West Union Car Accident Injury Attorneys

Lives can be instantly upended by accidents and injuries. During these difficult times, car accident injury lawyers become crucial allies. They advocate for those injured due to others' negligence, ensuring fair compensation. This article underscores the important role these lawyers play in assisting individuals with their claims and restoring normalcy.

Fractured Vertebrae after Car Accident

The vertebrae are the bones in the spinal column that protect the spinal cord. A vertebra injury could result in damage to the spinal cord as well as other serious complications. Fractured vertebrae may put pressure on the spinal cord and in some cases, fragments of bone might pierce the spinal cord.

Types of Vertebrae Injuries

The University of Iowa Department of Orthopaedics & Rehabilitation outlines five serious vertebra injuries:

- Compression Fracture: The spinal column is forced forward and down, often the result of being hit by a vehicle from behind.
- Burst Fracture: Part of the vertebra shatters and may penetrate the spinal cord, leading to severe repercussions.
- Subluxation: The joints in the back of the vertebrae become weak, causing abnormal movement of the bones.
- Dislocation: The vertebrae become out of alignment.
- Fracture Dislocation: The vertebrae not only dislocate but also fracture.

All vertebrae injuries vary in severity and should be taken seriously, requiring immediate medical attention.

Causes of Crushed Vertebrae in Car Accidents

A vertebral compression fracture requires significant trauma to the back. This can happen in a serious car crash, such as a head-on collision or when a victim gets pinned inside the vehicle. Sometimes it's a result of the occupant in a passenger car getting struck by something much larger, such as a semi-truck.

Symptoms of Crushed Vertebrae

The most common symptom is pain in the injured area. However, if the spinal cord is affected, pain may spread to:

- Other parts of the back
- The neck
- Hips
- Stomach
- Thighs (depending on the location of the injury)

Patients might experience tingling, weakness, and numbness. In the most severe cases, an accident victim who suffers crushed vertebrae may also suffer damage to the spinal cord, causing loss of feeling and paralysis.

Treatments for Vertebrae and Spinal Cord Injuries

Any spinal injury requires medical care, which can be extensive in the most severe cases. Even relatively minor vertebrae fractures can incur significant medical costs. Patients often require emergency care at the scene, hospital transport, and hospital admission.

Treatment for a compression fracture of the spine usually starts with conservative measures such as:

- Rest
- A back brace
- Ice/heat therapy
- Medication

Different types of medication may help, such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to relieve pain. Muscle relaxants might also be beneficial.

When there are other serious injuries or the symptoms are significant, the individual may get admitted to the hospital. Surgery is often required if the crushed vertebrae are unstable or compressing the spinal cord.

Following surgery (and sometimes without surgery), the person may undergo physical therapy to strengthen the muscles and prevent further injury. Most of the time, crushed vertebrae heal without complications. Recovery takes longer when the injury is severe, and it's possible the individual suffers long-term complications.

Pursuing Compensation for Fractured Vertebrae in Car Accidents

Pursuing compensation for the extensive medical bills is one of the most important aspects of the car accident claim. This requires pursuing damages for current and short-term expenses like hospitalization, emergency transport, and more. It should also account for damages related to long-term treatment and care.

Accident victims should also quantify their lost wages and other out-of-pocket expenses. An attorney can help accident victims account for noneconomic damages like pain and suffering, which can be difficult to quantify.

Victims may file an insurance claim against the other party’s liability insurance – and their own insurance, depending on their coverage – or may file a lawsuit if necessary. They’ll have to account for any comparative negligence that they had for the accident, which could reduce the damages they recover.

Social Media and Car Accident Claims

For those who are social media savvy, posting funny snaps, sharing an event using Periscope, and tweeting is second nature. While posting to social media is a great way to keep in touch with friends and share information, after a car accident, posting to social media may harm your claim. Here’s what you should know about social media and car accident claims.

Refrain from Talking about Your Accident

After a car accident, you may be tempted to chat with a friend or post a status update about the crash. However, you should never use social media as a forum for talking about your accident. This is especially true if your social media account is public; an insurance adjuster may look at your account at some point.

If you talk about your accident on social media, you may make an admission of fault or discuss a detail of the wreck that’s later used against you. Because car insurance in Iowa is fault-based, admitting fault may severely impair your damages amount.

