In trucking accidents, one of the most common types of non-fatal injuries sustained is the back injury. The violence of the collision between a truck and a passenger car usually causes the bodies of the car’s passengers and the truck’s driver to move very suddenly and violently, creating prime conditions for a variety of back problems.
One of the most common types of back injuries sustained in a trucking accident is the lumbar injury. This type of injury affects the lower middle of the back area, known as the lumbar area. Lumbar injuries prevent regular movement and can make work and normal activities very difficult for patients. Lumbar injuries are also very painful and in many cases doctors cannot tell patients when signs of improvement may be expected.
Another type of back injury common in truck accidents is the spinal cord injury. This type of injury affects the spine and may involve damaged bones, muscle, nerves, nerve endings, or cartilage. Many spinal cord injuries result in paralysis and are permanent.
A back injury results in severe pain and suffering. Both spinal cord injuries and lumbar injuries require extensive (and expensive) medical care as well as ongoing physiotherapy. Occupational therapy and other long-term ongoing rehabilitation treatments, some of which are not covered by insurance. Most back injury patients lose significant income because of treatment and because they cannot return to work activities for extended periods of time. A good Florida personal injury attorney can be useful in this regard, helping patients recover financial resources which can assist in paying for treatment.
Lumbar injury patients face special challenges. In some cases, lumbar injuries are hard to quantify by medical science. The patient experiences pain but doctors do not yet have the tools to always prove an injury has taken place. This can cause insurance companies to become reluctant in offering needed and deserving compensation. A good attorney is often essential when handling these negotiations.
Patients with spinal cord injuries also often face special challenges. Patients who have sustained permanent spinal cord injuries as the result of a trucking accident may not be able to return to work, may have to have life-long therapy and assistance for everyday tasks, and may need to completely modify their homes and cars to make them accessible. In many cases, insurance providers routinely underestimate the total amount of all these costs, leaving patients with less money than they need. A good attorney is essential to protect the patient in these cases.