Nerve Damage from Missouri Car Accidents

Car accidents can lead to all sorts of injuries, but one of the most painful and long-lasting is nerve damage. If you’ve been injured in a Missouri car accident, you might be dealing with numbness, weakness, or chronic pain. These symptoms can be signs of nerve damage and shouldn’t be ignored.

The lawyers at Kansas City Accident Injury Attorneys understand how a nerve injury can affect your life. The pain, the medical bills, and the lost wages all add up. And, if your injuries were caused by someone else’s negligence, you deserve compensation for your losses. Today, we want to talk about nerve damage from car accidents, including the symptoms, types of nerve injuries, and what to do if you’ve been affected.

How do car accidents cause nerve damage?

The nervous system is made up of a complex system of nerves that control our movement, sensations, and bodily functions. In the event of a car accident, the impact can stretch, compress, or even sever these nerves completely. Common causes of nerve damage from car accidents include:

• The sudden back-and-forth jerking movement of the head can stretch or compress the nerves in your neck.
• Blunt force trauma. A direct hit to the body can pinch or damage nerves.
• Broken bones. If a bone fractures and presses on a nerve, it can cause pain and numbness.
• Herniated discs. The force of a car accident can push spinal discs out of place, pressing on the nerves and leading to pain and weakness.

Remember, even a low-speed crash can cause nerve damage, so you should pay attention to how your body feels in the hours, days, and weeks after an accident.

What are the signs and symptoms of nerve damage?

Nerve damage isn’t always immediately obvious. Some symptoms can develop slowly, which makes it easy to brush them off – until they get worse. Here are some symptoms to watch out for:

• A “pins and needles” sensation or complete loss of feeling in certain areas.
• Nerve pain often feels different from muscle pain. It can be sharp, electric, or burning.
• You may have trouble gripping objects, walking, or moving a limb properly.
• If your nerves aren’t sending signals correctly, you might feel clumsy or unsteady.
• Some people develop hypersensitivity, where even a light touch can be painful.

If you or a loved one are experiencing any of these symptoms after a car accident, you should visit a doctor as soon as possible. The longer nerve damage goes untreated, the worse it gets.

What are some common types of nerve damage from car accidents?

Not all types of nerve damage are the same. The severity and location of your injury typically determine your symptoms and treatment options. Following are some of the most common types of nerve injuries caused by car accidents:

• Your peripheral nerves run from your spinal cord to the rest of your body. When these nerves are stretched, pinched, or severed in a crash, it can cause numbness, weakness, and pain in your arms, hands, and feet.
• A pinched nerve happens when something like a herniated disc presses on a nerve in your spine. This can cause shooting pain, tingling, and weakness – often in the arms or legs.
• The sciatic nerve runs from your lower back down your legs. If your lower spine is injured in a car accident, it can lead to sciatica, which causes pain, tingling, and weakness in the legs and feet.
• The brachial plexus is a network of nerves that controls the movement and sensation in your arms and hands. If these nerves are overextended or torn in an accident, you might experience weakness, numbness, or even paralysis in the affected arm.
• Your autonomic nerves control things like blood pressure, digestion, and heart rate. Damaging these nerves can lead to problems like dizziness, excessive sweating, and difficulty regulating body temperature.

How is nerve damage treated?

The treatment for a nerve damage injury depends on the severity of the injury. Some minor nerve injuries might heal on their own, but more serious cases need medical intervention. Common treatments include:

• Physical therapy, like strengthening exercises and stretching to help improve mobility and reduce pain.
• Medication, like pain relievers, anti-inflammatories, and nerve pain medications like gabapentin, may be prescribed.
• Corticosteroid injections can reduce inflammation and relieve pain.
• In the most severe cases, surgery may be needed to repair damaged nerves or relieve pressure.

Nerve damage can take weeks, months, or even years to heal. And some people never fully recover, which is why it’s so important to seek compensation for your medical treatment and lost wages.

Can I file a personal injury claim for nerve damage in Missouri?

When someone else causes you injury, you shouldn’t have to pay for the consequences that follow. As an injury victim, you can seek compensation for your medical bills, lost income, and pain and suffering. Here’s what you need to know about filing a claim.

Missouri follows a fault-based system, which means the at-fault driver (or their insurance company) is responsible for paying for your damages. You also have a five-year statute of limitations, which means you have five years from the date of the accident to file a personal injury lawsuit. Because Missouri is a comparative fault state, if you were partially at fault for the accident, you can still seek compensation, but it may be reduced by your percentage of fault.

We know insurance companies don’t always make things easy for victims of car accidents. They might try to downplay your injuries or offer a lowball settlement. This is why it’s so important to have an experienced car accident attorney on your side.

Do I need a lawyer for a nerve damage claim?

It’s hard enough to deal with nerve damage without having to fight the insurance company for fair compensation. At Kansas City Accident Injury Attorneys, we understand what challenges you’re facing. We can help by:

• Gathering medical evidence and working with your doctors to prove the extent of your injuries.
• Calculating your damages, which include not only your medical bills, but lost wages, future medical expenses, and pain and suffering.
• Negotiating with insurance companies, preventing them from taking advantage of you.
• Taking your case to court if the insurance company won’t offer a fair settlement. We’re always prepared to fight for you.

If you’re suffering from nerve damage after a car accident in Missouri, you don’t have to go through this alone. At Kansas City Accident Injury Attorneys, we’re here to help you get the compensation you need to move forward. Call us today for a free consultation, and let’s talk about your case. The sooner you take action, the better your chances of getting the justice you deserve. Please call our offices or submit our contact form to schedule your no-obligation consultation today. We are available any time at our main office in Kansas City, MO. You may also schedule an appointment at our other convenient office locations in Lee’s Summit, Parkville, and St. Joseph (MO), Olathe, Kansas City, and Overland Park (KS).