Wilmington Back Injury Attorney

Extremely serious back injuries may require corrective surgery, physical therapy, and even lifelong treatment. You must seek appropriate medical attention if you have sustained a back injury. Additionally, speaking with a personal injury attorney who can build a strong case for full compensation under North Carolina law can greatly assist.

At Diener Law, we assist individuals with back injuries in pursuing compensation for all losses. When it comes to assisting our clients in recovering compensatory damages in these types of cases, our firm has a track record of winning verdicts and settlements.

Whether you injured your back in a car accident or by falling off a faulty ladder, we can evaluate your case and explain your legal options. Contact our North Carolina law office immediately to schedule a consultation with our skilled Wilmington back injury attorney.

Why Do I Need a Back Injury Attorney in North Carolina?

Have you sustained a back injury as the result of a motor vehicle accident, workplace accident, slip, and fall accident, or other accident? Our Wilmington back injury attorney is intimately familiar with the painful, frustrating, and costly effects these injuries can have on your body and life. 

We are available to answer any questions about your accident and resulting injuries. When you contact the personal injury attorney at Diener Law following an accident that resulted in a back injury, our skilled Wilmington back injury attorney and our team will guide you through every step of the claim and case process. 

Personal injury law can be quite complicated. We will be able to investigate and examine every aspect of the circumstances surrounding your injury. Armed with this information, our dedicated team will fight for the best possible settlement and maximum compensation for you. Our results speak for themselves, and our zeal for seeking justice for our clients is inexhaustible.

After a serious accident, a traumatic back injury like this can make recovery and healing a full-time job. Take care, focus on your health, and allow your experienced Wilmington personal injury attorney at Diener Law to fight the insurance companies and at-fault parties.

What Are the Common Causes of Back Injuries in North Carolina?

Back injuries occur daily, and a variety of factors can cause them. The following are common causes of back injuries:

Car Collisions

Car collisions are one of the leading causes of back injuries. Even minor collisions can cause back and neck injuries, such as whiplash and other sprains. If you have been involved in a car accident, it may be a good idea to have a doctor examine you for signs of injury, as some injuries may not have immediately apparent symptoms. 

In addition, by visiting the doctor shortly after an accident, you can help create a record of the injuries you sustained. These medical records may be useful for proving your claims in court or during settlement negotiations in the future.

Medical

Doctors and other health care professionals frequently perform operations or administer treatments involving sensitive and intricate body parts. Some of our most intricate body parts are located in and around the neck and spine. When doctors or other health care providers make mistakes in treating your back or neck, tragic outcomes can occur. 

Doctors can also cause back injuries during back or neck procedures by improperly installing medical equipment. While operating on a patient’s neck, some doctors have been so careless as to leave scalpels or other instruments inside the patient. If a doctor or health care provider’s negligence caused you to sustain a back or neck injury, you are entitled to compensation for the pain they caused.

Accidents Involving Slip and Fall

Back injuries result from slip and fall accidents when the property conditions of a business or residence are unsafe, and a person falls or slips as a result. Falls can also cause back injuries on construction sites and businesses where water was negligently left on the floor. 

Some falls may not result in serious injuries, but a serious fall can sometimes cause damage to the spinal cord. If you believe you were injured due to unsafe conditions on someone else’s property, our competent Wilmington back injury attorney can assist you in determining who is at fault and responsible for your back injuries.

Occupational Accidents

A back injury at work can be caused by something as simple as lifting heavy objects or performing repetitive tasks. Or, back injuries can occur while operating forklifts or performing other labor-intensive tasks. 

If your back injury occurred on the job, you probably have a workers’ compensation claim against your employer for the pain you have endured and the financial losses you have incurred due to your injury.

What Are the Most Common Accident-Related Back Injuries?

Back injuries keep many people out of action for an extended period. A herniated disk or degenerated lumbar disk can leave a person in so much pain that he or she is unable to return to work. A back injury may initially be treated with prescribed rest, pain medication, physical therapy, and complementary and alternative medicine.

