BACK INJURY LAWYER IN LOS ANGELES

A back injury can affect the muscles, ligaments, discs, vertebrae, nerves, or other structures surrounding the spine. Injuries can range from strains and sprains to more serious conditions involving persistent pain, nerve damage, reduced mobility, or long-term limitations.

Back injuries can result from car and truck crashes, falls, workplace incidents, construction accidents, and many other forms of trauma. Depending on the severity, treatment may involve medication, physical therapy, rehabilitation, surgery, or ongoing medical care.

Injuries may affect different areas of the spine, including the cervical, thoracic, and lumbar regions, and can make it difficult to work, sleep, exercise, or complete everyday tasks.

When another person’s or company’s negligence causes a back injury, the injured person may be able to seek compensation for the resulting losses.

Back injuries are not always immediately apparent after an accident. Pain, stiffness, numbness, or other symptoms may develop or worsen over the following hours or days. If you believe you injured your back:

Seek Medical Attention

Get evaluated by a healthcare professional, particularly if you are experiencing significant pain, numbness, weakness, or difficulty moving. A doctor can assess your symptoms and determine whether diagnostic testing or additional treatment may be necessary.

Document Your Symptoms

Document any pain, limited mobility, numbness, tingling, weakness, or other symptoms you experience. Keep a record of when each symptom started and whether it has improved, worsened, or changed since the accident.

Preserve Evidence

Keep copies of any evidence related to the accident and your injuries, including photos, accident reports, medical records, receipts, and witness names and contact information.

Follow Your Treatment Plan

Keep up with scheduled medical appointments and follow the treatment plan recommended by your healthcare provider. Ongoing medical records can help document your recovery and show how the injury has affected your daily life.

Contact Morgan & Morgan

If someone else may be responsible for your injury, Morgan & Morgan can evaluate the circumstances and explain the legal options that may be available to you. Get started today with a free case evaluation.

Back injuries can affect different structures within and around the spine. The type and severity of an injury often depend on the force involved, the location of the trauma, and the individual’s health. Common back injuries include:

Herniated or Bulging Discs

The discs between the vertebrae help cushion the spine. Trauma can cause a disc to bulge or herniate, potentially placing pressure on nearby nerves and causing pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness.

Back Sprains and Strains

A sudden impact or forceful movement can injure the muscles, tendons, or ligaments that support the back. Sprains and strains may cause symptoms such as pain, stiffness, swelling, and limited mobility.

Vertebral Fractures

A severe impact can cause one or more vertebrae to fracture. Depending on the location and severity, these fractures may affect the stability of the spine, injure surrounding nerves, and require significant medical treatment.

Nerve Compression and Radiculopathy

Inflammation or damage within the spine can compress or irritate surrounding nerves, potentially causing pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness that extends into other parts of the body.

Sciatica

Sciatica develops when the sciatic nerve is compressed or irritated, which can lead to pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness that extends from the lower back into the buttocks and legs.

Soft-Tissue Injuries

Trauma can injure the muscles, ligaments, tendons, and other soft tissues that support the spine. Even without a fracture, these injuries can cause ongoing pain, stiffness, and difficulty with movement.

The effects of a back injury can vary considerably. Some people recover with rest, physical therapy, or other conservative treatment, while others may require surgery or experience lasting limitations.

Back injury symptoms can vary depending on which part of the back was injured and whether muscles, discs, vertebrae, or nerves were affected. Common symptoms may include:

• Back pain or tenderness
• Stiffness or reduced range of motion
• Muscle spasms
• Pain that worsens with movement
• Numbness or tingling
• Weakness in the arms or legs
• Pain that radiates into the shoulders, hips, buttocks, or legs
• Difficulty standing, walking, bending, or lifting
• Changes in posture
• Difficulty performing everyday activities

Back injuries can sometimes result in serious neurological symptoms. Consider seeking immediate medical care if you develop severe or increasing pain, substantial numbness or weakness, trouble walking, or changes in bowel or bladder function after an accident.

Symptoms of a back injury may develop gradually or become more noticeable in the hours or days after an accident. If you experience new or worsening pain, consider seeking medical care even if you initially had no symptoms.

Back injuries can result from sudden trauma, repetitive stress, or accidents that place excessive force on the spine and surrounding tissues. Common causes include:

Motor Vehicle Accidents

Car, truck, motorcycle, bicycle, and pedestrian accidents can expose the body to sudden forces that injure the muscles, discs, vertebrae, and nerves of the back.

Slips, Trips, and Falls

Falls can cause direct trauma to the back or force the spine into an unnatural position. Falls from stairs, ladders, elevated surfaces, and slippery floors can cause serious injuries.

Workplace Accidents

Workers may suffer back injuries from falls, heavy lifting, machinery accidents, repetitive movements, or being struck by equipment or falling objects.

Construction Accidents

Construction workers can suffer serious back injuries from falls, scaffolding failures, heavy equipment accidents, falling objects, and other hazards commonly found on construction sites.

Defective Products

Defective vehicle parts, machinery, safety equipment, furniture, and other products can contribute to accidents that cause serious back injuries.

Medical Negligence

Medical errors involving the spine, including a failure to timely diagnose or properly treat a serious back injury, can sometimes worsen a patient’s condition or cause additional harm.

Identifying how the injury occurred and what contributed to it can help determine whether another person, company, or medical provider may be legally responsible.

