(235+)The sudden and violent twisting motion of a fall can cause serious injuries to very delicate parts of your body. One of the most common injuries that fall accident victims suffer is to their back.
The pain may begin slowly at first and build over time with symptoms of stiffness.
If you have any back pain after a slip and fall accident, you should also be concerned about your health and your finances. Always seek medical attention if you fall on your back. Then, you should contact Gibbons & Critchton, Personal Injury & Accident Lawyers. Our slip and fall attorneys are here and ready to listen to you. Call us today to discuss your case.
Examples of Slip and Fall Back Injuries
Potential injuries to the back from a fall depends on whether there was direct trauma or a sudden twisting movement.
Falls with direct trauma to your head and neck are more likely to cause spinal cord injuries. You could in turn suffer broken vertebrae that compress or cut the spinal cord.
Slip and fall accidents can cause the following injuries to your back:
- Cervical spine injuries: A bone in the neck can dislocate and damage the spinal cord
- Fractures: You may break a vertebra, which can cause intense pain or injure the spinal cord
- Soft tissue injuries: The fall can strain muscles, tendons, or ligaments, leaving you in discomfort
- Herniated discs: An injury to the vertebrae can cause the jelly-like substance between the discs in your back to protrude, placing pressure on your nerves and lower legs
Spinal cord injuries from a severe fall may result in permanent lingering symptoms that can deprive you of your ability to move and enjoy your life to the fullest. Even soft tissue injuries and herniated discs are debilitating and can cause you pain for a prolonged period. You could be dealing with a permanent injury that can only be improved with surgery.
Medical Care After a Slip and Fall Accident
Some back injuries do not begin to show symptoms immediately at the time of the fall. Your back may have experienced trauma, but your body has not begun to react yet.
You may begin to notice symptoms in the hours or days after the accident. You need to be extremely in tune with your body and not hesitate to seek medical attention.
You should seek medical treatment, both to address any issues that you are having and to address possibilities as a precautionary measure. A doctor can perform a full medical evaluation, diagnose your injuries, and begin treatment proactively.
How Do You Know That Your Back Injury Is Serious?
If you are feeling any type of back pain, it’s unwise to guess the potential issue. Without a medical background, you will have no way of knowing whether your back injury requires immediate medical intervention. You should never make the judgment that there is nothing wrong and put off seeing a doctor.
A doctor, either in the emergency room or seeing you as your primary care physician, should determine the severity of your injury after examining you. Then, they would work with you on a course of treatment for your injury that could put you on the path to recovery.
Delaying Medical Care Can Harm Your Back Injury Case
Back pain after a fall can be debilitating. It rarely goes away on its own. It makes sense to act out of an abundance of caution and get medical help no matter what. The last thing you want to do is lose valuable diagnosis and treatment time because you are debating whether to see a doctor.
The insurance company also wants to see you worry and take steps to take care of your health. If you wait too long to see a doctor, they may penalize you by claiming that you are partially to blame for your injuries. The insurance company may argue that your injuries would not have been as bad had you sought medical care earlier.
Thus, you also have a financial incentive to see a doctor if you have even the slightest idea that your back has been injured.
How to Begin a Legal Case for Your Slip and Fall Injuries
To begin the process of seeking financial compensation for your slip and fall back injury, start by contacting an experienced attorney as soon as possible. Time is always of the essence in slip and fall cases because you can lose valuable evidence for your claim. The insurance company is already going through its processes to protect itself and perhaps thinks it can deny you full compensation for your injury.
Your lawyer can begin to gather the key evidence on your behalf while you rest up. They would also review your situation to determine how much you should seek in financial compensation.
Hiring an experienced attorney also keeps the insurance company from taking advantage of you and saving money at your expense. The opposing insurance company often would like to speak with you if they can because it would mean a better outcome for them.
Contact a Lawyer After Suffering a Slip and Fall Back Injury
If you hurt your back from a preventable fall, contact the experienced attorneys at Gibbons & Critchton, Personal Injury & Accident Lawyers in Philadelphia. If you hire us, we will roll up our sleeves and get to work fighting for you.
Know that the insurance company does not want you to receive full compensation for your injuries but will take you seriously when there’s a tough attorney representing you. To schedule a free initial consultation with one of our attorneys, you can message us through our website, or you can call us at 215-274-0173.
We handle back injury claims on a contingency fee basis. That means you do not need to pay an attorney up front, nor do you need to pay anything out of pocket if you do not receive money in connection with your injuries.
