Portland Neck Injury Attorney

We Handle Neck Injury Cases in Portland and Throughout Oregon

Neck and back injuries are sometimes dismissed as minor aches and pains. Overtime, however, they can cause ongoing issues with chronic pain and mobility, inhibiting the ability to work or otherwise enjoy a normal life. If you or someone you know suffered a back or neck injury as the result of the negligence of another person, it is important to seek the help of a personal injury lawyer.

Johnston Law Firm, P.C., represents people throughout the Portland metro who suffer from back and neck injuries, including neck strain, whiplash, slipped disks, spinal cord damage, separated vertebrae, and others. We understand the seriousness of these injuries and are committed to helping you recover the compensation you deserve after an accident. You can count on us to fight on your behalf, so you can focus on your recovery.

Have you sustained a neck or back injury due to someone’s negligence? Reach out to a Portland neck injury attorney at Johnston Law Firm. Call us at 503-546-3167 or contact us online for a free consultation.

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How Our Portland Attorneys Can Help With Your Neck or Back Injury Claim

Johnston Law Firm can help with every stage of your back or neck injury claim. Our Portland neck injury lawyer team can assist by investigating what happened, documenting your losses, and dealing with the insurance company on your behalf. We can also work with your doctors and other experts to build evidence connecting the accident to your injuries and their impact on your life. Our attorneys can help by:

• Investigating your case and determining the cause of your neck or back injury.
• Determining who should be held liable for your damages and resulting losses.
• Gathering evidence to support your claim and bringing in qualified experts.
• Working with your doctor to understand the cause and severity of injuries.
• Calculating the value of your damages based on your documented losses.
• Filing your claim and handling required documentation on your behalf.
• Reviewing settlement offers and explaining how they affect your potential recovery.
• Negotiating your settlement directly with the insurance adjuster handling your claim.
• Challenging claims that your injuries are pre-existing or less severe than reported.
• Filing litigation on your behalf when a fair settlement cannot be reached.
• Answering your questions and remaining accessible to you throughout the legal process.

Insurance adjusters may question the severity of your injuries or argue that they existed before the accident. Our lawyers can respond to these arguments with evidence and advocate for the compensation available for your losses. Throughout your case, Johnston Law Firm will remain accessible, answer your questions, and keep you informed about the legal process.

Common Causes of Neck and Back Injuries We See in Portland

A neck or a back injury might be the result of a health condition, could be caused during a workplace accident, may be the result of a repetitive stress injury, or could happen because of an acute and unforeseeable accident. Some of the common causes of neck and back injuries include:

• Car accidents;
• Commercial truck accidents;
• Pedestrian accidents;
• Bicycle accidents;
• Motorcycle accidents;
• Slips, trips, and falls;
• Contact sports;
• Recreational accidents;
• Violent assaults;
• And more.

Of course, the above list is not inclusive. If you are suffering from a back or neck injury and you think that someone else is to blame, you may have a personal injury case. Learn more by calling our law firm directly.

Types of Back and Neck Injuries

Back and neck injuries can be concentrated anywhere along the spine, which runs from the base of your neck to the end of your back and the many muscles and ligaments in between. Common types of back and neck injuries include:

• Whiplash. A whiplash injury occurs when the head is whipped back and forth much like a whip, typically as a result of a car accident or another accident type that forces the head to swing forward and backward suddenly (such as a rollercoaster ride). Whiplash is a type of soft tissue injury that can be very painful to live with, and can be temporarily disabling. Typically, whiplash will heal with time.

