Nora Springs Car Accident Injury Attorneys

Injuries and accidents can suddenly change lives. During these tough periods, car accident injury lawyers become essential allies. They fight for those harmed by others' negligence, ensuring just compensation. This article underscores the significant role these lawyers play in assisting individuals with their claims and recovery.

When the neck undergoes a serious impact during a car accident, the bones and discs can become disjointed and damaged. Oftentimes, this type of injury requires a neck fusion surgery to rejoin the bones. The surgery can be effective, but the rehabilitation period is quite lengthy, not to mention financially crippling.

When Neck Fusion is Necessary after a Car Accident

Neck fusion surgery is a type of surgery that uses a variety of techniques to fuse bones back together. In a high-impact collision, the spinal discs can become dislodged, and the disc material can burst out of the disc. When the bones and discs become misaligned, they can add significant pressure to the nerves and the spinal cord, causing a great amount of pain and discomfort.

Before fusing the bones together, other procedures may be performed first, such as:

- Discectomy: Removal of all or part of a spinal disc.
- Laminectomy: Removal of the lamina.
- Foraminotomy: Widening the area where nerves exit the spinal column.

These are decompression techniques designed to relieve pressure on the spinal cord. The joints may then be fused using a graft of bone which may require removing part of a bone from the pelvis. Other hardware may also be used to keep the bones from moving while the bone graft heals and can stand alone.

Rehabilitation after Surgery

Rehabilitation after neck fusion surgery is often both lengthy and expensive. Most people can expect a three- to four-day hospital stay, but it can be much longer in some cases. Sometimes, particularly with those who’ve undergone extensive surgeries or elderly patients, doctors will recommend a stay in a rehabilitative unit before being released from the hospital.

Earliest healing may be visible in six weeks, and up until this point, the patient’s mobility is limited. More substantial healing may take three to four months, and healing can continue up to one year or longer.

The financial expenses of neck fusion surgery and the subsequent rehabilitation can quickly add up. If the car accident was the result of someone else’s negligence, you can speak with an attorney about filing a claim for compensation to cover all the medical and recovery expenses.

Maximizing Rate of Healing Post-Surgery

The length of time it takes to heal after neck fusion surgery depends upon a number of factors. Orthopedics International offers several recommendations to speed the healing process along:

- Change your dressings with sterile gauze once a day until your wound is completely dry.
- Eliminate smoking.
- Eat healthily, making sure to include foods high in protein and vitamin C, which assist in healing.
- Make sure your daily diet contains 1,000-1,500 mg of calcium daily to facilitate fusion.
- Avoid excessive bending, twisting, pushing, or pulling.
- Stick to the doctor's orders regarding physical activity recommendations.

Possible Neck Fusion Surgery Complications

Neck fusion surgeries are susceptible to complications:

- Extensive pain and suffering.
- Rejection of bone graft.
- General anesthesia problems.
- Abnormal bleeding.
- Fusion failure.
- Infection and blood clots.
- Increased injury to the surrounding nerves.

Recovering Damages in a Car Accident Claim in Nora Springs

Victims of accidents requiring this or other surgeries may be eligible to recover compensation for injuries if the other party was at fault for the accident. This requires providing evidence of not only the other party's negligence and fault for the accident but also evidence of damages sustained.

A car accident can place excessive stress on an ankle joint. This may be the case if an object strikes the ankle, the ankle becomes crushed, or the driver's or passenger's foot slams against the floor of the vehicle. Whatever the case, it can lead to a fracture.

The ankle is composed of three bones: the fibula, the tibia, and the talus. The fibula is the smaller bone of the lower leg. When a fibula fracture occurs, it’s often referred to as simply a broken ankle. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons lists the symptoms of a broken ankle as severe pain, bruising, swelling, tenderness, obvious deformity (the ankle is visibly out of place), and inability to put any weight on the ankle.

Diagnosing a Fibula Fracture

The first step in diagnosing a fibula fracture will be a physical examination. Then, a doctor will most likely use imaging tests to determine where in the ankle the fracture occurred, as well as the severity of the fracture. The doctor may also use a stress test to diagnose a fibula fracture.

Treatment Options and Recovery

Depending upon the extent of the fracture, the doctor may pursue either surgical or nonsurgical treatment options. Non-surgical treatment will typically require the use of a cast or brace for immobilization, as well as rest for several weeks. During this period, the patient should not put any weight on the ankle. The patient may thus be unable to perform normal work duties.

