A back injury can change your life. One day, you’re able to walk and bend and move and work, picking up your kids or your dog, reaching for items on a shelf, or killing it at pickleball. The next, you’re laid out flat, unable to move without crippling pain. What happens to your job when you’re sidelined by a back injury? What happens to your family? How can you afford the physical therapy you need, or surgery? Who’ll cover your lost wages and the cost of childcare, or a dog walker, or a home health aide, or the adaptive equipment you need to move?
Back injuries come with searing pain, the potential for long-term musculoskeletal disorders, temporary or permanent disability, and numerous expenses you in no way could have expected. Whether yours was caused by a car collision, a mishap in the workplace, or a slip and fall in a store or on a sidewalk, a back injury is likely to limit your mobility and, as a result, have a devasting effect on every aspect of your life. As a personal injury lawyer and amputee, Norm Steiner understands the physical, emotional, and financial toll of severe injuries like these. At The Steiner Law Firm, PLLC, our accomplished team of personal injury lawyers wants to eliminate your financial stress so you can focus on healing. If you’ve suffered a serious back injury, we’ll fight to get you
the compensation you deserve.
Types of Back Injuries and Consequences
It’s estimated that almost 40% of adults live with some type of back pain. Back injuries vary widely in severity and type, but very often they’re caused by vehicle and workplace accidents, sports activities, and slip-and-fall incidents. Some of the most common diagnoses are:
- Fractured vertebrae
- Herniated discs
- Sprains and strains
- Spinal cord injuries
From emergency care and surgeries to physical therapy and ongoing treatments, the medical expenses for a back injury can accumulate quickly. Since recovery can take years, they can also result in lost income from forced time away from work. And chronic pain and subsequent lifestyle changes can reduce your income capacity and decrease your overall quality of life.
Gauging Liability for Injuries
If your back injury is caused by another party’s negligence—whether they’re a business or other property owner or the driver of another vehicle driver—you have the right to seek compensation. Establishing liability means proving that the responsible party was aware of the hazards or conditions that caused the back injury and failed to fix or address the potential for danger. Some scenarios can include:
- A wet floor in a grocery store without any indication the surface is slippery.
- Dilapidated staircases in an apartment building that fail to meet local building codes.
- Municipalities that neglect icy or snowy surfaces at public buildings.
- Employers who provide inadequate safety equipment for the job.
Determining damages takes into account evidence like medical records, witness statements, and accident reports. However, building a case will also assess future needs. Back injuries are often linked to additional medical expenses, lost wages and earning power, and non-economic damages like pain and suffering.
Contact a Personal Injury Lawyer in New York
With the assistance of a skilled, empathetic personal injury lawyer, victims are more likely to be successful with their claim and to receive a larger settlement than they would acting alone. Norm Steiner understands what lies ahead for back injury victims, from the long and difficult road to recovery to the often complex process of pursuing a claim and recouping the damages they’ve incurred.
Pursuing compensation for medical expenses, pain and suffering, or lost wages and earning capacity requires the dedication and personal touch of The Steiner Law Firm, PLLC. Contact us to schedule a free consultation today with a team ready to step into the ring for you.