Back and spine injury claims can be complicated. An insurance company may argue that your pain is temporary, unrelated to the accident, or caused by a condition you had before the incident. It may also pressure you to accept a settlement before doctors understand whether you will need injections, physical therapy, surgery, rehabilitation, or long-term care.

Perez Law Group works to build a claim that reflects the full effect of your injury—not just the medical bills you have received so far.

Our legal team can:

• Investigate how the accident occurred
• Identify every person or company that may be responsible
• Gather medical records, imaging results, accident reports, and witness statements
• Communicate with insurance adjusters on your behalf
• Document your lost income and reduced ability to work
• Evaluate possible future medical and rehabilitation needs
• Challenge attempts to blame you or minimize your condition
• Negotiate for an appropriate settlement
• Prepare your case for litigation when necessary

Our objective is to protect your rights while giving you the time and space you need to focus on your health.

The spine is a complex structure made up of vertebrae, discs, joints, ligaments, muscles, nerves, and the spinal cord. An accident can damage one or several of these structures.

Some injuries cause immediate and severe pain. Others may produce symptoms that become noticeable hours or days later as inflammation, muscle spasms, and pressure on the nerves increase.

Common back and spine injuries include:

Herniated Discs

A herniated disc occurs when material inside a spinal disc pushes through its outer layer. The displaced material may irritate or compress nearby nerves, leading to pain, numbness, tingling, or weakness.

Bulging Discs

A bulging disc extends beyond its normal position but may not fully rupture. Even a relatively small bulge can cause significant symptoms when it presses against a nerve.

Cervical Spine Injuries

The cervical spine is located in the neck. A collision can injure the discs, nerves, muscles, and vertebrae in this area, sometimes causing pain that spreads into the shoulders, arms, or hands.

Thoracic Spine Injuries

The thoracic spine runs through the upper and middle back. Although this area is supported by the rib cage, traumatic impacts can still cause fractures, disc injuries, and nerve damage.

Lumbar Spine Injuries

The lumbar spine is the lower back. Injuries in this area can cause persistent lower-back pain, muscle spasms, leg weakness, and radiating pain such as sciatica.

Vertebral Fractures

A forceful impact can crack or compress one or more vertebrae. Spinal fractures may require bracing, surgery, or an extended period of restricted activity.

Nerve Damage

Damage or compression involving spinal nerves may cause burning pain, numbness, tingling, weakness, or reduced movement in another part of the body.

Spinal Cord Injuries

A spinal cord injury can interfere with communication between the brain and the rest of the body. Depending on the location and severity of the injury, a person may experience loss of sensation, limited movement, paraplegia, quadriplegia, breathing difficulties, or changes in bladder and bowel control.

Soft-Tissue Back Injuries

Strains and sprains involving the muscles, tendons, and ligaments can still cause substantial pain and limited mobility. An injury does not have to require surgery to disrupt your work and daily life.

Back and spine injuries do not always produce obvious external signs. Seek medical attention after an accident, especially if you experience:

• Neck, middle-back, or lower-back pain
• Pain that increases with movement
• Numbness or tingling
• Pain that travels into an arm or leg
• Weakness in the hands, arms, feet, or legs
• Muscle spasms
• Difficulty standing or walking
• Loss of balance or coordination
• Reduced range of motion
• Headaches associated with neck pain
• Loss of bladder or bowel control
• Difficulty breathing
• Partial or complete loss of movement

Symptoms such as weakness, difficulty walking, changes in sensation, loss of bladder or bowel control, or breathing problems may indicate a serious neurological injury and require immediate medical attention.

Do not assume that pain will disappear on its own. Prompt medical care protects your health and creates documentation connecting your symptoms to the accident.

A back injury can occur whenever the body is twisted, compressed, thrown forward, or subjected to a sudden impact.

Perez Law Group represents people injured in incidents such as:

Car Accidents

Rear-end, side-impact, rollover, and head-on collisions can place tremendous force on the neck and spine. Even a crash that causes limited vehicle damage may produce a painful disc, nerve, or soft-tissue injury.

