The back is the most injury-prone part of the body and is one of the most common causes of workers’ compensation claims. Similarly, back injuries are often a result of motor vehicle crashes and other incidents in which a personal injury claim is relevant to your recovery. Here at the Marc Brown Law Firm, our Columbia injury attorneys are knowledgeable in the laws and rights of our clients. Let us help you get the compensation you deserve.
Car accidents in Columbia frequently lead to severe back injuries due to the sudden and forceful impact involved. These injuries can range from minor muscle strains to more serious conditions such as herniated discs, spinal fractures, or even paralysis. The physical, emotional, and financial toll of such injuries can be overwhelming.
Why Choose Us as Your Back Injury Lawyers In Columbia?
Marc Brown Law Firm has a history of results for injury victims, putting a powerful voice behind your claim. With our firm on your side, you can expect the following:
- A personalized strategy with maximizing your financial compensation as our primary goal
- Marc Brown once worked to defend insurance companies, giving him beneficial inside knowledge of how to make a compelling claim
- A commitment to compassion, professional excellence, and accessibility, so we will come to you if your injuries prevent an office visit
We offer a free evaluation of your case and contingency-based payment, so you pay nothing until after we’ve recovered compensation for you through a settlement or court award for your damages.
Common Causes of Back Injuries In Columbia
Sometimes a back injury happens through no one else’s fault, for instance, from incorrectly lifting a heavy object. However, when a back injury happens through no fault of your own, it’s even more frustrating, but you don’t have to be left with the financial consequences. The most common causes of back injuries in compensation claims include the following:
- Workplace injuries
- Car accidents
- Commercial truck accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- E-scooter accidents
- Slip-and-fall accidents
- Contact sports injuries
- Recreational activity injuries, such as skating and skiing
- Defective product injuries
When a back injury could have been prevented by reasonable care on someone else’s part, the responsible party is liable for your injury-related damages.
Steps to Take After a Back Injury
The pain and trauma of a sudden serious back injury can make it difficult to take purposeful action, but if you can use your phone—or ask an uninjured person to use it for you—you can take the right steps to protect yourself physically and financially. After a back injury, do the following:
- First, ask someone to help you stabilize your position by kneeling behind your head, placing their hands on each side of your head, and keeping it aligned with your spine to prevent further injury
- Use rolled blankets or towels on each side of your back to prevent movement
- Call 911 to request emergency services, or arrange transportation from the scene if you can move without causing further injury
- Slide a cold pack or ice pack under the back to reduce inflammation until help arrives
- While waiting for transportation to a hospital, take photographs of anything relevant to the cause of the injury, such as the damaged vehicles after a car accident, or a broken step on a staircase
- If the injury happened on commercial property, ask the manager to fill out an accident or incident report
- Add the contact information of anyone involved and any eyewitnesses to the injury to your phone
- Go directly to an emergency room from the accident scene, even if you think your injury is minor
Going directly to the hospital provides evidence that your injury occurred when and how you say it did. It also ensures that you receive the emergency treatment you need to prevent a worsened injury, including damage to the spinal cord that could cause irreparable harm. Be sure to follow your doctor’s treatment recommendations carefully and attend any recommended appointments for procedures, physical therapy, or medications.
How A Back Injury Lawyer In Columbia Can Help
At the Marc Brown Law Firm, we understand the complexities of injury claims and are committed to providing skilled legal guidance to help you fight to receive the maximum possible compensation for your pain, suffering, medical expenses, and lost wages. Our dedicated Columbia injury lawyers will work tirelessly to protect your rights and support your recovery journey.
Five Types of Back Injuries
- Bulging, Slipped, or Herniated Disc—The spinal column is made up of the spinal cord, vertebrae, and jelly-filled discs that act as shock absorbers between the vertebrae. When one of these soft discs is pinched, or pinched so hard that it bursts (herniates), the worker often suffers extreme back pain, numbness and tingling, immobility, loss of strength, and other serious problems.
- Torn or Strained Back Muscle—The most common back injury is simply a strained or torn muscle. While muscles heal more quickly than bone and tendon due to their ample blood flow, many strains and muscle tears go on to become chronic conditions that last for months, years, or permanently. Taking time off work and seeking expert medical care, including physical therapy and massage, is critical in resolving this type of back injury.