Liability for a back injury depends on how the accident happened and whose negligence may have contributed to it. In some cases, more than one party may share responsibility. Potentially liable parties may include:

• Negligent drivers: A driver may be held responsible for back injuries caused by a collision if speeding, distracted driving, impairment, or other negligent behavior contributed to the crash.
• Property owners and businesses: Property owners or businesses may potentially be liable when unsafe conditions, such as slippery floors, broken stairs, inadequate lighting, or other hazards, contribute to a fall and injury.
• Employers and other companies: Workers who suffer back injuries on the job may be eligible for workers’ compensation benefits. In some cases, they may also have additional claims against contractors, subcontractors, property owners, equipment manufacturers, or other third parties whose negligence contributed to the injury.
• Product manufacturers: A manufacturer, distributor, or other party may potentially be responsible when a defective product contributes to an accident or injury.
• Medical providers: Doctors, hospitals, and other healthcare providers may potentially be liable when negligent medical care causes or worsens a back injury.

Determining liability requires examining the circumstances surrounding the accident, available evidence, and the laws that apply in the state.

The amount of time you have to file a back injury lawsuit depends on California law and the specific circumstances surrounding your claim. These legal deadlines are known as statutes of limitations.

Different filing rules may apply in certain situations, including cases involving minors, government entities, workplace accidents, medical negligence, or injuries that were not discovered immediately.

If you miss an applicable deadline, you could lose your ability to seek compensation. Because the timeline can vary depending on the type of claim, it’s important to understand which filing requirements apply to your case.

A back injury attorney can evaluate the circumstances of your accident and help you determine the deadlines that may apply.

Potentially. Some back injuries do not cause obvious symptoms immediately after an accident. Pain, stiffness, numbness, tingling, or mobility problems may become noticeable or worsen in the days or weeks that follow.

Delayed symptoms do not necessarily mean your injury is unrelated to the accident. However, establishing the connection between the accident and your condition may become more complicated when significant time passes before symptoms are documented.

If you develop back pain or other symptoms after an accident, consider seeking medical care and letting your healthcare provider know when the symptoms first appeared and how they have changed over time.

Medical records, diagnostic testing, accident reports, witness statements, and other evidence may help establish the connection between your injury and the incident.

Because filing deadlines still apply, consider speaking with an attorney about your options rather than assuming it is too late to pursue a claim.

Having a pre-existing back condition does not necessarily prevent you from pursuing compensation if an accident caused the condition to become worse.

Degenerative disc disease, arthritis, herniated discs, and previous back injuries can exist before an accident occurs. A new injury, however, may aggravate these conditions, increase pain or other symptoms, or create additional physical limitations.

Insurance companies may challenge these claims by arguing that your pain or physical limitations were caused by a condition that existed before the accident.

Medical evidence can help show how your condition changed following the incident. Records from before and after the accident, diagnostic imaging, physician evaluations, and other documentation may help establish whether the accident caused new symptoms or worsened an existing condition.

The compensation available will depend on the circumstances of the accident, the extent to which your condition was aggravated, and the laws that apply.

You may still have the right to seek compensation even if you were partly at fault for the accident. How your share of responsibility affects your claim will depend on the laws of the state where the accident occurred.

Depending on the state, your compensation may be reduced based on your share of fault. Some states also have rules that may limit or prevent recovery if you are found partially responsible for the accident.

Determining who was at fault may require examining accident reports, photos or videos, witness accounts, physical evidence, and other details surrounding the incident.

Insurance companies may also dispute responsibility or attempt to assign additional fault to an injured person. An attorney can evaluate the evidence, explain how California’s fault rules may apply, and help protect your rights.

No. Morgan & Morgan offers free case evaluations, so it costs nothing to tell us what happened and learn whether we may be able to help.

Starting your claim is straightforward. Contact us online or by phone to tell us about your back injury and learn what legal options may be available.

When you hire Morgan & Morgan, you gain access to the resources of America’s Largest Injury Law Firm™. With more than 1,100 attorneys nationwide and over 700,000 clients helped, our firm has the resources to handle serious back injury claims.

Your back injury claim may be handled by a team of attorneys, paralegals, case managers, investigators, and other legal professionals. When appropriate, your team may also consult with medical professionals, accident reconstruction specialists, and other experts to help evaluate your injuries and build your case.

Throughout the process, your case team can answer your questions, provide updates, and fight for the compensation you may be entitled to.

Morgan & Morgan handles back injury cases on a contingency fee basis, which means you pay nothing upfront to hire us. The Fee is Free®—you only pay if we win.

If we successfully resolve your case, our fee is a percentage of the recovery. This allows you to pursue your claim without worrying about upfront legal fees.

Back injury claims can involve extensive medical treatment, disputed liability, lost income, and questions about how an injury may affect your ability to work and live your life in the future.

Morgan & Morgan has more than 1,100 attorneys nationwide and has recovered over $35 for clients. Our attorneys understand the serious impact an injury can have both immediately and over the long term, including its effect on your health, finances, work, and daily life.

We can investigate the circumstances of your injury, collect relevant evidence, assess your losses, determine who may be responsible, and fight for the compensation you may be entitled to.

Morgan & Morgan handles back injury cases on a contingency fee basis. You pay nothing upfront, and The Fee is Free® unless we win. Contact us today for a free case evaluation to learn more about your legal options.