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Damage to nerves after a car accident or other serious injury is sometimes immediately clear—for instance, when the nerves in the spinal cord suffer damage, the injury victim is often immediately paralyzed below the spinal cord at the level of the injury. However, not all nerve damage is as instantly obvious. In the traumatic aftermath of a serious car accident, there may be multiple obvious injuries to a motorist, such as lacerations and broken bones. Other injuries may not be as pronounced during the hours and days after the accident but could have serious long-term effects. Nerve damage often presents with subtle symptoms, but the effects of the injury have long-term consequences.
Severe nerve injury may have symptoms that are readily apparent after an accident, but others show vague signs that accelerate into more serious symptoms during the hours and days after a car accident. Signs of nerve damage after an accident include the following symptoms:
Depending on the location of the injury, the injury victim could experience problems with balance, bladder or bowel problems, and sexual dysfunction.
The crash force of an accident places tremendous stress on the body. Injuries that break bones and damage soft tissue like muscles, nerves, and ligaments also injure nerves. The trauma of an accident can damage nerves by tearing, cutting, or crushing them, or by slowly damaging them during the hours and days after an initial injury as inflammation in the injured area puts pressure on the nerves or pinches them. Nerve damage in car accident injuries often comes from:
Although muscles, ligaments, and other soft tissue can heal and repair, nerve cells do not regenerate. In some cases, the nervous system can reroute itself and restore a degree of normal function, but most nerve damage is permanent. Accident victims with nerve damage may rely on medications, therapy, surgery, and other medical interventions to provide relief from painful or uncomfortable symptoms.
Depending on the location of the injury and the severity of the damage, there are several common types of nerve damage associated with car accidents. First-degree injuries are the mildest form, such as when a foot “falls asleep” after pressure constricts blood flow. Second, third, and fourth-degree nerve damage involves damage to the axon and one or more of the outer layers protecting it, while fifth-degree injury is the complete severing of the nerve. Common nerve damage diagnoses after car accidents include:
Doctors may use imaging tests to confirm suspected nerve damage after an accident.
Because nerve damage isn’t always immediately apparent after an accident, it may take weeks or months for a diagnosis, making a car accident claim for nerve damage challenging. It’s common for insurance companies to dispute these claims. Call the experienced car accident lawyers at Weber & Rubano for the experienced legal counsel you need to recover the maximum compensation available to you to for damages like medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering.