Orlando Neck Injury Lawyers
Neck injury symptoms don’t always appear right after an accident. While some individuals experience symptoms of swelling and pain immediately, others might not feel the impact of the accident until days or even weeks later. Early diagnosis from a medical professional is key to detecting the severity of the neck injury and will help you determine basis for a legal claim, as well as ensure you receive the best possible treatment for recovery.
If you or your loved one has a neck injury due to an accident and want to pursue a personal injury claim, now is the best time to talk with one of our experienced staff members at Legally Pink Law. Carolyn Salzmann and her team have more than a decade of experience handling accident claims and have recovered millions of dollars for our clients.
If you want to work with an all-female team that will handle your case with a winning combination of legal strategy + engineering mechanics + personal compassion, call our office at (888) 979-4941. We can also be reached via our online contact form here.
Neck Injuries Resulting from an Accident
Sudden acute neck injuries can vary in severity and type, from muscle strains to neck fractures. Minor neck injuries can occur from tripping and falling on an unsafe premise, or excessive twisting of the spine. Whereas serious neck injuries may result in whiplash or broken vertebrae from a car accident, spinal nerve damage is most often due to contact sports or a penetrating injury such as a stab wound.
If you or a loved one is suffering from a neck injury, please seek medical attention quickly to ensure the best treatment and care possible. Neck injuries can lead to long-term problems, but early medical intervention can increase your chances of a full recovery.
Types of Neck Injuries
The bones, joints, soft tissue, and nerves in the cervical spine all work together. Damage to one part in your neck often means damage to others, causing pain, swelling, and bruising. A neck injury is referred to anywhere from the base of the skull to the shoulders. Common injuries to each of these areas include:
- A strain or sprain of the ligaments or muscles in the neck. This type of injury may cause stiffness and aches that move to the upper arms, shoulders, and upper back. You can also experience shooting pain down one or both arms and into the hands and fingers due to a pinched nerve (nerve root compression). The most common ligament and muscle neck injury from an auto accident is whiplash, which is caused by a sudden jarring of the head and neck during a collision. Whiplash can occur in a minor auto accident and has the potential to result in chronic pain, so it is important to seek medical attention quickly.
- A torn or ruptured disc. Considered the shock absorbers of the spine, if a disc gets ruptured, the jelly-like material can leak (herniate) and press against a spinal nerve or the cord. Symptoms include headache, dizziness and nausea, as well as pain in the shoulders and arms.
A fracture of the vertebrae or dislocation of the spine. Considered one of the most catastrophic injuries to the spine, this type of neck and spine trauma can lead to serious surgeries and medical complications. People living with a spinal cord injury often endure lifelong disability with complete or incomplete paralysis below the level of injury.
How Legally Pink Can Help
You can also fill out our convenient online form here and someone from our team will be in contact with you shortly. Statutes of limitation apply to personal injury cases involving neck injuries, so please don’t delay in contacting our office. We understand the pain you are experiencing and are here to help.
If third party negligence or reckless behavior resulted in an accident that left you suffering from a neck injury, call our office at (888) 979-4941 for a free over-the-phone consultation.
Have Questions? GET ANSWERS
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What types of damages can I claim?
In all cases, there are two general categories of damages – economic damages and non-economic damages. You can be compensated for both past and future economic and non-economic damages.
Economic damages are things such as wage loss, mileage expense to go to doctor appointments, prescription costs, co-pays on insurance, over-the-counter medications, diminution in value to your car, etc. The other category is non-economic damages, which may include things such as pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, emotional distress, etc.
The non-economic damages are often greater than the economic damages if the injuries are significant enough. Consult with an attorney for a full explanation of these types of damages.
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Are there deadlines for filing claims?
Yes. Under Florida law, there are very specific, detailed deadlines to file claims. If you do not meet these deadlines, you may be forever barred from bringing your claim forward.
These time restrictions are known as statutes of limitations, and they vary depending on the type of claim you are bringing. It is critical that you consult with an attorney as soon as possible after your incident so you can receive good legal advice on the time limits for filing a personal injury claim.
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How can I recover lost wages?
Wage loss is paid out under your Personal Injury Protection benefit, which happens to be mandatory coverage for auto insurance in the State of Florida. There are exceptions, such as when you elected to have your wage loss reimbursement excluded on your Personal Injury Protection (PIP) benefit when you obtained your policy.
Normally, people who have their wage loss benefits excluded are those who are not employed for some reason or another. You can also elect to have a standard PIP (which covers wage loss at 60%) or extended PIP (which covers wage loss at 80%).
You will need to provide proof of income in the form of a paycheck stub, income tax return, or some other verifiable means. The remaining percentage of your wage loss not covered by your PIP insurance will become part of your claim against the defendant driver.
When cases do not involve PIP coverage, the wage loss becomes part of the demand to the at-fault party. In most cases, proof of lost income is rather simple if the injured person receives a paycheck. For our clients who are self-employed, we work very closely with them to help them assemble the necessary documentation to prove the wage loss claim. Tax returns can be helpful in instances where clients are self-employed.
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How can I recover my out-of-pocket expenses?
Out-of-pocket expenses are always made part of your claim and are part of your economic damages that we seek to recover from the at-fault party. When your claim is presented to the at-fault party, we include your out-of-pocket expenses as part of the demand package.
If your case does not settle in what we call the "pre-suit phase," then your case will proceed to court where we will ask a jury for your out-of-pocket expenses as part of your economic damages on the verdict form.
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Will my insurance premiums increase if I report an accident to my insurance company?
Your insurance premiums should not go up if you are not at fault for the accident. It will be part of your insurance record, but if you are not at fault, your premiums should not increase.
In most situations, your own insurance company will go after the insurance company that insures the at-fault party to recover the costs it may have paid to you for things such as car repairs or additional medical expenses.
