Maryland Back Injury Lawyer

Anyone who has pulled a back muscle will attest to the pain and discomfort associated with the injury. Back injuries often linger and could keep you out of work for a significant amount of time. In some cases, a back injury could be so severe that your life will never be the same again. These types of injuries often result in substantial medical expenses in addition to any income you might have lost. If someone else was responsible for your injury, they should be held liable for your economic losses.

If you are a loved one suffered a back injury because of another person’s conduct, contact our Maryland back injury lawyer. You should focus on healing while allowing the Rice, Murtha & Psoras to fight for your just compensation. Call (410) 694-7291 to schedule a free consultation.

Suing for a Back Injury in Maryland

The back is a delicate part of your body. A simple wrong twist and you could find yourself experiencing severe discomfort for weeks or months. In more extreme cases, a back injury could result in permanent paralysis.

There are almost a countless number of ways a person could injure their back. However, if you were injured because of another person’s negligence, you are entitled to seek compensation through a personal injury lawsuit. You could hold someone accountable for many different things, from slip and fall accidents to motor vehicle crashes.

Common Types of Back Injuries in Maryland

Often, the type and severity of your back injury will depend on what occurred. However, this is not always true as two people could experience a similar accident, such as slipping on an icy sidewalk and suffer two very distinct and different sorts of back injuries. No matter the severity, you should always seek medical attention if you have injured your back or even if you’re feeling a slight discomfort. the true nature and extent of many back injuries is not readily apparent at first.

Nonetheless, there are some common injuries that our clients experience.

Strains and Sprains

When your back is pulled or twisted, the tendons and muscles attached to your spine are also twisted and pulled. In some situations, these tendons and muscles are torn. When this occurs, you have suffered a back strain.

There are ligaments connecting your bones together. When those in your back are stretched or torn, your back will be sprained. One of the common injuries people experience in a car accident is whiplash, which is a sprain of the neck and back.

Herniated Discs

When your back experiences a forceful blow, either from being hit or falling, you could rupture or slip a disc. Herniated discs are painful and often require surgery to alleviate the pain.

Dislocations

When a dislocation occurs, the ligaments in your back become separated or dislodged from the spine allowing it to fall out of alignment. Any sudden trauma or force could cause this injury. Dislocations are common in rear-end collisions.

Fractured Vertebrae

Spinal fractures are severe injuries. Any damage to the vertebrae could leave fragments that damage the spinal cord. Depending on the severity and area of the fracture, the injury could be permanently debilitating.

Spinal Cord Injuries

The most devastating type of back injury is damage to your spinal cord. This vital shaft of nerves is a critical part of your body’s sensory and motor systems. If a person damages their spinal cord in a slip and fall or other accident, it could result in partial or permanent paralysis, paraplegia, or quadriplegia.

Who is Liable for My Back Injury in Maryland?

In any personal injury lawsuit, there are a number of actions or circumstances that could show another person was responsible for the accident. Depending on the facts of your case, it could be someone acting recklessly or failing to do something. However, no matter what occurred, you will have to demonstrate four elements to show that the conduct was negligent.

Duty of Care

First, a plaintiff in a personal injury case must show that the defendant owed them a duty of care. the relationship between the parties determines a duty of care. For example, a shop owner owes their customers a responsibility to ensure that the store aisles are clear of dangerous debris. However, that same duty is not owed to someone breaking into the shop at night. To hold someone responsible for your back injury, they must have owed you a duty of care.

Breach of Duty

Once a duty of care is established, the plaintiff needs to prove that the defendant’s conduct breached that duty. This does not mean that the defendant had to do everything imaginable to prevent an injury. The question that will be asked is, what would a prudent person, with the same duty, have done under similar circumstances. If you hurt your back because you slipped on a spill in a grocery store, then determining if there was a breach would depend on what took place before your accident. For example, if the store owner knew about the spill and allowed it to go unattended for hours, then their conduct was most likely a breach of their duty to their customers. If the spill occurred while you were walking down the aisle, then perhaps there was no breach.

Causation

To prevail in a personal injury case, you must prove that the breach caused the injury. Our office will work with the facts of the case to try to show that the defendant’s irresponsible conduct was the reason for the back injury.

Actual Damages

If you did not suffer any damages, there is no need for a personal injury lawsuit. However, it is rare that a back injury does not result in some financial losses or pain and suffering. Even the most minor back injury could require medical treatment and cause a person to miss days or weeks at work. A plaintiff has a right to recover for their financial losses and their mental or physical anguish.

Call Our Maryland Back Injury Lawyer for a Free Consultation

Back injuries can range from minor discomfort to a permanent disability. No matter how severe, you should not be responsible for any medical costs or lost income if someone else caused your injury. Our Maryland back injury lawyer is committed to fighting for our client’s just compensation. Call the Maryland personal injury lawyers at the Rice, Murtha & Psoras at (410) 694-7291 to schedule a free legal consultation.