Back Injury Lawyers in Salt Lake City, UT

Common Back Injuries

A back injury can happen in a variety of ways, but one of the most frequent culprits is an accident. Accidents like car crashes, motorcycle accidents, slip and falls, work related accidents or repeated strain at work, and truck accidents can cause a back injury. Back injuries are painful, debilitating, and often, permanent. They leave victims with lifelong disabilities, chronic pain, and astronomical medical bills.

If you or a loved one have suffered a back injury, you deserve support, medical care, and compensation for your losses.

Types of Back Injuries

There are generally two main categories of back injuries, both of which can occur in an accident:

Cervical Radiculopathy

This type of back injury results from nerve damage to the back. With cervical radiculopathy, a nerve root is compressed by a cervical vertebrae, causing symptoms like severe and chronic pain, weakness, and numbness in various areas of the body. Depending on where in the spine the injury is located, a victim could experience pain or loss of sensation in the arms, neck, or upper back.

Spondylolisthesis

This type of back injury is caused by a vertebrae that “slips,” and it almost always occurs at the lower end of the spine. With this injury, one or both of the “wing” shaped areas of the vertebrae is either defective or fractured, allowing the vertebrae to slip into another area of the spine. Victims may experience pain that radiates down the legs or tightness of the muscles near the area that has been injured.

The severity of the accident has little bearing on how severe back injuries can be. Many seemingly minor accidents have resulted in major back injuries like spondylolisthesis or cervical radiculopathy, because the force on the body during the accident is more than the body is equipped to handle.

Work Related Back Injuries

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, back injuries can gradually develop over time under certain conditions. Often, these conditions take place in a work environment, such as repeated lifting or sitting for hours in a poorly designed workstation. While workers' compensation is designed to cover back injuries that occur as a result of job duties, it is important to report the injury and follow an employer's workers' compensation guidelines in order to receive maximum benefits.

Treating Back Injuries

The first step to getting the right care for a back injury is to be evaluated as quickly as possible. Many back injuries take time to manifest symptoms, so you may not realize that you were injured right away. It is critical to seek medical care immediately after an accident, even if you feel fine. An experienced physician can conduct a variety of diagnostic tests, including x-rays, CT scans, and MRI's in order to determine if your back has been injured and how severe the injury is. Only after an accurate diagnosis can you begin seeking treatment and pain relief for your condition.

Often, back injuries require surgery. This is particularly true in cases where nerves are compressed or a vertebrae has broken and slipped into a different place. The pain from severe back injuries may never completely go away, causing victims to require ongoing medical care and pain management for the remainder of their lives.

Bottom Line: If you have been involved in an accident or have incurred a back injury as a result of your work environment, you may have legal options available to you. Back injuries can be costly and can severely affect the quality of your life and your ability to work and earn a living. At George Tait Law, our Salt Lake City Car Injury Attorney have experience working with Utah residents that have suffered severe back injuries. We can help you seek the full and fair compensation you deserve. Contact us today at (801) 487-6454 or toll-free at (855) 207-6118 for an appointment.

George Tait Law is a law firm and its lawyers represent injured people and their families across Utah including the counties and cities of Beaver, Box Elder, Cache, Carbon, Daggett, Davis, Duchesne, Emery, Garfield, Grand, Iron, Juab, Kane, Millard, Morgan, Piute, Rich, Salt Lake, San Juan, Sanpete, Sevier, Summit, Tooele, Uintah, Utah, Wasatch, Washington, Wayne, Weber, American Fork, Beaver, Bountiful, Brigham City, Cedar City, Delta, Draper, Duchesne, Fillmore, Heber, Kamas, Kanab, Kaysville, Layton, Lehi, Logan, Moab, Murray, Nephi, Ogden, Orem, Park City, Price, Provo, Richfield, Riverton, Roy, Salt Lake City, Sandy, South Jordan, St. George, Tooele, Vernal, West Jordan, and West Valley City. George Tait Law and its attorneys are licensed to practice law only in the State of Utah and maintain offices in Salt Lake City, Utah. No attorney client relationship is established by simply visiting this website.