Could today’s back pain be a result of yesterday’s car accident? You thanked your lucky stars you had no obvious injuries immediately after the crash. Now you’re not so sure. Well, you’re right to be concerned. Back pain is a common and legally significant complaint in personal injury claims. The human body absorbs a lot of force in a crash, but adrenaline can block the pain for a while. Therefore, delayed symptoms after a collision are nothing new. What does back pain mean after a car accident?
It means you should probably get in touch with a Philadelphia car accident lawyer.
Causes of Back Pain After a Vehicle Collision
Back pain after a crash happens because sudden, jolting forces act on the spine, discs, and muscles during impact. Symptoms such as stiffness and soreness can present immediately after the accident or several hours later.
Even if the collision seems minor in terms of damage done to one or both vehicles, the strain on a passenger’s head, neck, and back can be significant due to:
- The jolt of impact, pressing or twisting the spine
- Sudden seatbelt tension straining the lumbar area
- Whiplash extending down the spine to the upper and lower back
- Trauma from sudden airbag deployment, and/or
- Impact from the steering wheel, dashboard, or even center console (in sideways collisions)
Though it’s often considered a neck injury, whiplash and back pain are connected. The same violent snapping motion that acts on the neck can also compress and destabilize the spinal column.
Delayed Symptoms and the Importance of Medical Evaluation
Why does the pain arrive later? Though the force of a collision is violent and immediate, such crashes don’t always result in immediate pain. Muscle tightening, stiffness, inflammation, and other types of soft tissue damage symptoms can develop over 24 to 72 hours as adrenaline and pain-numbing endorphins leave the body.
Delayed back pain symptoms after a collision are common. In fact, many soft tissue injuries are not even visible on initial scans right after a crash. Nevertheless, one should never wait to feel pain before undergoing a medical evaluation. If there is a detectable injury, it’s better to catch it sooner rather than later.
Get checked if you experience any of these symptoms:
An immediate medical visit to a car accident doctor in Philadelphia will strengthen your post-accident insurance or legal claim. A delayed diagnosis—called a “documentation gap”—can complicate your ability to get full compensation. An insurer could argue that the collision and the injury are unrelated.
Types of Spinal Injuries Sustained in Car Accidents
The physical consequences of a car crash, even just on one’s back, can require medical assistance at significant cost. These include:
- Herniated disc—a disc in the spine ruptures and presses on surrounding nerves
- Whiplash—typically a cervical neck injury, but can extend lower, into thoracic and lumbar regions
- Lumbar strain—overstretching of the muscles and ligaments in the lower back
- Compression fractures — vertebrae crack under sudden force, and
- Spinal cord injury—a most severe consequence that can result in partial or full paralysis
Many serious forms of SCI (spinal cord injury) do not cause immediate pain or symptoms, according to the Mayo Clinic. Numbness and paralysis can advance gradually.
You will not want to be responsible for all the medical expenses for any of these injuries if you don’t have to be.
Documenting Your Injuries for a Personal Injury Claim
Take these practical steps to bolster and speed up your insurance claim if you suffer a back injury after an accident.
- Seek immediate medical attention and follow all treatment plans, even if you’re not in immediate pain
- Use photos to document visible injuries and automobile damage at the accident scene
- Keep a daily symptoms journal that you can reference when needed
- Save all medical bills, prescriptions, and imaging results
- Document all missed work time and lost income as a result of back pain or injury
All of this strengthens your personal injury claim for back pain in case of a legal challenge. It’s important to be thorough. Any inconsistencies or gaps in your treatment history can potentially hinder an injury claim.
Establishing Liability for Your Back Injury in Philadelphia
Don’t get discouraged if you feel you might have been at least partially at fault for the crash that caused your back injury.
Pennsylvania follows a comparative negligence rule when it comes to personal injury matters. You will be able to recover damages if you are deemed less than 51 percent at fault. Insurance companies and courts consider many different types of evidence when determining fault and compensation, including:
- Police reports
- Witness statements
- Traffic camera footage (when available), and
- All medical records linking your injuries to the crash
Recovering Compensation for Medical Bills and Lost Wages
What can you recover from a well-documented back pain injury after a car crash? First, and foremost, you can recover expenses for emergency room and ongoing medical treatment. But in addition to that, compensation can pay for or help with:
- Physical therapy and rehabilitation
- Lost wages and/or diminished earning capacity, and
- Long-term care costs for serious spine injuries
If a dispute arises over your claim and you prevail in court, you could collect additional compensation for “pain and suffering” in an award or settlement.
Soft tissue back and disc injuries exist on a wide spectrum of severity. Therefore, they can vary widely in settlement value. The quality and consistency of documentation can help that value.
Speak with a Philadelphia Personal Injury Lawyer
If you’ve recently had a car accident and now your back hurts, don’t dismiss it or try to wait it out. The pain and stiffness could point to something serious, such as a herniated disc, soft tissue damage, or something worse. Your situation deserves prompt medical attention and strong legal protection.
If you’re not sure where to start, speak with a Philadelphia personal injury attorney to understand your options.
