury, you can bet that your medical bills will be extremely high. Back injuries can require multiple surgeries, costly medicines, rehabilitation, home care providers, medical equipment, and a number of other things necessary to ensure you get the best healthcare. In addition, these injuries can prevent people from returning to work, so lost wages factor heavily into the financial burden. Back injury lawyers at Jacoby and Meyers take all of these areas, and others, into account when determining a fair settlement, and they build your case around all the facts and evidence in a well-presented manner that will give you the justice you deserve.
Insurance companies will try to get the plaintiff to settle before they have the chance to call a back injury lawyer, and for a good reason: back injury victims, statistically, receive thousands more, and in some cases millions more, with legal representation from a personal injury lawyer. A back injury attorney will protect your rights by keeping any potential predatory attempts by the defendant and his lawyer at bay. In fact, you shouldn’t even talk to an insurance company before first talking to a back injury lawyer. They will record your statement, which they can use against you. You must contact a back injury lawyer immediately to protect your rights. An attorney can also help you get the highest compensation possible and ensure you receive the right medical treatment.
What to do if You or a Loved One Experiences a Back Injury
If you or a loved one have been involved in an accident of any type, and you suspect you have injured your back, you will want to seek immediate medical attention. If the injury seems severe, there is a chance you could have injured your spine, so staying still and avoiding any movement is recommended to prevent making the injury worse. In cases like this, trained medical response teams will know how to safely move you and transport you to the hospital.
Right after a physician examines you and you are in stable condition, call a back injury lawyer at Jacoby and Meyers. Our team will immediately start collecting all the medical reports and police reports. We can also help gather any other necessary evidence and information to start building your case.
While an ambulance is on its way, try to record as much information as possible that’s relevant to the accident. Use your phone to take pictures. If you were in a car accident, take photos of your car and the other party’s vehicle. If you fell from a balcony or you were ejected from a scooter, take photos of the surrounding areas. These include where you landed and where you initially fell from. Take pictures of the surrounding area too. Things that may seem irrelevant could actually be of value to your personal injury attorney.
Common Damage Seen by Back Injury Lawyers
A back injury can cause multiple points of damage from muscle and tissue damage to spinal injuries and nerve damage. Here are some of the common diagnoses our back injury lawyers have seen when reviewing medical reports.
Tendon and muscular damage
Also known as back strain, this can happen when the muscles and tendons supporting your back have been damaged in an accident.
Damages ligaments
Injury to the strong, fibrous tissue that connects bone and cartilage in the back is also referred to as a back sprain.
Slipped (herniated or ruptured) disc
When the discs that protect the vertebrae in the backbone sustain damage, the inner gelatinous contents move out through the disc’s outer layer.
Pinched nerve
When nerve compression causes pressure and, in some cases, extreme pain, thus restricting or limiting movement (like not being able to carry a backpack).
Nerve damage
Damaged nerves in the back cause weakness, numbness, and pain. This pain can also radiate to other parts of the body.
Spinal dislocation or fracture
The most serious back injuries can lead to temporary or permanent paralysis. This happens when the spinal cord breaks or the vertebrae move from their normal position. These injuries are more common with sports injuries, car accidents, and falls.
Your doctor can determine your back injury treatments based on the injury’s severity, type, and the victim’s age and health. Back injury lawyers at Jacoby and Meyers work hard to ensure their clients get the necessary treatments. These can include medications, physical therapy, and any needed surgeries. A back injury lawyer will also work to ensure you aren’t left with any devastating medical bills. A back injury attorney will help you receive compensation for your pain, lost wages, suffering, and other damages.
Call Jacoby and Meyers today for a free estimate, and gain an educated view of your rights and the type of case our personal injury lawyers can build to help you seek justice and compensation for damages related to a back injury.
Michael Akiva is Managing Partner of Pre-Litigation of Jacoby & Meyers. Having started his career as an attorney at Latham & Watkins LLP, a prestigious, global corporate law firm, Michael quickly realized that representing big corporations was not for him. After leaving the firm, Michael dedicated himself to fighting for the rights of the injured. Education J.D. UCLA School of Law, Editor, UCLA Law Review B.S., Finance, University of Southern California, Magna cum laude