Neck, Back, and Spinal Cord Injury Lawyers

Injuries to the neck and back can range in severity, from relatively minor injuries that heal in two weeks to three months, to catastrophic injuries causing lifelong paralysis. If you or a loved one has suffered a spinal cord, neck, or back injury, call us now to get a free legal consultation.

Neck Injuries

The neck is made up of vertebrae (bones and joints of the cervical spine), shock-absorbing discs that separate the vertebrae, and the muscles and ligaments that hold the cervical portion of the spine together. Injury to any of these areas can be painful at best, and catastrophic in the most tragic cases.

If you have suffered serious neck injury in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, it is important to consult with a Milwaukee injury lawyer as soon as possible. You may be entitled to file a claim for compensation. Your attorney will need to move quickly to investigate your accident and to obtain and preserve evidence. Time limits to file this type of claim vary, depending on whether the responsible party is a private party or a government entity.

Causes of Neck Injuries

The neck can be injured in a number of different ways. Common causes of neck injuries include:

Car accidents: The neck can be seriously injured in almost any type of car accident. Injuries can range from minor neck strain to severe whiplash to fractured cervical vertebrae.
Truck accidents: Passenger vehicle occupants frequently suffer serious, catastrophic, or fatal injuries in collisions with fully-loaded 80,000 lb 18-wheelers and other large and heavy commercial trucks. Depending on the circumstances, the impact of such a collision could result in cervical spinal cord damage and paralysis.
Motorcycle accidents: Motorcycle riders do not have the protection of an enclosed vehicle. When a motorcycle comes to a sudden stop in a collision, the rider can be thrown off the motorcycle, sustaining serious injuries to the head and neck and other parts of the body.
Pedestrian accidents: When struck by a motor vehicle, pedestrians have no protection. The force of impact can cause a pedestrian to be flung for a distance and slammed into the pavement or a stationary object. This can result in injury to the neck.
Slip and fall accidents: An individual who slips and falls on a slick surface or trips over an obstacle and falls face first is likely to sustain neck injuries, as well as other serious injuries.

Back Injuries

According to the Mayo Clinic, the spine is a column of more than 30 vertebrae, cushioned by shock-absorbing discs and held together by muscles, ligaments, and tendons. Serious injury to any part of the back and spine can cause excruciating and disabling pain. Below the neck, injury can occur in the thoracic region (the 12 vertebrae between the neck and the lower back), the lumbar region (the five largest and strongest vertebrae between the chest and the hips), or to the sacrum and coccyx (the bones at the base of the spine).

Types of Back Injuries

Subluxation – A partial dislocation that occurs when abnormal movement of the bones weakens the joints in the back part of the vertebrae.
Dislocation – When ligaments are torn or badly stretched in an injury, too much movement of the vertebrae can occur, and they may lock up out of alignment.
Compression fractures – This usually occurs when part of the spinal column is forced forward and downward.
Burst fracture – A compression fracture in which the bone is shattered. Bone fragments are likely to pierce and damage the spinal cord with this type of injury.
Fracture-Dislocation – This type of injury, when vertebrae are both dislocated and fractured, generally includes serious soft tissue injury and may cause damage to the spinal cord.

Causes of Back Injuries

Many types of accidents can cause back injuries. Some of the most common include:

Slip and fall accidents: The back can be easily injured in a slip or trip and fall accident. If your back has been hurt in such an accident on someone else’s property because of the property owner’s negligence, you may be entitled to compensation in a premises liability claim.
Motorcycle accidents: When a rider is thrown from the motorcycle in a crash, the body can collide with objects in its path and be slammed against the pavement. Serious back injuries are not uncommon in motorcycle accidents.
Pedestrian accidents: Pedestrians have no protection whatsoever in a collision with a motor vehicle. The back and spine can be easily injured, either from the impact of the collision, or when the pedestrian is flung into an object or the pavement by the force of the impact.
Car accidents: Back injuries are common in car accidents, particularly in the lower back, including sprains, strains, and fractured and herniated discs. When bone fragments, disc materials, or damaged ligaments tear or bruise the spinal cord, spinal cord injury and paralysis can result.
Truck accidents: In collisions between passenger vehicles and huge commercial trucks, passenger vehicle occupants who survive often suffer catastrophic injuries, such as spinal cord injury and paralysis. Serious sprains and strains and fractured and dislocated discs can occur in truck accidents.

Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injuries can be catastrophic and life altering. They can cause paralysis below the level of the injury, and victims can become paraplegic or quadriplegic for the remainder of their lives. Spinal cord injury victims need full compensation from responsible parties for extensive medical treatment and to help them deal with the challenges of their injuries.

If you have sustained spinal cord injury in an accident caused by someone else’s negligence, our firm is here to help you recover the compensation you need and deserve and to hold negligent parties accountable.

Causes of Spinal Cord Injury

Spinal cord injury can result from many types of accidents when a sudden blow to the spine fractures, crushes, compresses or dislocates vertebrae, or from penetrating wounds that cut through the spinal cord. It can involve damage to the vertebrae, discs, or ligaments in the spinal column or to the spinal cord itself.

As discussed by the Mayo Clinic, additional damage typically occurs in the days or weeks after a spinal cord injury because of bleeding, swelling, inflammation, and fluid accumulation in and around the spinal cord.

According to the Mayo Clinic, motor vehicle collisions, including car accidents, motorcycle accidents and truck accidents, are the number one cause of spinal cord injury in the nation, accounting for 35 percent of all spinal cord injuries that occur every year. Falls, acts of violence, and sports and recreational injuries are also common causes of spinal cord injuries.

Consequences of Spinal Cord Injury

The consequences of spinal cord injury depend on both the location and the severity of the injury. Spinal cord injury can be incomplete, leaving some sensation and motor function below the injured area or complete, where all or almost all sensation and ability to control movement below the level of the injury have been lost.

Depending of the level of the spinal cord that is injured, victims may suffer complete or partial paralysis of the legs, pelvic organs, and all or part of the trunk (paraplegia) or the hands, arms, trunk, pelvic organs, and legs (quadriplegia). Symptoms include loss of sensation, loss of movement, reflex spasms, loss of bowel and bladder control, difficulty breathing or coughing, loss of sexual function, and pain caused by damage to the nerve fibers in the spinal cord.

Contact a Milwaukee Neck and Back Injury Attorney

When you work with Gruber Law Offices LLC in an injury claim, you will have a dedicated team of legal professionals on your side. Our practice is devoted exclusively to accident and personal injury cases, and we are passionate about what we do. Our Milwaukee personal injury lawyers have been named among the National Trial Lawyers Top 100 Trial Lawyers and Top 40 Under 40, and listed among Wisconsin Super Lawyers®.

In order to recover compensation after an accident with injuries, it is first necessary to establish the fault of the negligent party. Fault could arise from intentionally harmful actions, negligence, recklessness, or strict liability, where fault is presumed based on a clearly established rule of safety. Once fault and the extent of your injuries have been established, your claim can be resolved one of two ways: through a negotiated settlement or through a jury verdict in trial. Our attorneys have the knowledge and resources to thoroughly investigate your accident to determine fault and to carefully evaluate the full extent of your injuries. We have the skills to negotiate effectively on your behalf, and we are not afraid to go to trial. Our goal is to recover full and fair compensation for you.

Contact our firm for a free case consultation and to get a dedicated team on your side in your injury claim.

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