Neck & Back Injury Attorney in Lakeland, FL

If you’ve suffered a neck or back injury as a result of an accident, contact Tonya Stewart Law for a free consultation. I will help you seek fair compensation for your injuries. I serve clients in Lake Wales and Lakeland, Florida, and in the surrounding areas of Winter Haven, Davenport, and Haines City.

Common Causes of Neck and Back Injuries in Florida

Neck and back injuries often result from accidents involving hazardous conditions. Car accidents and slip-and-fall accidents make up a large majority of neck and back injuries in Florida. Other prevalent injury causes include:

• Pedestrian accidents
• Bicycle accidents
• Motorcycle accidents
• Premises liability accidents (e.g., swimming pool accidents)
• Construction site accidents
• Medical malpractice
• Product liability

Regardless of the cause, suffering a neck or back injury can be painful and debilitating.

How to Identify Neck and Back Injuries

Neck and back injuries can be difficult to identify. They can be as minor as whiplash (the most common neck injury) or as major as total paralysis.

After you’ve been in an accident, adrenaline can prevent your body from feeling the full severity of pain for days or even weeks. You should always see a medical professional after an accident—even if you feel fine—in order to help your insurance claim. If your injury is not documented by a medical professional immediately following the accident, a gap will appear in your medical file. Your insurance provider will therefore have no reason to connect your injury with the accident, and you may not receive compensation.

A neck or back injury could result in any of the following symptoms:

• Partial or complete paralysis
• Neck and back pain
• Loss of movement or weakness in a limb
• Loss of bladder control
• Numbness
• Reflexive muscle spasms
• Difficulty breathing or walking normally
• Difficulty balancing
• The inability to feel sensations such as heat, cold, or touch

If you experience any of the above symptoms after an accident, you may have a spinal cord injury (SCI). According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center, vehicle crashes make up over one-third of all SCIs in the U.S. Neck, back or spinal cord injuries can easily be considered catastrophic injuries, which typically result in high costs and long recoveries.

Filing a Personal Injury Claim in Florida

Florida is a no-fault state, meaning in the event of a car accident, all involved parties must make claims with their auto insurance providers, regardless of who was at fault.

Florida has a statute of limitations of four years, meaning you have four years from the date of your injury to file a claim.

When you’ve suffered an injury as substantial as your neck or back, you will need more assistance than an insurance claims adjustor can provide. You should involve legal counsel when your injuries are considered “permanent.”

Under Florida Statute Sect. 627.737, a permanent injury is the “significant or permanent loss of an important bodily function; the permanent injury within a reasonable degree of medical probability, other than scarring or disfigurement; significant and permanent scarring or disfigurement; or death.”

Types of Compensation Available for Florida Personal Injury Claims

Victims of neck or back injuries in Florida may be able to collect both special and general damages.

Special damages are valued by monetary loss. They cover economic aspects such as:

• Medical expenses (current and future)
• Property damages
• Loss of wages
• Funeral costs (in the case of wrongful death)

General damages are more ambiguous. They include things money cannot cover, like:

• Pain and suffering

• Emotional trauma
• Decreased quality of life due to injuries
• Physical disfigurement or impairment
• Loss of consortium (loss of relationship with a husband, wife, or partner)

Legal counsel can help secure a favorable outcome for you and your loved ones. An experienced lawyer will take you through the initial paperwork and help you understand the process from beginning to end and will negotiate fair compensation for your injuries.