Filing a Lawsuit for a Fractured Fibula

If you suffer injuries in a car accident in Iowa, you may have grounds to recover compensation for your damages. If you have the right coverage on your policy – like medical payments coverage – you may file a claim with your own insurer. But if another party caused your wreck, your primary means of recovering damages is by filing a liability claim. If you cannot recover a fair settlement in an insurance claim, you may file a lawsuit.

Recoverable damages may include the following:

- Medical bills.
- Lost wages.
- Pain and suffering.

The statute of limitations for a personal injury case in Iowa is two years from the date of the injury, so don't delay!

Know Your Rights

Assuming that you were not negligent as a passenger (for example you did not cause the accident by grabbing the steering wheel) then you should be assessed no fault, unless you were not wearing a seatbelt, which can reduce your compensation.

Depending upon the nature and severity of your injuries there may not be enough car insurance available under the at-fault driver's policy to cover your injuries. Iowa law only requires a minimum of $20,000 per person and $40,000 per car accident in insurance coverage. This means if the at-fault driver only has the minimum policy limits, which unfortunately is quite common, then you will need to look at other insurance policies to compensate you for your injuries if they are severe enough.

If your injuries only require a few doctors’ visits and are not permanent, then there may be enough insurance coverage. However, if you sustained more serious injuries such as broken bones, required surgery, etc. then you will want to look at every possible source to recover compensation.

Where To Recover Compensation

If you were a passenger in the at-fault driver’s car:
If the driver of the vehicle you were riding in is at fault and does not have enough insurance to cover your injuries, then you will want to look at your own car insurance policy. Iowa law requires that insurance companies offer you UIM (underinsured motorist coverage), which protects you if the at-fault driver does not have enough insurance coverage.

Often our clients are worried about what will happen if they make a claim for UIM against their own insurance. Insurance rates are determined by claims made, credit score, driving record, and other factors only known by insurance companies, but we have yet to have a client who made a UIM claim tell us that their rates were raised because they made a UIM claim. There are hundreds of insurance companies to choose from and if your rate does go up you can shop around for a better rate. If you decide to not make a UIM case you could be costing yourself tens of thousands of dollars depending on the severity of your injuries and the amount of coverage you purchased.

If another vehicle is at fault:
If another driver was at fault then you would first look to the insurance for the at-fault driver. If the at-fault driver does not have enough insurance, you may have one or more insurance policies STILL available to provide you compensation. If the vehicle you were riding in had insurance, then any UIM coverage available would be primary to compensate you if injuries exceed the at-fault driver’s insurance policy limits. Also, if you have your own car insurance policy or are covered by another person, then you may have another insurance policy to provide you with additional compensation under the UIM provisions.

If both drivers are at fault:
If both the driver of the car that you were riding in and the other drivers involved in the car accident are at fault then you may have claims under both drivers' liability policies. If your injuries exceed all at-fault drivers' available coverages,

 you can still be covered under a car insurance policy that you or a member of your household purchased. You may be able to seek additional compensation up to the policy limits of the UIM coverage under the secondary policy.

What Can Go Wrong

There are many potential pitfalls when dealing with serious injuries and UIM insurance coverage. If you settle with the at-fault driver’s insurance company on your own and do not follow the proper procedures set forth in the UIM car insurance policy, you may not be able to receive additional compensation. You need to know who is paying your medical bills and who is paying your health insurance company back. Failing to have this documented in writing can result in some or all of the money you receive being paid to medical providers and/or health insurance companies.

Seeking Legal Assistance

Seeking legal counsel from experienced Iowa car accident attorneys such as those at Walker, Billingsley & Bair can provide invaluable support in filing insurance claims or pursuing personal injury lawsuits. With a comprehensive understanding of Iowa law, their team can help gather evidence, establish liability, and secure the compensation deserved by accident victims.

Suffering from the aftermath of a car accident shouldn't impede your pursuit of justice and fair compensation. The Iowa injury lawyers at Walker, Billingsley & Bair work hard to level the field between injured Iowans and insurance companies.

That's why we provide this FREE book; The Legal Insider's Guide to Iowa Car Accidents: 7 Secrets to Not Wreck Your Case. To learn more about what our legal team will do to help you protect your Iowa injury claim, contact Walker, Billingsley & Bair to schedule a no-cost consultation. Call 641-792-3595 to order your free accident book today.