Trucking accidents in Fort Lauderdale and across Florida cause many types of injuries, including head injuries, paraplegia, fractures, back injuries, and more. A very common and often overlooked type of injury that occurs in trucking accidents, however, is a neck injury.
One of the common problems with neck injuries is that many patients don’t realize that they have been injured until sometime after the accident. They may feel fine immediately following the accident and may decide not to seek medical attention. Unfortunately, this can be very dangerous and costly mistake.
Waiting to seek medical intervention can mean that the neck injury becomes worse. There may be complications. Worse, the insurance company can claim that the neck injury wasn’t caused by the truck accident at all because the patient did not seek help right away.
To avoid this from happening, make sure that you seek medical attention immediately if you’ve been in a trucking accident and may have sustained an injury. It is better to get a full evaluation and to find out one way or the other whether you have suffered an injury.
Dealing with a Neck Injury
In traffic accidents in Fort Lauderdale and Florida, people are vulnerable to whiplash. Whiplash occurs when the head is snapped forward and back during a crash, causing injuries to the bones and soft tissues of the neck. Although not life-threatening, whiplash can cause debilitating pain and temporary disability.
People who suffer from whiplash may experience headaches, neck or back pain, dizziness, fatigue, and even vision problems. This condition is usually diagnosed by considering a patient’s symptoms and by ordering an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging study) or x-ray to check for soft tissue damage or bone damage.
Treating Neck Injury
If neck injury is suspected, a doctor will usually place the patient in a neck brace or neck collar to prevent the patient from moving around and making the situation worse. A brace also keeps the area immobile so that it can heal properly. The patient may need to wear the brace for a few weeks to allow the neck injury to heal.
After a truck accident, a patient will usually be tested to make sure that the neck injury doesn’t include another type of injury. Doctors will want to rule out head trauma and spinal cord injuries, for example.
Most patients with neck injuries will be given some type of pain management or medication to help manage the pain during the healing process. Some may also need physical therapy to recover a full range of mobility. In many cases, patients are able to fully recover from whiplash and other neck injuries.
The healing process can be difficult, which is why some doctors recommend counseling or support groups, especially with more severe injury.
Have you suffered a severe neck injury in a Florida or Fort Lauderdale traffic accident? You deserve answers and you deserve compensation that can help you pay for medical care after your accident. To find out whether you qualify for a legal claim, contact Flaxman Law Group for a free, no obligation case review.