Raleigh Car Accident Neck Injuries

It does not take a severe collision between two vehicles to cause serious physical injuries. Due to the mass of these vehicles, even low-speed crashes have the potential for devastating injuries. One of the most common and severe types of injuries in a car accident could have a significant impact on a driver’s neck.

Neck injuries could include a mixture of damage to soft muscle, tissue, nerves, and bone. These injuries are often difficult to diagnose and treat, as they often give no outward sign of injury. If you are involved in a car crash and have questions about Raleigh car accident neck injuries, you might benefit from an initital consultation with a skilled personal injury attorney.

Muscle Strains

A neck strain is an injury involving the muscles that move and stabilize the head or neck. While these injuries can be minor, the pain and stiffness that can result from a strain could last for months. In addition to pain and stiffness, muscle strains could also limit a person’s mobility and cause muscle spasms.

Whiplash

Whiplash is an injury commonly associated with car accidents, particularly rear-end collisions. This injury occurs when a vehicle collision causes the driver’s head and shoulders to snap backward and then forward. It earns its name for the whip-like motion the head and neck make when a driver is struck from behind.

Whiplash is primarily a soft-tissue injury. It involves damage to the cervical ligament at the base of the neck, the muscles connected to the spinal column, and even the nerves within the neck. These injuries could take time to manifest, with neck stiffness and soreness taking days or weeks to develop. Once the pain manifests, it could remain a chronic problem over the long term.

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Disc Herniation

A motor vehicle accident can also result in tremendous trauma to a passenger’s spinal column. The spinal column is the long, curved series of vertebrae bones protecting the spinal cord. The spinal column starts at base of the neck to the bottom of the spine.

Between each vertebra rests a disc that serves as a cushion. The discs have a tough exterior and a soft interior. In a vehicle accident, these discs could become herniated. A herniated disc involves the soft interior of the disc rupturing and pushing out through the exterior.

The symptoms of a herniated disc can differ. For some, it is not immediately evident a disc has ruptured. In other cases, the ruptured disc could impact a nerve and cause extreme pain.

Vertebrae Fractures

The same type of impact that can lead to a ruptured disc could also damage the vertebra they protect. The snapping motion that occurs with whiplash can also cause the vertebra to fracture. In other cases, this motion can cause the vertebra to dislocate from one another. The symptoms of fractured vertebrae can include pain and numbness. For severe injuries, fragments of bone could damage the spinal cord and cause paralysis.

Discuss Your Car Accident Neck Injuries with a Raleigh Attorney

From nagging soreness to paralysis, the neck injuries that could follow a motor vehicle accident can vary. The worst-case scenario can have a devastating impact on your life. Even seemingly-minor neck injuries could lead to chronic pain that never goes away.

When these neck injuries occur due to a car accident caused by another person’s negligence, you could have a viable claim for monetary compensation in Raleigh. Reach out to a practiced injury attorney to learn if you are entitled to pursue damages.