- Strained Ligament or Tendon—Another painful strain or tear back injury is a strained/torn ligament or tendon. This type of back injury is often caused by repetitive motion or overexertion, such as lifting a heavy object from a bending position, or lifting and rotating at the same time. Or, a strained tendon or ligament can simply be caused by long-term degradation due to the worker’s demanding job.
- Arthritis and Tendonitis—Chronic inflammation of a tendon or a joint (tendonitis and arthritis) is common among workers who perform physical labor on the job. This type of inflammation can cause stiffness, pain, immobility, weakness, and degradation of the supporting tendons, ligaments, and muscles in the affected region. These types of repetitive strain back injuries are very common, yet hard to prove in a workers’ compensation claim because employers/insurers usually argue that the condition was pre-existing or caused outside of the workplace.
- Fractured Vertebrae—The most serious type of back injury is a traumatic blow, fall, or other impact to the vertebrae. A broken back may require surgery, or at a minimum, months off from work or light duty. Tragically, a fractured vertebra can sever the spinal cord, resulting in temporary or permanent paralysis. Or death. Fractured vertebrae are common in slip and falls, motor vehicle collisions, and other unintentional personal injury cases.
Slip And Fall Back Injuries In Columbia
Slip and fall accidents are another common cause of serious back injuries, often resulting from hazardous conditions like wet floors, uneven surfaces, or poor lighting. These accidents can lead to significant medical issues, including sprains, fractures, and spinal cord injuries. At the Marc Brown Law Firm, we are experienced in handling slip and fall lawsuits in Columbia, ensuring that property owners are held accountable for negligence. Our experienced attorneys will meticulously investigate your case, gather evidence, and advocate for your right to fair compensation.
Who Can Be Held Liable for a Back Injury In South Carolina?
In a personal injury claim for a back injury in South Carolina, the injury victim has the burden of proving the at-fault party’s liability. This requires evidence demonstrating that the responsible party owed a duty of reasonable care to the injury victim, they violated the duty of care through negligence, the violation of duty caused the injury, and the injury victim suffered damages from the injury. Common liable parties in back injury claims include the following:
- A negligent driver
- A negligent property owner
- A workplace contractor or subcontractor
- The manufacturer of a defective product or equipment
- A negligent playground maintenance department, park agency, or playground supervisor
- A negligent e-scooter rental
- A medical professional who committed malpractice
It often takes an experienced back injury attorney to prove the at-fault party’s liability through an independent investigation. The insurance company’s investigation typically focuses on protecting the insurer’s profits at the injury victim’s expense, while an attorney’s objective is to prove liability and maximize the amount you can recover in your claim.
What Damages Are Available In a South Carolina Back Injury Claim?
No two settlements or court awards for damages are the same in back injury claims, since the total amount of compensation available depends on the severity of the accident, the financial consequences to the victim, and the limits of the appropriate insurance policy. Common damages recovered in back injury claims include the following:
- Reimbursement for medical expenses
- Anticipated future medical expenses
- Out-of-pocket, injury-related costs
- Compensation for pain and suffering
- Catastrophic injury compensation if the back injury caused spinal cord damage, chronic pain, or permanent disability
Your medical report, medical bills, and employer statements proving lost income become critical evidence of economic damages in the claim process. Then, an experienced back injury attorney consults with medical experts to determine the level and duration of pain for your injury to calculate compensation for pain and suffering.
What Is the Statute of Limitations for Filing a Back Injury Claim In South Carolina?
Like all states, South Carolina limits the time after an injury that an injury victim may file a compensation claim for their damages. This ensures that evidence remains available and that eyewitness testimony remains reliable throughout the claim process, including if a case requires litigation in court. In South Carolina, the statute of limitations for a back injury claim is three years from the date of injury.
Only in limited circumstances does the state extend or toll the statute of limitations. For instance, if the back injury was discovered later, the time limit may begin on the date of discovery under the delayed discovery rule. For example, if a doctor diagnoses an injury victim’s nagging backache as a compression fracture from a bicycle accident a month after the accident, the time limit begins on the day of diagnosis.
Call a Columbia Back Injury Attorney Today for Help
Whether you were hurt on the job or were involved in a traffic wreck, we can help you get the compensation you need to recover. We urge you to reach out to the Marc Brown Law Firm today at (803) 848-0008 to schedule a free consultation with a Columbia back injury attorney.