A car crash on a Kentucky interstate or along a rural highway through bluegrass country can leave drivers and passengers badly hurt. In the most serious cases, the spine and the bones that protect it could be in jeopardy. A vertebrae (backbone) fracture might lead to a lifelong disability that robs victims of their mobility.
When victims suffer these potentially serious injuries, it’s critical they receive the care they need without having to worry about hospital and rehabilitation bills. In a car accident, an at-fault driver can be forced to provide victims with compensation to pay their medical costs, no matter how long recovery takes. A Kentucky Car Accident Lawyer makes sure victims and their families are provided with enough support to rebuild their lives.
Schedule a Free Consultation with a Kentucky Car Accident Lawyer
A traumatic vertebral fracture can endanger the spine and the parts of the body it controls. Victims can take months to heal or lose their function or mobility for life.
After being forced into a frightening Kentucky car collision and suffering a back injury, you should never have to face the expense of recovery alone. To make sure you aren’t held responsible for the costs of your comeback from fractures to your vertebrae, contact Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC, of Kentucky.
We offer a free, no-obligation case consultation to all Kentucky car accident victims. It’s an easy, no-risk way to understand the benefits available to you and how to secure those benefits from an unhelpful car insurance company.
Backbone Damage in Kentucky Car Accidents
Penn Medicine details what happens to accident victims who suffer broken vertebrae. It’s a dislocation or fracture of the backbone anywhere along the spine.
Victims can suffer any number of painful symptoms. Penn Medicine lists these common ailments for victims:
- Pain in the neck and back.
- Tingling or numbness.
- Weakness in limbs or a complete loss of control.
- Muscle spasms.
- Loss of urinary or bowel control.
Car accident victims can suffer “Chance Fractures” This is when the vertebrae are stretched too far and the bone, ligaments, and discs of the spine are injured. This backbone damage often occurs in head-on collisions. The seatbelt meant to protect you is sometimes responsible for causing a chance fracture. The lap belt holds the victim in place while the spine is pulled beyond what it can endure.
Some spinal injury victims in car accidents endure “Axial Burst Fractures.” This is when the vertebrae is crushed. Pieces of the vertebrae can be sent into the spine to cause injury to the nerves that control the body and allow you to feel sensations. Paralysis is also a possibility.
Spinal Fracture Dangers in a Kentucky Traffic Collision
According to the Kentucky Office of Highway Safety (KOHS) there were 2,736 serious injuries caused by car accidents in 2019. 2,644 serious injuries resulted from 2020 car accidents in Kentucky. Even if you are a safe driver, there’s a chance a reckless motorist can send you and your passengers into a devastating accident.
Spine and backbone injury patients are rushed or flown to emergency rooms in Louisville and Lexington on a regular basis. They arrive after T-bone accidents at busy city intersections after a drunk driver failed to stop at a red light. Victims receive injuries after a head-on collision on a Kentucky backroad when distracted drivers don’t notice their vehicles veering across the yellow line.
It’s difficult to estimate the cost of medical care for vertebrae injuries because the range of outcomes is so great. Some people receive full function in their backbone in a few months after a crash. Some people suffer their whole lives with back pain. Others suffer nerve damage that causes them to permanently lose control of their bodies from the neck or waist down.
An initial trip to the emergency room and follow-up doctor visits might cost $5-thousand or more. That’s when surgery isn’t necessary. Yearly care for someone who is paralyzed by a backbone injury can run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Earning Compensation for Vertebrae Fracture Accident Victims
With such serious and life-changing possibilities for car accident victims, a Kentucky Traumatic Injury Lawyer’s duty to protect a client becomes even more important.
A patient may receive a quick settlement offer from the at-fault driver’s auto insurer. Without a lawyer to look this over, a victim may sign this “lowball offer” without considering where it leaves them in the years to come.
Once a car accident settlement is approved patients can’t go back to ask for more in compensation if they require additional surgeries in the coming months or if they lose mobility for a lifetime. Those costs unfairly become the responsibility of the patient or the patient’s family.
Your Kentucky car accident lawyer would make sure you only sign-off on a settlement offer that truly covers every need for you and your family. Your lawyer will also make absolutely sure every hardship you’ve faced and every hardship you may face are clearly listed on a traumatic injury claim submitted to the insurance company.
You’ll be seeking full support and reimbursement for these and other damages:
- All medical bills now and in the future.
- Compensation for a permanent physical disability. With a spinal fracture, this can include yearly medical equipment, physical therapy, and upgrades to the victim’s home to allow them to enjoy as much freedom as possible.
- Compensation for the physical pain you endure.
- Compensation for the emotional trauma you endure in a crash and during a long recovery.
- Money for car repairs or replacement. Compensation for other property damage.
- Compensation for paychecks lost while missing work and income expected to be lost in the years ahead. Support for an entire family when a victim can no longer support loved ones through a weekly paycheck.
- Wrongful death benefits. A serious backbone injury can ultimately lead to the loss of a precious life. Kentucky allows families who have lost a loved one to a car accident to seek support from an at-fault party. This would include financial assistance with burial costs and all medical bills built up while the loved one was still alive. The weekly income the deceased can no longer provide close family members in the future would also be reimbursed.
Contact a Kentucky Car Accident Vertebrae Injury Lawyer
If you or a loved one have suffered fractured vertebrae due to a driver’s carelessness, don’t feel like you must cope with the pain and the financial burden of care alone. Kentucky accident victims have up to one year to file an injury claim with a car insurance company. It’s always best to act quickly. Taking action immediately gives your attorney the best chance to build a strong case for you.
Schedule a free, no-obligation case review today with a Kentucky Car Accident Lawyer you can trust to be on your side and fight for your fair compensation. You’ll speak with a real Kentucky lawyer at Kaufman & Stigger, PLLC. If you decide we can help you earn the most for your backbone injury claim, you won’t need any money. We don’t get paid unless we win your case for you.
