Back pain can strike after all kinds of accidents—car crashes, workplace mishaps, or sports injuries. Learning how to know if your back injury is serious helps you get the right care fast and protect your legal rights. In this guide, we discuss common causes of back injuries, warning signs of serious problems, and what to do after an accident. We also explain how negligence affects claims and compensation.
Common Causes of Back Injuries
Back injuries don’t only come from car wrecks. Some common ways people hurt their backs are listed below.
Car Accidents
A sudden jolt from a car accident can strain muscles, sprain ligaments, or damage spinal discs. Even low-speed crashes can cause delayed pain. If you experience a back injury after a car accident, watch closely for warning signs.
Workplace Accidents
Jobs that involve heavy lifting, repetitive motion, or working at heights often cause back injuries. A back injury at work can happen from a sudden fall, dropping something heavy, or twisting incorrectly. This can cause damage to the spine.
More Examples of Negligence
Negligence by property owners, employers, or equipment manufacturers can lead to back injuries. Poor maintenance, unsafe work practices, or defective products all create dangerous conditions that cause harm.
Warning Signs Your Back Injury Is Serious
Minor aches often clear up with rest, but don’t ignore back injury red flags. Below you’ll find how to spot a serious back injury.
Persistent or Worsening Pain
If pain lingers beyond a few days or grows sharper, it could mean a herniated disc or fracture. Track your discomfort—note when it started and whether it gets worse with movement.
Numbness and Tingling
Tingling in your legs, feet, or toes often signals nerve compression. Numbness or a “pins and needles” sensation requires prompt medical attention to prevent permanent damage.
Loss of Mobility and Weakness
Difficulty bending, twisting, or even standing upright points to structural issues in your spine. Muscle weakness—like trouble lifting your foot or gripping with your hand—can indicate that nerves are affected.
Changes in Bladder or Bowel Function
Any loss of control over the bladder or bowels could indicate spinal cord injury. This is a medical emergency—seek care immediately.
Visible Swelling or Deformity
Noticeable swelling, bruising, or a bulge along your spine could point to fractures or soft tissue tears. Have a doctor examine you right away.
Steps to Take After a Back Injury
Act quickly to protect your health and future claim for damages. Here’s what you should do.
Seek Medical Attention Immediately
Visit an emergency room or urgent care center, especially if you have severe pain or red-flag symptoms. Early diagnosis through X-rays, CT scans, or MRIs gives you the best chance at recovery.
Document Your Injury and Treatment
Keep a detailed record of every doctor visit, test, and treatment. Note your pain level each day. Save medical bills, receipts for prescriptions, and therapy invoices. These documents prove the extent of your back injury from car accident, slip and fall, or workplace incident.
Report Any Accident to the Right Party
When an accident occurs, it is important to report the accident to the proper party. If you’re involved in a car crash or auto accident, be sure to file a police report. If you experience a slip and fall on someone’s property, in a store, or in any establishment, report it to the property owner or manager. Properly reporting any incident creates an official record which you’ll need later.
Proving Negligence for Your Claim
If someone else’s careless actions caused your back injury, you may be able to get compensation. This can help cover medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
How a Personal Injury Attorney Can Help
Handling a serious back injury claim or any personal injury claims on your own can feel overwhelming. An experienced personal injury attorney guides you through every step. They will work several elements to show and prove negligence.
Duty of Care
This is the legal responsibility one person has to avoid causing harm to another. For example, drivers must follow traffic laws to prevent accidents, property owners must keep their premises safe for visitors, and employers must ensure a safe workplace for their employees.
Breach of Duty
A breach occurs when someone fails to uphold their duty of care. For instance, a driver runs a red light, a store manager leaves a wet floor without a warning sign, or a contractor ignores known hazards on a construction site.
Causation
Causation connects the breach of duty to the injury. In other words, you must prove that the unsafe act directly led to your harm, such as showing the red-light runner caused the car crash that injured your back, or a fall on an unmarked wet floor led to your concussion.
Damages
Damages refer to the real, measurable losses you’ve suffered because of the injury. These can include medical bills, lost wages, physical pain, emotional suffering, and a reduced quality of life. Receipts, medical records, and expert testimony help document these losses.
Gathering Evidence
Your attorney provides legal representation and collects police reports, medical records, witness statements, and expert opinions. They secure photos of the scene, surveillance footage, and any defective equipment.
Negotiating with Insurers
Insurance companies may try to settle for the lowest amount. Your back injury lawyer fights lowball offers and pushes for fair compensation to cover all short- and long-term costs.
Representing You in Court
If negotiations fail, your back injury attorney takes your case to trial. They prepare legal briefs, argue your case, and aim for the best possible outcome before a judge or jury.
Find Legal Help for Your Serious Back Injury
Talbot, Carmouche & Marcello understands the difficulties that can occur with serious injury. Remember, report the incident, seek prompt medical care, and document every step. Rest assured, the firm brings decades of experience and thorough representation with over $3 billion in verdicts and settlements won for our clients.
If you were involved in an accident and experienced a serious back injury, reach out for a free consultation to share the details of your case.