Herniated Disc Injuries Resulting From Maryland Road Accidents
With the number of traffic-related injury accidents that happen every year here in the state of Maryland, it is not surprising that quite of few of these are usually the result of driver negligence. Whether a car, truck or motorcycle accident is caused by a careless motorist, aggressive driver or an inattentive truck driver, the opportunities for personal injury lawsuits abound on our hgihways and surface streets.
As Baltimore auto accident attorneys and personal injury experts, the law offices of Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers, have represented numerous victims of injury-related traffic collisions. In some instances, a roadway collision may result in an untimely death, which also opens the door for a wrongful death claim against the responsible party. No matter if the crash occurs in Gaithersburg, Rockville, Annapolis or Washington, D.C., the best course of action for victims of negligent car and commercial trucking wrecks is to seek the counsel of a professional trial lawyer.
There is no argument that the type and severity of bodily injuries sustained in passenger car and motorcycle accidents can vary widely; from minor injuries such as small contusions, light bruising and simple abrasions to more serious compound fractures, internal bleeding and closed-head trauma, victims of bad auto accidents can quickly find themselves being rushed into an emergency room for treatment of serious or even life-threatening conditions.
Here at Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers, our legal staff understands how seemingly inconsequential injuries can develop into much more acute conditions down the road. Knowing that certain conditions can develop into potentially life-altering complications, we can help accident victims to recover not only past and current damages resulting from a traffic wreck, our office will consider future costs for medical care, continuing rehabilitation and extended nursing care.
One of the more sensitive and vulnerable areas of the human body is the spinal column, which acts as a supporting structure for the upper body and houses the delicate spinal cord. Commonly referred to as the spine, or more simply the backbone, the spinal column in humans typically consists of 24 articulating vertebrae, plus nine additional fused vertebrae in the sacrum and coccyx.
The upper three regions of the spine typically include the seven cervical vertebrae, 12 thoracic vertebrae, and five lumbar vertebrae. The articulating vertebrae are normally separated by intervertebral discs, each of which forms a cartilaginous joint that allows slight relative movement of the vertebrae, as well as acting as a ligament to hold the vertebrae and, hence, the entire spinal column together.
In automobile and motorcycle accidents, the spine can be seriously affected by the severe forces of a motor vehicle collision. The discs, which are often compared to small jelly-filled cushions, can be compressed by the force of a car crash and cause what medical professionals refer to as a prolapsed, or herniated, disc. The resulting loss of the jelly (or nucleus pulposus) having been forced out of the disc can result in pressure being applied directly on the nerves located near the disc (resulting in symptoms of sciatica).
If a disc is injured to the extent that it extrudes back into the spinal canal, the force of the herniation may impact a nerve root, sometimes causing pain to radiate throughout the person’s body. The location and intensity of the pain depends on where the disc herniation occurs. Also, people who experience a herniated disc usually do not feel the pain in the area of the disc, but may manifest itself as a pain that “shoots” through the person’s body.
These shooting pains typically affect different parts of the body, depending on which disc or discs are affected. For example, typical pain originating from a herniated disc can be felt as nerve root pain, leg pain (if the damaged disc is located in the lumbar area of the spine), or arm pain from a herniated disc in the cervical portion of the spinal column.
As Maryland auto injury specialists, the lawyers at Lebowitz & Mzhen have the skills to represent individuals who have suffered serious back and neck injuries resulting in a herniated disc(s). We understand that this type of injury is not easily diagnosed in the ER following an auto accident. This is due to the fact that the intervertebral discs are essentially invisible on an x-ray, and usually a CT scan or MRI is needed to detect a herniated disc.
Because of the nature of these kinds of injuries, patients may not fully realize they have a problem until days, weeks or months following a traffic accident. Depending on the type of crash, as well as the victim’s other injuries, a qualified personal injury lawyer may recommend filing an injury claim against the negligent driver who caused the collision.
Some individuals who have suffered one or more herniated discs suffer near constant pain, sometimes for the balance of their lives. While back surgery, traction, steroid injections, and physical therapy can sometimes relieve the pain temporarily, many spinal injuries affect auto accident victims for their entire lives. The skilled auto accident attorneys at Lebowitz & Mzhen consider all facets of a case involving spinal injury. From determining the responsibility for the accident to ruling out any pre-existing or previous degenerative disease (such as osteoarthritis, spinal stenosis, or spondylolisthesis) to establishing a settlement value for the client’s particular injury(s), our legal team prepares every case with the full intent to go to trial. Occasionally an out-of-court settlement can be reached without subjecting the victim or his family to the stress of an all-out courtroom trial.
At Lebowitz & Mzhen Personal Injury Lawyers, we recommend contacting a personal injury expert anytime a victim of a serious traffic accident sustains a back, neck or spinal cord injury; and even if you suspect that an injury has occurred, but are not 100-percent sure, the attorneys for Lebowitz & Mzhen can assist you in making a decision of whether or not to file a personal injury claim against a careless or negligent motorist. We understand all of the intricacies of Maryland’s personal injury and auto insurance statues; we also recognize the very real potential for a lifetime of pain and suffering that victims of traffic accidents can oftentimes face.
As legal professionals, our trial lawyers are prepared to go to trial and present our clients’ cases before a judge. We are used to working with insurance carriers to ensure that past, present and future medical and physical therapy costs will be covered for those victims who have sustained life-altering spinal cord injuries, closed-head trauma and other debilitating bodily injuries. Please contact us if you feel you deserve to recover damages from a negligent driver. We will be happy to arrange for a free, no-obligation consultation to answer your questions. You can email either Jack Lebowitz or Vadim Mzhen, or call us at our toll-free number: (800) 654-1949.