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How Do I Know If My Neck Injury Is Serious?

How Do I Know if My Neck Injury Is SeriousYou will know if your neck injury is serious by having a doctor examine it. If you have pain, stiffness, or any other issues with your head, neck, or back after a car accident on Long Island, you should see a medical professional as soon as possible. This may be your family doctor, an emergency department doctor, or another physician. It is crucial to know what treatment you may need, monitor your risk for complications, and get a diagnosis and document your accident injuries. All of this is made possible by getting an assessment of your neck injury from a qualified medical professional as soon as you begin to develop symptoms. 
Edward Friedman
REVIEWED BY Edward Friedman June 21, 2024
In This Article
Reading time: 4 minutes
  1. Are Serious Neck Injuries Likely After a Long Island Car Crash?
  2. Recovering Compensation to Pay for Your Medical Assessment and Care
  3. A Car Accident Lawyer Will Help You Handle Your Claim
  4. You Should Act Quickly to Develop a Case and Seek Damages
  5. Talk to Friedman & Simon, L.L.P., About Your Car Accident Case Today for Free

Are Serious Neck Injuries Likely After a Long Island Car Crash?

According to research published in Transportation Safety and Environment, collisions are the top cause of neck injuries, including those that lead to chronic pain conditions, extensive medical bills, and significant income losses.  Neck injuries suffered in a traffic accident can be relatively mild, debilitating, or deadly. Some common diagnoses after a crash include: 
  • Whiplash, or ligament or muscle strains
  • Herniated discs and other disc injuries
  • Vertebral dislocation
  • Fractures, with or without spinal cord involvement
Neck injury symptoms may be present immediately after an accident or take hours or days to develop. Sometimes, immediate, severe symptoms indicate a more serious condition, but this is not always true. Some symptoms of neck and back accident injuries include: 
  • Pain in the neck, back, and shoulders
  • Headache
  • Pain that increases as you move around 
  • Difficulty focusing your eyes and vertigo
  • Nerve complications, including numbness, burning, pins and needles, or other unusual feelings, especially in your limbs
  • A limited range of motion in your neck
  • One arm that feels like it is sagging
  • Inflammation and swelling in the neck
The most severe injuries, such as a broken neck with spinal cord damage, will have immediate and very significant - symptoms in most cases, including but not limited to extreme pain and/or loss of function (potentially including paralysis). You will know as soon as the injury occurs that you have a serious injury.  Whiplash and other soft tissue injuries are more difficult to predict. Many heal on their own with minor intervention in a few weeks. Others suffer chronic pain and limited range of motion for an extended period of time or even permanently, so there is little way to know how limiting your condition is until later. 

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Recovering Compensation to Pay for Your Medical Assessment and Care

You should not have to pay for your medical evaluation or care if the other driver caused your crash. A car accident attorney will secure compensation for an accident victim based on the facts of their case, including the severity of their injuries.  This is possible through either:
  • An insurance claim and negotiating a settlement
  • An award from the appropriate civil court, such as Nassau or Suffolk County civil court
Your financial recovery following a Long Island crash could include the following types of damages:
  • Medical treatment and support, including testing, medications, physical therapy, and more
  • Lost income and reduced ability to earn for lasting injuries
  • Related expenses
  • Pain and suffering
  • Additional intangible losses

A Car Accident Lawyer Will Help You Handle Your Claim

A car accident lawyer on Long Island will help you file your claim or sue the at-fault motorist who caused your crash. Working with a reputable law firm gives you an advantage because you will focus on recovering from your injuries while the firm takes care of your case. They will keep you updated and answer your questions, in addition to taking steps such as: 
  • Identifying liable parties
  • Managing all case communications
  • Gathering evidence 
  • Valuing your case
  • Fighting relentlessly to win the best possible case outcome for you
They will prepare your claim and seek compensation for you or sue the other driver for serious injuries if that is necessary based on the facts of your case.  

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You Should Act Quickly to Develop a Case and Seek Damages

There is generally a deadline for how long you can wait to sue the at-fault driver under New York Civil Practice Laws & Rules § 214, but there are also other reasons why you should act quickly to enlist the help of an attorney and move forward with your claim.  It takes time to build a case, including some tasks that are only effective in the first hours and days after the accident. For example, canvassing for witnesses or dashcam videos are actions that must be completed as soon as possible. If not, the evidence could be unavailable later.  

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Talk to Friedman & Simon, L.L.P., About Your Car Accident Case Today for Free

Friedman & Simon, L.L.P., will review your car accident case for free today. We meet potential clients on Long Island or elsewhere in the New York metropolitan area to discuss what happened, who is responsible, and the steps to take to hold them accountable. We handle these cases based on contingency fees.  Call (516) 932-0400 to learn more today.

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