Avoid Posting Pictures and Videos

If you’re filing an injury claim after a car accident and want to recover damages for harm that you’ve suffered, avoid the urge to post pictures. An Instagram post of you doing a particular activity (walking, playing, traveling, etc.) may discredit your injury claim.

For example, if you’ve claimed a broken leg injury, but there is a YouTube video of you hobbling across your bedroom to grab something without your crutches, the insurance adjuster may question the validity of your injury. Even if you are taking part in something like tbt (throwback Thursday) and the photo is from before the car crash, it may still be brought up in court because you posted it post-crash.

Don’t Post Location Check-ins & Status Updates

Just as harmful as pictures, location check-ins, and status updates may be detrimental to your claim for the same reason. If you are claiming damages for an injury, but ‘check in’ to a location on Foursquare or post a Facebook status update about having fun with friends at their house, an insurance adjuster may question whether or not you are as hurt as you claim.

The Best Social Media Policy

The best policy for social media and car crash claims is to avoid it. In fact, you should even consider temporarily suspending your accounts. If you can’t resist, set your profile to private at the very least, and don’t ‘add’ any new people that you don’t personally know. Interact with it as a user rather than a producer.

Dealing with an Insurance Adjuster in Iowa: What Not to Say

The Iowa Department of Transportation reports that there were 49,798 traffic accidents in the state in 2013. If you were one of the tens of thousands of people involved in an accident each year throughout the state, you might be wondering how to deal with an insurance adjuster.

One of the first people you’ll talk to after reporting your accident to your insurance company and that of the other party (if that party is to blame for the accident) is an insurance adjuster. It’s important to know which questions to ask the adjuster and what not to say. Below are a few things to avoid saying to the adjuster.

“It was my fault.”

Not admitting fault is one of the most important parts of talking with the insurance adjuster. Even if you believe it was your fault, hold off on saying so until you know more about the accident. Depending on the details of the accident, you might not be aware that another driver ran a stop sign or drifted into your lane, for example.

If you admit you were speeding a little bit, were a little distracted, weren’t wearing your glasses, or are sorry about what happened, the insurance adjuster may use that against you. He or she might argue that these behaviors contributed to the accident, even in part, when, in fact, the other driver was fully or mostly to blame.

“I think…”

Try to avoid guessing about what happened. Provide only the details of which you’re sure. Give the adjuster your name, contact and insurance information, location and time of the accident, and the broad details (the other driver struck me from behind, the other driver side-swiped me, etc.).

If pressed for more specific details, inform the insurance adjuster that you will provide him with more details at a later time, preferably with the assistance of an attorney. Make sure any statements you give are true and do not lie.

“I accept!”

The insurance adjuster will probably offer you a settlement amount pretty quickly. And it will probably be too low. It might be tempting to accept the settlement so you can start paying bills and replacing your lost wages while you’re recovering.

But if you settle too early and for an amount that is too low, the settlement might not fully cover all of your damages. Wait until you understand the full extent of your injuries and damages. Your attorney can negotiate a settlement that is fair.

“I don’t have an attorney.”

If you suffered serious injuries or extensive damages, get legal help from an attorney. Your lawyer can not only help you better understand how to deal with insurance adjusters but can also deal with the adjuster for you in many cases, negotiating a fair settlement.

Additional Tips for Dealing with Insurance Adjusters

- DO get the insurance adjuster's name and contact information as well as the company they represent.
- DO give the insurance adjusters your full name and contact information.
- DO take notes.
- DO ask the adjuster if they have any witnesses to the accident in Iowa.
- DO be general when describing your injuries.
- DON'T agree to have the conversation recorded.
- DON'T discuss anything with insurance adjusters except the location of the accident in Iowa, the date and time the accident occurred, and the type of accident (car, truck, motorcycle).
- DON'T agree to anything.
- DON'T

 sign anything.
- DON'T answer questions about your family.
- DON'T identify any witnesses.
- DON'T provide the name of your doctor.

It's also a good idea to speak with a personal injury lawyer before you speak with any insurance adjusters. Your personal injury lawyer can go over the details of your case, help determine who was negligent, and if appropriate, take steps to build a solid Iowa personal injury claim. With the help of your Newton personal injury lawyer, you might be able to pursue compensation for your medical expenses, lost earnings, and pain and suffering.

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.