Back injuries are among the most common and most debilitating outcomes of car accidents, truck collisions, falls, and workplace incidents. They range from muscle strains that heal in weeks to spinal cord damage that results in permanent paralysis. According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC), approximately 18,000 new traumatic spinal cord injuries occur in the United States each year, and vehicle crashes are the leading cause, accounting for roughly 37.5% of all cases. For people living with these injuries in Minnesota, the financial, physical, and emotional toll can last a lifetime.
Types of Back Injuries After an Accident
The spine is divided into three main regions: the cervical spine (neck), the thoracic spine (mid-back), and the lumbar spine (lower back). Injuries can occur in any of these areas, and the location and severity determine the impact on the victim’s life.
Herniated and bulging discs. The discs between vertebrae act as cushions. A sudden impact, such as a rear-end car accident, can cause a disc to bulge, rupture, or herniate, pressing on nearby nerves. Symptoms include radiating pain, numbness, tingling, and weakness in the arms or legs. Herniated discs may require physical therapy, injections, or surgery.
Vertebral fractures. Compression fractures, burst fractures, and other breaks in the vertebrae are common in high-impact collisions, particularly truck accidents and motorcycle crashes. These injuries can cause severe pain, instability in the spine, and in some cases damage to the spinal cord itself.
Spinal cord injuries. Damage to the spinal cord can result in partial or complete loss of motor function and sensation below the injury site. Injuries to the cervical spine may cause quadriplegia, affecting all four limbs. Injuries to the thoracic or lumbar spine may cause paraplegia, affecting the lower body. The NSCISC reports that the average age at the time of spinal cord injury is 43, and approximately 79% of new cases involve men.
Muscle and ligament injuries. Sprains and strains in the muscles and ligaments supporting the spine are the most common back injuries in accidents. While these are often less severe than disc or spinal cord injuries, they can cause chronic pain and significant limitations on daily activity if not treated properly.
How These Injuries Happen
The forces involved in motor vehicle collisions are the primary driver of back injuries. A rear-end crash can cause the spine to hyperextend and compress in a fraction of a second. A side-impact collision can twist the torso and damage the thoracic or lumbar spine. Rollover accidents subject the body to multiple directional forces that can fracture vertebrae and damage the spinal cord.
Slip and fall accidents are another leading cause. Landing on a hard surface, falling down stairs, or slipping on ice in a parking lot can cause compression fractures and disc injuries, especially in older adults. Construction accidents, falling objects, and heavy lifting injuries also contribute to back and spinal cord injuries across Minnesota.
The Cost of a Back or Spinal Cord Injury
Back injuries create substantial financial burdens. Treatment for a herniated disc can range from months of physical therapy and pain management to spinal surgery costing tens of thousands of dollars. Spinal cord injuries carry far higher costs. The NSCISC estimates that first-year medical costs for a person with high tetraplegia exceed $1.1 million, and annual costs in subsequent years remain in the hundreds of thousands.
Beyond medical expenses, back and spinal cord injuries often result in significant lost income. A construction worker with a herniated disc may be unable to perform physical labor. A person with paraplegia may need to change careers entirely or may be unable to work at all. Home modifications, wheelchair accessibility, in-home care, and adaptive equipment add further costs that must be accounted for in any claim.
The firm’s spinal cord injury practice area page provides additional detail on how these cases are handled.
Proving a Back Injury Claim
Insurance companies routinely challenge back injury claims. They may argue that the injury is pre-existing, that imaging does not show structural damage, or that the victim’s pain is exaggerated. Building a strong case requires MRI and CT scan results that document the injury, treating physician records linking the condition to the accident, functional capacity evaluations that measure what you can and cannot do, and, in spinal cord injury cases, life care plans that project the full cost of future treatment and support.
Delayed symptoms are common with back injuries. Disc herniations and soft tissue damage may not produce noticeable pain until days or weeks after the accident, which is why seeking prompt medical attention is critical both for your health and for your legal case.
Get Legal Help for a Back or Spinal Injury
If you or someone you love has suffered a back or spinal cord injury in an accident in Eagan, St. Paul, or anywhere in Minnesota, the sooner you speak with an attorney, the better your chances of recovering the compensation you need to move forward. Contact Bennerotte & Associates for a free consultation. You pay nothing unless we win.