• Whiplash
• Soft Tissue Injury
• Broken Bones
• Spondylolisthesis
• Herniated Disc

If you need help with a personal injury claim, contact our qualified Wilmington back injury attorney immediately.

What to Do Following a Back Injury Accident?

Even if you feel fine after an accident, that does not mean you are. Your pain may begin hours to days following an accident. Back pain with a delayed onset after an accident is common and may indicate a spinal injury, herniated disc, or soft tissue injury.

Immediately following an accident, some victims may initially feel fine. However, delayed back pain can manifest days or weeks later when the adrenaline wears off. Therefore, it is essential to seek medical attention even if you do not feel injured.

Obtaining immediate medical attention after an accident protects you if your injury is more severe than initially thought and your pain worsens. And if you wait days to seek medical attention, insurance companies may argue that your symptoms result from activities that occurred after the incident.

After you’ve been diagnosed and followed your doctor’s treatment instructions, it’s time to speak with a back injury-specialized personal injury attorney in your area. These claims are frequently extremely complex and involve substantial medical expenses, resulting in contested claims. 

For these reasons, you must retain our versed Wilmington back injury attorney, who can best represent your interests. It is of the utmost importance to record as many details as possible by taking notes, taking pictures, and recording video of the scene. 

Depending on the severity of the accident, this may not be possible, and you will need to rely on the testimony of witnesses instead. In addition to recording your information, it is essential to file a police report, as your insurance company may require it.

What Are the Possible Treatments for Back Injuries?

If you experience pain or injuries following an accident, you should seek medical advice from a physician. A physician may order an x-ray, MRI, or CT scan to diagnose the issue. In addition to ice packs and cold or hot compresses, your doctor may prescribe painkillers such as Ibuprofen, Ketoprofen, or Naproxen to treat injuries sustained in an accident.

The majority of soft tissue injuries require rest and physical therapy to heal. A chiropractor or physical therapist may use massages or other forms of therapy to treat your injury, and you should recover within a month. For more severe back injuries, injections or surgery may be required to remove or repair the damaged area.

What is the Value of My Back Injury Lawsuit Claim?

Back injuries can be devastating and result from various preventable accidents, including automobile collisions and slip-and-fall incidents. Even minor automobile collisions can cause tissue and nerve damage, resulting in chronic, painful side effects. You may be entitled to compensation if you were injured in a preventable accident caused by someone else’s negligence or recklessness.

At Diener Law, our personal injury attorneys have assisted numerous clients in successfully obtaining compensation for back injuries. One of the initial questions our clients ask us is the value of their back injury claims. It is impossible to predict the value of each claim for a back injury, but we can estimate based on the severity of the injury and the persistence of symptoms.

We will discuss some factors determining the value of back injury claims. If you are wondering how much your back injury is worth, you can estimate the value of your claim using the steps below. The best action you can take is to consult with our knowledgeable Wilmington back injury attorney.

Receive a Detailed Diagnosis

The value of your legal claim will likely increase proportionally to the severity of your back injury. If your doctor anticipates that your back injury will heal relatively quickly, your claim will likely be lower than if you experience permanent pain and symptoms. Nevertheless, even back strains and sprains can cause muscle spasms, difficulty walking and standing upright, and pain that worsens with certain movements. 

Similarly, bulging or herniated discs can cause severe pain, weakness, numbness, and tingling. Depending on the severity of your herniated disc, you may require extensive spinal cord surgery with a lengthy recovery period.

Be Aware of Your Numbers

Plaintiffs who win in the end are entitled to both economic and non-economic damages. Economic damages include easily quantifiable costs. Pain and suffering are examples of non-economic damages, which are more difficult to quantify. The first step in valuing a personal injury case is to examine the numbers for easily quantifiable expenses. 

We collaborate with a group of financial experts who can estimate the future medical costs associated with our clients’ back injuries. If you have not undergone a comprehensive medical examination, we advise that you do so. Understanding the precise nature of your back injury and how it will affect you in the future will help our legal team calculate the amount of income and work benefits you will lose due to your back injury.

