Your back supports most of your body as you navigate the world. Whether you are standing, walking, or even sitting down, the many parts of your back are working hard. When any of these components of your back sustain an injury, however, it can throw a wrench into your life.
Many back injuries happen in sudden accidents. As an accident victim, you might have the right to seek compensation for your losses from the party or parties responsible for causing the accident and injuries. You should always seek help from a San Francisco, CA personal injury attorney if you believe that someone else was responsible for your back injury.
The Effects of a Back Injury
Back injuries are one of the most common types of personal injuries. This injury comes in many forms, including dislocations, fractured, herniated discs, pulled muscles, strained soft tissue, and more. The effects of a back injury will differ depending on the type of injury you have, but many people experience significant pain and significantly reduced movement abilities. The pain and movement restrictions that some with a back injury can impact your life in many ways.
Medical Care
First, you might need extensive medical treatment, which can include:
- Emergency care
- Specialist appointments
- Physical therapy
- Surgeries
- Rehabilitative care
- Medical equipment
- Home health support
All of this can be costly, and the medical bills add up quickly. It is important to continue with your treatment, even if you are worried about the expenses. If another party was responsible for causing your accident, you should discuss how to seek compensation with an experienced attorney. However, stopping your treatment can jeopardize your claim.
Missed Work
Many people must miss work following a back injury. This can include:
- Jobs that require heavy lifting
- Jobs that require physical activity or labor
- Jobs that require sitting in a chair for long periods of time
- Jobs that require standing for long periods of time
As you can see, almost every job falls into one of the above categories. Because back injuries can limit your ability to perform almost any job task, this type of injury can lead to many days – or even weeks or months – of missed work. This usually means a significant amount of lost income, even if you have some amount of paid leave.
Losing even a portion of your income can throw your entire household budget off. You might have to rely on credit cards to cover bills and expenses, and that debt can haunt you for a long time.
In some cases, a back injury can completely derail your career. If you work in construction, for example, and you suffer a chronic back injury, you might not be able to return to that job at all. You might have to take a lower-paying job instead of continuing on the career path you worked hard to build. This can cause financial stress, as well as emotional distress due to the loss of your chosen profession.
Quality of Life
Back injuries and the accompanying pain and restrictions can seriously impact your enjoyment of life. This can happen in many different ways, such as:
- Pain can be overwhelming and cause depression
- Taking pain medication can limit your mental abilities
- You might not be able to pick up or play with your children
- You might have to stop exercising or playing sports
- You might have to stop participating in recreational activities you enjoyed
- You might not be able to engage in a sexual relationship with your spouse
All of these are intangible yet very real effects of a back injury. Often, people overlook the impact on your quality of life, which can be challenging to deal with. Many people experience mental and emotional trauma due to back injuries and the resulting limitations.
How Back Injuries Happen
There are many different causes of back injuries – some are unavoidable, and some are due to the negligence of other parties. Some common ways that people suffer back injuries include the following:
- Car accidents
- Commercial truck accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Falls from high places
- Slip and falls
- Boating accidents
- Nursing home abuse
- Assaults
If you tweak your back while lifting something too heavy at home, there might be little legal and financial recourse for your injury and losses. On the other hand, if you sustained a back injury in an accident that was the fault of someone else, you have important legal rights.
Liability for Back Injuries Losses
As discussed, back injuries can affect your life in many ways, and both the financial and intangible losses can be extensive. This makes it extremely important that you determine whether another party should be liable for your injuries, as liable parties should compensate you for all of your losses.
Some liable parties might include:
- Drivers
- Businesses that allow fall hazards
- Employers of parties that are negligent on the job
- Other entities that are negligent and lead to injuries
- Contractors on job sites that make errors
More than one party might be liable, and an experienced personal injury lawyer can identify all of the responsible parties in your situation.
The first step in seeking compensation is to file the necessary insurance claims. Expect insurance companies to try to limit your recovery by offering much less than you deserve. Having an experienced lawyer calculating your losses and negotiating with insurance adjusters can help ensure that you receive the full amount that you deserve.
Speak with a San Francisco, CA Personal Injury Attorney
While you are dealing with pain, inconvenience, medical treatment, missed work, and the other effects of a back injury, the last thing you need is to pursue an insurance claim. This is why you should allow the Cartwright Law Firm to assess and protect your rights as an injury victim.
Contact us online or call us as soon as possible for a free case evaluation. We can determine who should be responsible for your injuries and take the necessary steps to obtain financial recovery for your and your family.
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