Learn more about working with a Glendale car accident attorney.

Truck Accidents

Commercial trucks can cause catastrophic injuries because of their size and weight. Trucking companies, drivers, contractors, maintenance providers, or cargo companies may share responsibility for a collision.

Motorcycle Accidents

Motorcyclists have little protection from an impact. They may suffer spinal fractures, disc injuries, nerve damage, or spinal cord trauma after being thrown from a motorcycle or struck by another vehicle.

Pedestrian and Bicycle Accidents

A person hit by a vehicle may be thrown onto the pavement, onto the hood of a car, or into another object. These impacts frequently involve several areas of the body.

Learn how a Glendale pedestrian injury lawyer may assist after a pedestrian collision.

Slip-and-Fall Accidents

A sudden fall can twist or compress the spine. Falls from stairs, elevated surfaces, and uneven walkways may cause disc injuries, fractured vertebrae, or damage to the spinal cord.

Learn more about slip-and-fall claims in Glendale.

Workplace and Construction Accidents

Falls from ladders, defective equipment, falling objects, and vehicle accidents can cause serious spinal injuries. Depending on the circumstances, an injured worker may have a claim against a negligent third party in addition to any available workplace benefits.

Defective Products

A defective vehicle component, seat, safety system, ladder, tool, or piece of machinery may contribute to a back or spine injury.

Violent or High-Impact Incidents

Assaults, unsafe security conditions, and other traumatic incidents may also result in severe spinal damage.

A prior back condition does not automatically prevent you from pursuing compensation.

Many people have arthritis, degenerative disc changes, previous injuries, or occasional back pain before an accident. A collision or fall may aggravate that condition and cause symptoms that are substantially worse than they were before.

Insurance companies frequently use pre-existing conditions as a reason to deny or reduce a claim. The insurer may review years of medical records and argue that your current limitations would have existed regardless of the accident.

Our attorneys can examine:

• Your health and activity level before the incident
• The frequency and severity of earlier symptoms
• New diagnoses made after the accident
• Changes shown on medical imaging
• New treatment recommendations
• Changes in your ability to work and complete daily activities
• Medical opinions concerning aggravation of the prior condition

You deserve to have the accident’s actual effect on your health evaluated fairly.

Insurers sometimes minimize back injuries because they are not always visible. An adjuster may point to limited vehicle damage, an initial emergency room record, or a delay in symptoms to argue that you could not have been seriously injured.

However, the appearance of a vehicle does not determine the condition of the person inside it. Likewise, a person may initially experience shock or adrenaline and only recognize the severity of the pain later.

Strong documentation may include:

• Emergency and follow-up medical records
• X-rays, CT scans, and MRI results
• Specialist evaluations
• Physical therapy notes
• Prescription and treatment histories
• Statements from employers, relatives, or caregivers
• Photographs and accident-scene evidence
• A personal record describing pain and daily limitations

Avoid giving the insurance company a recorded statement or signing a broad medical authorization before you understand your rights.

he steps you take after an accident can affect both your recovery and your legal claim.

Get Medical Care

Call 911 when there may be a spinal cord injury or when you experience weakness, numbness, loss of movement, severe pain, difficulty walking, or bladder or bowel changes.

Even when symptoms seem manageable, obtain a medical evaluation and follow the treatment plan recommended by your healthcare providers.

Report the Incident

Report a collision to law enforcement. Report a fall or other property-related accident to the owner, manager, employer, or appropriate authority.

Preserve Evidence

Keep photographs, videos, witness information, damaged property, medical paperwork, receipts, and correspondence from insurance companies.

Do Not Minimize Your Symptoms

Be accurate and complete when speaking with healthcare providers. Describe where you feel pain, when it began, how it changes, and which activities have become difficult.

Be Careful on Social Media

Insurance companies may review public posts and photographs. A post that lacks context may be used to challenge your reported limitations.

Speak With a Lawyer Before Accepting a Settlement

Once you sign a settlement and release, you generally cannot seek additional payment if your condition worsens or you later require more treatment.