Oceanside Neck Injury Car Accident Lawyer

All California, including Oceanside drivers, owe a duty of care to other drivers on the road, to avoid being careless and driving negligently, putting others in danger. If another driver is behind the wheel of a vehicle while they are under the influence of drugs or alcohol, driving while distracted, making illegal turns, suddenly changing lanes, speeding, improperly maintaining their vehicle, or engaging in other reckless or illegal behaviors, they have breached their legal duty of care by being negligent.

If your car accident was caused by a negligent driver, you have the right to seek compensation for lost wages, medical expenses, and other damages. Are you suffering from sprained or strained neck muscles? Do you have a torn or herniated disc in your neck? Were you diagnosed with a fractured cervical spine or broken neck? Are you facing surgery?

Neck injuries are very common in car accidents, particularly in rear-end crashes. The types of collisions cause the driver and passengers’ heads to whip back and forth, causing the brain to slam against the front and back of the skull. Referred to as a contra-coup injury, these are very serious medical emergencies. Imagine the difficulties you would face with a head and neck injury.

Are you wondering who is going to foot the medical bills? Are you worried about being able to return to work or when the whole thing is going to get done so you can get on with your life? Are you worried about being able to play with the kids due to your neck injuries? Do you have other questions about the legal process to seek damages?

You are never alone when you discuss your situation with an Oceanside car accident neck injury attorney at The Levinson Law Group. We give you straight answers to all of your questions, work with you to help you recover, and guide you through the medical and legal challenges you and your family are facing. It is not an easy journey. We are here for you every step of the way.

The Neck and Spine Are Complex Systems

There are 33 bones, abundant muscle, and tissue that makes up the back, neck, and spine. They function in unison, meaning that if something happens to one part of the system, the other parts are also affected. Due to the complex spine and how it is intertwined with areas of the back and neck, when there is a car accident and trauma, damage typically happens to all areas.

Common neck and back injuries include:

• Spondylolisthesis – forward displacement of a vertebra
• Cervical radiculopathy – pain and neurological symptoms due to an irritated nerve in the cervical spine
• Cervical radiculopathy – pain and neurological symptoms caused by an irritated nerve in the cervical spine
• Strains – torn muscle or tendon
• Sprains – torn neck ligaments
• Fractured vertebrae or fractured cervical spine – broken neck and a medical emergency
• Herniated discs – torn disc
• Slipped discs
• Spinal stenosis
• Burning sensations in the neck or back
• Inability to lift lightweight objects
• Pinched nerve – bone, tissue, or tendons pushing against a nerve
• Headaches
• Migraines
• Bruising, redness, swelling, or inflammation of the neck and/or back
• Neck, back, or shoulder pain
• Vertigo
• Acute arm/leg pain
• Muscle weakness
• Numbness in the arms, legs, hands, or feet
• Vocal cord paralysis
• Immobility or permanent paralysis in cases of severe spinal damage.

We Handle the Insurance Companies 

We handle the insurance companies so that you do not have to. We know their typical strategies to strive to reduce their liability so they can pay out as little as possible or nothing if they can manage it. Insurance adjusters have a bag of tricks, like conning you into making a recorded statement – a statement that they can use against you later. They are infamous for offering low settlements and pushing you to accept them before you even know the full extent of your injuries. If you did accept an early and low offer, and your injuries were worse than expected and needed long-term care, you could not reopen your claim.

We’ve even heard of cases where insurance adjusters used social media searches to find pictures of you that may be used to call the severity of your injuries into question.

It does not matter what they say to you or how they sound on the phone – like they are concerned for you and how you are dealing with your injuries and no doubt you would like to tell them “your” side of the story – do not, under any circumstances record anything, accept any offer or talk to them about your accident. Speak only to your attorney. If you do not have one at the time they call you, say you are about to hire one and that individual is going to call them.

Slow Speed Injuries Can be Problematic Too

When people think of car accidents and neck injuries, they generally picture a high-impact crash or a rear-end collision. That is not always the case. An accident that happens at a slow speed can also result in serious injuries. While the car may be fine, you need to get checked over by a doctor and examined for whiplash and other serious neck injuries.

What may seem like “just” a stiff neck can be a signal for something far worse. When the shock of an Oceanside neck injury accident wears off, you may be dealing with neck spasms, neck pain, weakness, headaches, and numbness. This could be a signal of whiplash, but can also be a sign of other more serious injuries. Internal neck damage can only be seen via X-rays, MRIs, and other tests. Your well-being is at stake. Take all of the tests and find out what is hurting and why, and get a treatment plan and stick to it.

Some of the tests your doctor may order to determine the extent and type of your neck injury include:

• X-rays – provide detailed images of bone structures and masses.
• CT scan – produces multiple images of the inside of the body, providing more detail than X-rays.
• MRI scan – diagnoses a variety of conditions but is highly useful examining the brain and spinal cord.

Make sure you do everything that your doctor tells you to do. Do not miss appointments. Take all medications as prescribed. Work hard at your therapy. While it may seem like a long road to recovery, one of the major factors in calculating a possible settlement for an Oceanside neck injury is the severity of your injury. As discussed, your injuries could range from strains/sprains to fractured vertebrae with extensive damage. In other words, the more severe your neck injury, the higher the settlement or court award may be.

Each case and each injury and how it affects the survivor is different. No two neck injury accidents are alike. This means the Levinson Law Group’s approach to your case is different and tailored to your circumstances.

Neck Injury Medical Outcomes

Treating a neck injury may involve various modalities and can include:

• Physical therapy
• Remedial massage therapy
• Myofascial release
• Medications
• Injections as required
• Acupuncture
• Laser therapy
• Anti-inflammatory diet to boost healing

Surgery may also be an option in some instances, and that may include:

• Laminectomy – removing part or all of the back of vertebrae and any thickened tissue to give the spinal cord more room
• Mazor-X – spine surgery by a guided robot using 3D imaging
• Cervical fusion, discectomy – disc can be removed and replaced with an artificial one. Fusion surgery fuses two or more discs to stabilize the neck(cervical spine)

Contact the Levinson Law Group Today

If you or a loved one were involved in an Oceanside car accident, reach out to the Oceanside car accident neck injury lawyers at The Levinson Law Group right away. At The Levinson Law Group, our dedicated team of neck injury lawyers is here to help.

If you have questions about the recovery process, we can answer them. If you are not sure you want to bring a case against the other driver, we will not pressure you. We only want to make sure that you are informed and make the best decision for yourself and your family.

When you decide to work with the Levinson Law Group, you can rest assured that you will have someone in your corner throughout the entire process. To learn more about your options, call the Levinson Law Group at 760-827-1700. We accept cases on a contingent fee. That means that if there is no recovery in your case, you pay no fee. And in most cases, we even advance the cost.