The severity of auto accidents has the potential to inflict some very painful and debilitating back injuries. A common one is called bone spur, which takes place in an auto accident. This is excess bone that is created where bones interact, such as at joints and between the vertebrae in the spine.
Once a bone spur has started to form on your spine, it may prevent the spinal cord from functioning correctly. This takes place because the spur may cause the spinal canal to become narrower which compresses the spinal cord and its nerve roots.
If you are suffering from bone spur and you know it happened in an auto accident that was not your fault, you may be entitled to file for a personal injury (PI) compensation claim against the person who caused the accident.
Can You Get a Bone Spur From an Auto Accident?
An auto accident can be one of the most jarring incidents of your life. If you’ve been involved in a serious auto accident, it’s possible you’ve suffered a bone spur. Bone spurs are abnormal growths on your bone, usually caused by your body trying to heal after a serious injury.
This means that you can get bone spurs from car crashes, but they may not develop for many weeks or even months after the accident. Because it takes so long for a bone spur to develop, you may have a challenging time proving that the injury was due to the crash. A personal injury attorney may be able to work with your doctor to help you determine if your bone spur was due to a previous auto accident.
There are some injuries that occur when a car accident takes place that do not become evident until sometime after the accident. A notable injury is a bone spur which often takes place in a serious car accident. This is an injury that causes the growth of excess bone that occurs when bones come into contact like joints anywhere in the body and the vertebrae that are present in the spine. It occurs as a reaction by the body to the healing process following a serious injury.
If you had the misfortune to have been involved in a serious car accident, you may have a bone spur. Because a bone spur takes a long time to develop, trying to prove that it was caused in a serious car accident may not be that easy. You will need to keep a record of doctor’s visits and diagnosis which may help to prove the bone spur was caused in the car accident you had been involved in at an earlier date.
The Effect of a Bone Spur on an Auto Accident Victim
When an auto crash puts incredible and sudden force on the spine, spinal bone spurs often develop. If they exert pressure onto the spinal cord, an auto accident victim may end up in terrible pain with no possibility of going out to work or even engage in normal leisure activities.
The sorts of problems that occur may include:
- Lower back pain
- Neck pain
- Pain occurring in limbs
- Difficulty with moving
- Inability to coordinate well
Once this has happened and with difficulties in making a living you are liable to suffer extreme financial hardship as well as having to pay the bills for medical treatment.
The Damages You May Claim for a Bone Spur Caused in an Auto Accident
If you have the evidence that proves the bone spur happened due to an auto accident caused by somebody else you may be entitled to damages. This should cover the cost of your medical treatment, the wages you have lost due to the inability to work and an amount calculated for the pain and suffering you have to endure due to the bone spur.
If a medical report states your bone spur will prevent you from ever working again an amount is calculated to cover this event too.
Find out more about what damages you may be entitled to if you file a personal injury claim.
Calculating the Cost of a Bone Spur Claim
Once you have begun to seek treatment for a bone spur, the bills start to accumulate. A visit to a physician can cost anything from $100 to $200+, depending on what health insurance you have, if any. You may have to pay for a corticosteroid injection which helps to lower inflammation near the spur along the soft tissues. Each shot costs anything from $100 to $300, depending on who administers the injection. This doesn’t of course include the doctor’s appointment.
If the bone spur needs to be removed surgically, this could cost you anything between $5,000 and $10,000. This amount will depend on how complex the removal of the bone spur is likely to be. Also different medical centers charge different prices. By the time you are beginning to feel any discomfort from your bone spur injury you will be seeking pain relief products. These can cost from $5 to $25 for anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen.
What You Can Claim for a Bone Spur Injury
As long as you can prove the bone spur was caused in a car accident that was not your fault you can claim the full cost of treating the bone spur. This includes doctor’s visits, hospital stays, any surgical procedures, prescription and over the counter drugs. If you require care in your home or any devices to assist you with everyday activities the cost of this may also be included in your personal injury claim.
Typically, it may take up to three months to recover from bone spur removal surgery. The amount of time you'll take off from work varies depending on how much of your work time is spent standing.. Any income lost because you are unable to go to work may be included in your personal injury claim as well.
What Kind Of Settlement Can You Get From a Bone Spur
Overall most settlements for a bone spur injury fall between $500,000 and $2 million dollars. The insurer makes a decision based on such features as the long term harm the bone spur does to the victim and if a full recovery is possible. Pain and suffering is also a key factor when settling a claim. Someone who has lost the quality of their life for a longer period of time can expect to be awarded more in the PI settlement.
Tips for Settlement
One of the key features of winning a favorable settlement for a bone spur injury is evidence. You will need eyewitnesses who can prove that the accident wasn’t your fault. It may help to have photographs showing the scene of the accident and a police report to back up your claim. Medical evidence is typically important in a bone spur injury as this type of injury sometimes takes a long time to reveal itself. You will need to keep all your medical records intact from the date of the accident so that it is easy for the physician to determine that the bone spur is due to the accident when you start to feel pain from the injury.
You Should Talk to an Attorney Before Filing a PI Claim
You may think that paying PI compensation by the insurer of the person who caused the auto accident would take place spontaneously. Unfortunately, it’s never that easy as insurers often find excuses like missing paperwork or insufficient evidence to avoid paying the PI you deserve.
A PI attorney ensures that the correct PI claim is paid by ensuring all the evidence and other paperwork is completed quickly and accurately. You are doing yourself a favor if you discuss your PI claim with an attorney first as this ensures you are fully compensated and not left out of pocket because of an auto accident that was not your fault.
If you still have questions on what next steps you have to take, it is always best to speak with a personal injury attorney in your area.
