Many injury cases caused by another person’s negligent behavior are straightforward regarding the insurance company’s responsibility and payment. The insurer liable for the accident must pay for the medical expenses, ongoing therapy and other related bills, and lost wages during recovery. Other cases are not as simple for the insurer to manage. A person who suffers a vertebral injury, for example, may need a spinal cord injury attorney in Texas to negotiate a fair settlement.
Chronic Discomfort
Even when a vertebral fracture does not result in paralysis, the person will commonly suffer from chronic discomfort or pain afterward. A Texas spinal cord injury attorney will advise the client to wait for a settlement until doctors declare that maximum medical improvement has been reached. This lawyer may request compensation for ongoing pain and suffering.
Reduced Quality of Life
This is an intangible factor, but it can reduce the person’s quality of life. Chronic back pain can lead people to become sedentary, which is a risk for various health problems. These people may no longer be comfortable doing activities they once greatly enjoyed, like backpacking, bicycling, or playing racquetball. They may have to take pain medication every day, creating the risk of unpleasant or even dangerous side effects.
Future Surgery Expectations
Doctors may recommend surgery for the patient. The pain may worsen until the patient can finally no longer tolerate living in this condition. Spinal decompression surgery, for instance, relieves pain caused by pinched nerves. An artificial disc can be placed between two vertebral bones rubbing against each other. Fusion is relatively common for relieving back and neck pain, as well as severe chronic headaches resulting from a neck injury. The fusion surgery prevents the bones in a specific area of the spine from moving against each other, since that is causing the pain. A settlement may be structured through an organization to pay for a future operation if statistics confirm that surgery is typical for patients with this type of injury.
To learn more about the benefits of hiring Van Wey, Metzler & Williams to represent victims, schedule a consultation today.
