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Legal Representation After An Accident Causing Nerve Injuries

Nerve damage can cause lifelong damage and excruciating pain, limiting your ability to work and live life as you did before the injury. Because the extent of damage isn’t always visible at once, many victims end up with significantly less compensation than they need for long-term recovery. When your case is presented to an insurance company or judge, it is easy to see broken bones, amputated limbs and other visible injuries. But nerve damage is often hidden and causes an impact over time. What starts as a slight pain and lack of mobility in one of your limbs can deteriorate to very serious conditions, including paralysis, if proper medical care is not performed in the early stages.

While we recommend you are represented by a talented, experienced Seattle personal injury attorney in any injury case, it is especially important to have legal counsel by your side in cases of nerve damage. Insurance companies will work tirelessly to limit the compensation they pay, and you can expect a settlement far lower than you deserve – if any. With the award-winning attorneys from Pendergast Law by your side, insurance company lawyers will sit up and listen – they are aware of our reputation for achieving high-value settlements. To get started, call our office toll-free at 888-539-9211 to schedule a free consultation.

What Are Nerve Injuries?

Nerves are the communication system of your body, providing control and sensory information to and from your brain. There are two basic types of nerves:

Sensory nerves carry messages from your sense organs to your brain. This includes your eyes, ears, taste buds, skin and countless others. Any feeling, sight or sensation that you experience has traveled on your sensory nerves. Injuries to sensory nerves can result in a partial or total loss of feeling in one or more parts of your body.
Motor nerves carry messages to your muscles and glands, enabling your body to perform both the “automatic” actions (like pumping your heart, breathing, digestion, etc.) and the voluntary actions (moving your body, speaking, etc.). Damage to your motor nerves can limit your ability to move certain muscles and cause partial or full paralysis.

Nerves run throughout your body and are similar to electrical wires. When they are cut, stretched or compressed, this trauma can have both short-term and long-term effects.

What Are The Common Causes Of Nerve Injuries?

Our nerves are extremely sensitive to damage, which is why they are protected under layers of skin, muscle, and bone. In most injuries, damage to a nerve may be minor, only resulting in short-term symptoms such as pain and discomfort when moving a limb, for example, which can be resolved with observation and rest. However, in severe cases, nerve damage can result in lifelong medical conditions, such as paralysis, chronic pain, vision loss, hearing loss and other types of disabilities.

The three main types of trauma that nerves can suffer are compression, stretching and lacerations, each of which can impact a nerve’s ability to communicate with the brain. In our experience, accident victims typically experience nerve damage due to:

Serious lacerations and cuts
Crushing or blunt force injuries
Damage to the brain or spinal cord
Infections, such as from dog bites
Trauma sustained in car accidents
Severe broken bones and fractures
Degloving injuries
Second- or third-degree road rash
Herniated discs
Biker’s arm, which is a form of nerve damage that occurs in motorcycle accidents

If you have suffered nerve damage as a result of someone else’s negligence, you may be able to pursue a personal injury claim against them for compensation. Given how damaging these injuries are to your life, impacting everything from your job to your hobbies, you may be able to include all of these costs in a claim. Your first step after an accident is to see a trained medical professional if you are experiencing any of the symptoms of nerve damage.

Symptoms Of Nerve Damage

The symptoms of nerve damage can be similar to other injuries, which can make nerve injuries challenging to identify. However, some of the common signs of nerve damage are:

Pain and over-sensitivity to movement or touch
Numbness
Tingling or pringling in your limbs
A sudden burning sensation
Weakness
Muscle deterioration
Twitching
Paralysis
Inability to feel pain in areas of your body (such as your heart)
Excessive sweating
Lightheadedness
Dry eyes and dry mouth
Constipation (difficulty with digestion)
Sexual problems

Nerve damage can be diagnosed at an emergency room after an accident or in a follow-up appointment with your primary care doctor. You may be asked to describe the symptoms listed above, and the attending physician may also perform a physical exam to see if you feel numb or tender in certain body parts. Other tests that can be done include MRI and CT scans to see if another condition is affecting your nerves’ ability to function, such as a herniated disc or broken bone pressing up against a nerve. For a more accurate analysis of your condition, a doctor may perform a nerve study test with an electromyograph, which uses electrical stimuli to determine if your nerves are damaged.

What Compensation Do I Deserve?

Nerve damage can vary depending on the type of trauma you have suffered. In minor cases, the damage can resolve with medication and rest, but severe cases require intensive care. Doctors may need to perform surgery to repair the damage or may utilize several forms of therapy to help you heal without invasive procedures.

But even with immediate treatment, many victims suffer for years due to their conditions. Nerve injuries can become permanent, resulting in sudden chronic pain, mobility issues and difficulty controlling one’s bladder and sexual performance. It can easily impact your ability to continue working in your chosen career, perform daily activities, and interact with your family. All of this can add up and cause undue stress in your life.

While each case is unique, if your nerve injury was the result of the negligence or reckless actions of another party, you may be entitled to substantial compensation. At Pendergast Law, we understand just how damaging a nerve injury can be, which is we thoroughly review every way it has affected your life. From the medical costs of your treatment to the personal impact it had on your hobbies, we can include a variety of costs in your claim, including:

Immediate and long-term medical costs
Physical therapy and recovery costs
Pain and suffering
Lost wages
Lost earning capacity
Alterations to your vehicle or home due to paralysis or disability
Loss of enjoyment

When we take a case, we perform a detailed analysis with your doctors, surgeons or additional medical professionals, as well as financial experts and other professionals to determine the maximum possible compensation that could be pursued in your case.

Why Choose Pendergast Law

Pendergast Law is one of the premier personal injury firms in the greater Seattle area. With over 20 years of experience representing victims of personal injuries, we are dedicated and professional and take our duty to our clients very seriously. Our managing partner, Joseph “JP” Pendergast, has been named one of the top 100 trial lawyers in the U.S., has a perfect Avvo rating as a “superb attorney,” and was named the best personal injury lawyer in Seattle by Expertise.

Our entire firm is devoted to helping victims recover and treating them with the utmost respect and dignity. We work with medical practitioners to ensure that a full analysis of your injuries is performed and the potential for long-term physical damage is fully assessed. With our years of experience, we determine the maximum compensation possible and relentlessly pursue it. We also offer a no-fee guarantee – meaning you don’t owe us any attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you. Having won millions of dollars in damages for our clients, you can be confident that we will handle your case professionally. Contact us today toll-free at 888-539-9211 to schedule a free consultation.