A serious neck injury can affect your ability to work, sleep, drive, and move comfortably. When someone else’s negligence caused the injury, a neck injury lawyer can help you understand what compensation may be available.
One complication with neck injuries is that they are not always obvious immediately after an accident. Medical records and evidence from the scene can help show when your symptoms began and how they have affected you since.
At Sweet James, we focus on accident and personal injury cases. Founding partner James Bergener previously represented insurance carriers, giving our team insight into how injury claims are evaluated. A personal injury lawyer can investigate what happened and handle the claim while you focus on treatment.
What Types of Neck Injuries Can Accidents Cause?
Accidents can cause injuries ranging from muscle and ligament strains to fractures and damage involving the cervical spine.
Common neck injuries include:
- Whiplash: Damage to muscles, ligaments, and other soft tissues after the head moves suddenly forward and backward.
- Herniated or bulging discs: Disc material can press on nearby nerves and cause pain, numbness, or weakness.
- Cervical fractures: Broken vertebrae in the neck can require urgent treatment and, in serious cases, surgery.
- Nerve injuries: Damage or compression can cause symptoms that travel into the shoulders, arms, or hands.
- Spinal cord injuries: Severe cervical trauma can affect movement, sensation, and other functions below the injury.
People with significant pain or neurological symptoms may need emergency treatment. In the United States, some of the top hospitals for neck injuries include the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, New York, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, and the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
What Causes Neck Injuries?
Neck injuries can happen in many different types of accidents. Common causes include:
- Car accidents
- Truck crashes
- Motorcycle collisions
- Pedestrian accidents
- Slip and fall accidents
- Falls from height
- Workplace incidents
Traffic crashes can involve sudden forces that strain or injure the cervical spine. At Sweet James, we look at how the accident happened and which person or business may have been responsible before assessing the claim.
How Do You Prove Someone Was Responsible for a Neck Injury?
Proving responsibility for a neck injury generally requires evidence that another person failed to use reasonable care and that this conduct caused your injuries.
Evidence may include:
- Accident or police reports
- Photographs and video
- Witness statements
- Medical records
- Diagnostic imaging
- Property or vehicle damage
- Safety or maintenance records when relevant
A neck injury lawyer can review that evidence and determine what additional records may be needed.
What if You Had Neck Problems Before the Accident?
A pre-existing neck condition does not automatically prevent you from pursuing a claim if an accident caused a new injury or made an existing problem worse.
Medical records from before and after the accident can help show how your symptoms changed.
MRI, CT, and X-ray results may also provide useful information about fractures, disc injuries, or other structural changes.
At Sweet James, we can compare those records with the accident evidence when causation is disputed.
What Compensation Can You Recover for a Neck Injury?
Compensation for a neck injury depends on the harm caused, your financial losses, available insurance, and the evidence supporting the claim.
Possible damages may include:
- Medical bills
- Future medical treatment
- Physical therapy and rehabilitation
- Lost wages
- Reduced earning capacity
- Property damage when applicable
- Pain and suffering
- Other accident-related losses
There is no standard settlement amount for a neck injury.
Someone who recovers from whiplash after short-term treatment may have very different losses from a person who suffers a cervical fracture or permanent neurological injury.
How Long Do You Have to File a Neck Injury Lawsuit?
The amount of time you have to file a neck injury lawsuit depends on the circumstances of your accident and the applicable statute of limitations, but many states give victims between one and three years. For example, the statute of limitations for many California personal injury lawsuits is generally two years under California Code of Civil Procedure § 335.1
Even within a single state, different deadlines in different situations, including claims involving public entities or other special circumstances.
Why Acting Earlier Can Help
You do not need to wait until the deadline approaches before investigating a claim. Video may be overwritten, witnesses may become harder to locate, and physical evidence can change over time.
Sweet James can identify records worth preserving while they are still available.
What Should You Do After an Accident That Injures Your Neck?
After an accident, your first priority should be getting appropriate medical care. If you were in a motor vehicle accident, consider filing a police report.
You can also help preserve useful evidence by keeping photographs, medical records, bills, witness details, and information about time missed from work.
How Can Sweet James Help With a Neck Injury Claim?
Sweet James can investigate the accident, gather available evidence, organize medical records, and document the losses connected with your neck injury.
Depending on the case, our work may include:
- Obtaining police or incident reports
- Preserving video and photographs
- Speaking with witnesses
- Reviewing diagnostic imaging and treatment records
- Documenting lost income
- Identifying available insurance coverage
We can also review settlement offers and explain how they compare with the losses supported by the evidence. If a claim cannot be resolved through negotiation, litigation may be another option depending on the circumstances.
Does Sweet James Have Results in Cases Involving Neck Injuries?
Sweet James has published results involving serious neck injuries.
In one California auto accident case, Sweet James secured a $17,476,817 jury verdict for two injured clients, including one who suffered neck fractures along with other serious injuries. See the case result.
Past results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Every case depends on its own injuries, evidence, insurance coverage, liability, and legal circumstances.
Why Choose Sweet James for a Neck Injury Claim?
Sweet James reports more than 25 years of experience, more than 400 legal professionals, and more than $1 billion recovered for clients. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.
James Bergener previously represented insurance carriers in personal injury and workers’ compensation cases before focusing on representation for injured people.
You can learn more about Sweet James and the firm’s approach to personal injury cases by reaching out now.
How Much Does a Neck Injury Lawyer Cost?
Sweet James handles personal injury matters on a contingency fee basis. There are no upfront lawyer fees or costs, and the firm is paid if compensation is recovered according to the representation agreement.
Sweet James also offers free case reviews, 24/7 live help, and bilingual English and Spanish assistance.
Talk to a Neck Injury Lawyer
A serious neck injury can affect your work, mobility, sleep, and everyday routine long after the accident itself.
A neck injury lawyer at Sweet James can investigate how you were hurt, document the losses caused by the injury, and explain your options for pursuing compensation.
Contact Sweet James for a free case review.
