Updated on April 18th, 2023

Can a car accident cause a spinal compression fracture?

Yes, when a car accident impact is so powerful that it breaks bones by compressing the vertebrates causing fractures.

Author: Brad Nakase, Attorney

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Spinal fractures are a serious injury that come from high-speed impacts. During a car accident, a compression fracture occurs when the strong impact causes the bones in the spine’s vertebrae to fracture. The intense pressure from the sudden impact causes a severe compression fracture. Vertebrae fractures can cause moderate to severe pain that gets worse with movement.

What Is a Vertebral Fracture?

A spinal fracture occurs when the vertebrae, or backbone, are dislocated or fractured. This can happen in any location of the spine. Most spinal fractures happen as a result of injury or trauma caused by car accidents, sports, falls, or another high-speed impact. Injuries from such accidents range in severity from mild muscle and ligament strains to serious fractures and damage to the spinal cord. Minor fractures can be treated with medication and rest, but more severe fractures may require surgery to realign the spinal bones. If left untreated, spinal fractures may result in permanent spinal cord damage, including nerve damage and paralysis.

  • Compression fracture

A compression fracture is usually the result of osteoporosis, a tumor, or another abnormality in the spine. The front vertebra will break and deteriorate, while the back of the vertebra remains intact. This type of injury is most common in the middle of the back.

  • Axial burst fracture

An axial burst fracture is the result of a loss of height on both the front and back of vertebra. It is usually caused due to a fall or vertical impact.

  • Chance fracture

This is a fracture caused by the separation of the vertebrae as the result of a violent forward flexed injury. This kind of injury usually happens in a car accident.

There are a number of different spine injuries that can come of a serious car accident, and no two injuries are the same.

What Are Symptoms of a Spinal Fracture?

Spinal fracture symptoms vary based on the severity and location of the damage. Not all fractures cause a spinal cord injury, and the spinal cord is rarely severed. The most common symptom of a spinal fracture is pain the back that gets worse with movement.

Spinal fracture symptoms include the following:

  • Pain in the neck or back
  • Tingling or numbness
  • Weakness or paralysis of the limbs
  • Uncontrolled muscles spasms
  • Loss of urinary and bowel control

If an individual loses consciousness as the result of a high-energy impact, then he or she should get immediate emergency evacuation and treatment.

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How To Prove A Semi Truck Fault in Accident

Determining that the semi-truck is at fault after a truck accident is essential to your lawsuit. To show fault, it will be necessary to prove that a trucking company or truck driver caused the accident.

What is the best treatment for spinal injury?

Treatment for spinal injury includes a soft neck brace collar. Diskectomy is surgery to relieve pain by removing the part of a spine's disk with its soft center pushing out through the tough outer lining.

Will a hit and run claim raise my insurance?

No, if you're not at fault in the hit and run, the car insurance company cannot raise your insurance rate. But if you're at fault in a hit-and-run car accident, your insurance many raise the insurance rate.

Car Accident Back Pain, Symptoms, and Compensation

A sudden and intense impact from a car accident causes damage to the back muscle and surrounding tissue, commonly causing lower back pain. Compensation for a back injury averages $9000 for no spine injury to $250,000 for spine injuries.

What should you do after a car accident?

After you've been involved in a car accident and realize you sustained injuries, report to the police immediately and request medical attention. If you were not injured in the car accident, safely check that other persons in the car are safe and call 911 if necessary and inform them there is an injury.

Average Settlement for Car Accident Back and Neck Injury

The average settlement for car accident back and neck injury ranges from $50,000 to over $1 million. The amount depends on where you live, medical bills, the length of injury, and the extent of your back and neck injury.

Back pain after a car accident: Common injuries

A high-speed car accident that causes a spinal fracture or vertebrae sprain can lead to permanent and painful nerve damage. Likewise, A car accident resulting in a minor back injury left untreated can progress into a degenerative or chronic spinal condition.

Back Injury From Car Accident

Common injuries from car accidents include soft tissue injuries such as sprains, strains and spine injuries such as fractures and herniated discs.

What is the average settlement for a back injury in a car accident?

The average settlement for a back injury in a car accident ranges from $11,000 to over $1 million depending on four factors: 1) Was the injury soft tissue? If yes, the average settlement is $12,000; 2) Was there a spine injury? If yes, the average settlement is $70,000; 3) Was or is surgery required? If yes, the average settlement is $275,000, 4) Is there a permanent disability? If yes, the average settlement can exceed $1 million.

What causes most semi-truck accidents?

The number cause of semi-truck accidents is driver fatigue; a driver cannot legally drive more than 12 hours per day in 24 hour period.

Tractor Trailer Injury Lawsuit

If a tractor trailer seriously injures a victim, an injury lawsuit often results in a money settlement exceeding $1 million.

Rear-end collision settlements California

Unless there is a serious injury, the average settlement for a minor rear-end collision is $12,000 to $22,000. The average rear-end collision settlement resulting in serious injury is $60,000 to $25,000.

What is eggshell plaintiff theory?

The Eggshell Skull doctrine is a common law rule that makes a negligent defendant liable for a plaintiff’s unforeseeable injury because of the plaintiff’s preexisting fragile health condition.

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Car Accident Spine Injury

A car accident may cause a serious spine injury when a victim was rear-ended. Spine injury settlement amounts depend on the severity of the spine injury and medical bills.

Brain Injury Prognosis

An estimated fifty percent of patients with traumatic brain injury go through more decline in their cognition within five years of sustaining injury.

How much should I settle for a herniated disc?

A herniated disk is a serious injury that causes lifetime pain if left medically untreated. Because a herniated disc is a big deal, the average settlement is $80,000 to $280,000, depending on if there was surgery.

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