Compensation for Lost Future Income

In addition, successful plaintiffs are entitled to compensation for lost future income. In other words, if your back injury prevents you from returning to work, you may be entitled to compensation for the income, retirement, health insurance, and other employment benefits you lose. 

The defendant may assert that you should be able to return to work. Still, we can collect evidence demonstrating that your back injury makes it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to return to work.

Compensation for Permanent Disability

When a back injury causes a victim to lose the ability to spend time with his or her family and participate in the activities he once enjoyed, the victim can seek permanent disability compensation. Serious back injuries can prevent a person from working and engaging in activities he or she previously enjoyed. 

For instance, if you used to enjoy skiing but sustained a spinal cord injury or are a mother who can no longer pick up her child, you may find yourself in a wheelchair. Your case may be more valuable if your back injury has significantly impacted your life.

How to File a Workers’ Compensation Claim for Work-Related Back Injuries?

If you were recently injured on the job in North Carolina, you must file Form 18 with the North Carolina Industrial Commission. You may need the assistance of our talented personal injury attorney to file this form correctly. In addition, you must inform your employer of your injuries and the accident as soon as possible following the incident. 

If you fail to report the incident to your employer, you may jeopardize your future claim. Employees must give their employer written notice within thirty days of sustaining a work-related injury. Nevertheless, failure to do so may require the assistance of our accomplished Wilmington back injury attorney if you find yourself in this situation.

After sustaining a serious injury, you must provide your employer with a copy of your Form 18 and describe your accident in detail. Most claimants for workers’ compensation assume the process will be straightforward. It is frustrating when your claim is denied or unnecessarily delayed. 

The injuries sustained in a severe accident can have consequences for you and your family. Fair compensation is a hallmark of North Carolina Workers’ compensation laws.

What Are the Benefits Covered Under the North Carolina Workers’ Compensation Claim?

In cases of denial, the North Carolina Industrial Commission determines whether or not your injury claim is covered. There will be a trial before a Deputy Commissioner, and that decision may be appealed to the Full Commission. If you are approved for workers’ compensation benefits, the workers’ compensation insurance company or your employer is responsible for paying for the medical care necessary to treat your injury and help you return to work.

This process may cover any additional medical conditions that are a natural and direct result of the initial injuries you sustained. This is under the North Carolina Workers’ Compensation Act (the North Carolina employment laws). North Carolina workers’ compensation claims may also include fatalities on the job.

In North Carolina, there is a seven-day waiting period before you are eligible to receive temporary total disability benefits. These days need not be consecutive, and if your disability lasts for 21 days (or partial days), you should receive benefits for the first seven days (waiting period).

In North Carolina, workers’ compensation payments are typically equal to two-thirds of your average weekly wage. This is based on your earnings before taxes and includes bonuses, overtime, and certain non-wage allowances that are taxable.

The partial disability payment is equal to two-thirds of the difference between your pre- and post-injury wages and this compensation rate. As there are numerous complex factors involved in the management of your North Carolina workers’ compensation claim, you must concentrate on receiving the appropriate treatment to recover.

Your legal matter should be managed by a devoted personal injury attorney. Knowing where you stand at each case stage and being able to ask questions and receive prompt responses can have a substantial impact on the remainder of your case.

What is the Statute of Limitations for Claims Involving Back Injuries?

Personal injury cases have a three-year statute of limitations under North Carolina General Statutes. This means that a plaintiff alleging any type of personal injury has only three years to file a claim. Our skilled Wilmington personal injury lawyer could ensure that the statute of limitations deadline is not missed and that plaintiffs are not denied the opportunity to seek compensation.

Call Our Law Office for Your Personal Injury Needs

Diener Law is here for you if you have suffered a back injury and are looking for answers. If you have already been diagnosed with a back injury, our skilled Wilmington back injury attorney can assist you in determining who is responsible for your injury and filing a lawsuit against those who have wronged you. 

If your injury has just occurred, our NC personal injury lawyer can help you connect with medical providers and determine the severity of your injury. We can also assist you in filing your claim.