• Vertebrae fractures. A fractured vertebra is an extremely serious injury type. This type of accident happens when enough pressure is applied to the spine that causes one of its vertebrae to fracture. It can also happen if the spine is forced into an awkward or unnatural position. One of the biggest risks of a vertebrae fracture is that the spinal cord will be impacted.
• Herniated disc injury. In between the vertebrae in your spine are little discs that create a cushion between the bones. A herniated disc injury happens when the jelly-like substance within those discs pushes through a crack in the harder exterior. Sometimes, this can irritate nerves and cause pain.
• Spinal cord injury. Perhaps the most serious type of neck and back injury is a spinal cord injury. The spinal cord runs the length of the spinal column. When it is impacted, the brain’s ability to send messages to the rest of the body is impaired. As such, a spinal cord injury will result in complete or partial paralysis from the site of the injury downwards. There is no cure for spinal cord injuries; these types of injuries are permanent.
• Strained/sprain muscles and tendons. As mentioned, there are many different ligaments, tendons, and muscles throughout the back. Both repetitive motion injuries and acute accidents can lead to backs sprains and strains that are painful and, sometimes, debilitating.

Don’t miss out on these common personal injury mistakes.

Get the legal counsel you need to guide you through the process of filing an injury claim.

Spinal Cord Injuries

One of the most devastating injuries that you can sustain is a spinal cord injury, also called an SCI. The spinal cord consists of nerve bundles that constantly carry messages between your brain and the rest of your body. If you sustain trauma to your back or neck that causes a fracture, dislocation, or other types of injury to your vertebrae, it can compress or tear into the nerves and spinal cord tissue, causing serious damage and interrupting the signals that allow your body to function. As you can imagine, this type of injury requires immediate medical attention and often long-lasting treatment.

Effects Of
A Spinal Injury

The effects of spinal cord injuries can vary substantially from one victim to another. Spinal injuries are generally separated into two categories:

• Complete Injury: A complete injury means that the victim loses all movement and sensory abilities below the point of the damage, resulting in complete paralysis.
• Incomplete Injury: An incomplete injury can impair some functioning below the point of damage though victims retain some sensation and movement.  

In addition to the complete and incomplete distinction, victims may experience symptoms of spinal cord injuries either temporarily or permanently. Some patients regain mobility with time and treatment while others are permanently paraplegic or quadriplegic.

Workplace Accidents vs. Personal Injury Claims in Portland

If you have been injured in the workplace, you may be wondering whether or not you have a personal injury claim. Typically, those who suffer a back or a neck injury at work must file workers’ compensation claims in order to recover benefits, and are barred from filing a claim against their employers as a result.

That being said, an injured worker may have a third-party liability claim. A third-party claim is a type of claim brought against someone other than the worker’s employer. For example, if a construction worker is injured by a drunk driver (not related to the construction company) at a roadside construction site, the worker may be able to file a workers’ compensation claim and a third-party liability claim against the at-fault driver.

As such, if you have been injured at work, don’t hesitate to talk to our personal injury lawyers about your options if a third-party’s negligence played a role in your injuries.

Compensation We Can Help You Collect for Your Neck or Back Injury 

In addition to coping with the injury itself, a victim of a back or neck accident may suffer significant financial and personal losses. Depending on the circumstances, these damages may be divided into economic and non-economic damages.

Economic Damages

Back and neck injuries can be expensive to treat and may also impact your ability to work and earn an income. Economic damages may include:

• Medical expenses: Treatment, physical therapy, medications, surgery, and ongoing care.
• Lost wages: Income lost while your injuries prevent you from working.
• Loss of earning capacity: Reduced ability to earn income in the future.
• Future medical expenses: Costs of necessary ongoing or future medical treatment.
• Property damage: Damage to your vehicle following a car accident.

Even minor injuries that require minimally invasive treatments can be expensive. If an injury requires ongoing medical care, the financial losses can become overwhelming.

Non-Economic Damages

Serious back and neck injuries can also cause physical pain and psychological harm. Non-economic damages may include:

• Pain and suffering: Physical pain resulting from your back or neck injury.
• Emotional distress: Psychological harm caused by serious or disabling injuries.
• Loss of enjoyment of life: Inability to do activities you once loved.
• Loss of independence: Difficulty caring for yourself after a disabling injury.

Being unable to do the things that you once loved, or being paralyzed and unable to care for yourself, can take a major toll on your emotional well-being.

The value of a neck or spine injury claim varies depending on the severity of the injury and the effects it has on your daily life. Understanding these issues is essential to the success of your personal injury case. Our firm will work with your doctor to understand the extent of your current injury and any potential long-term complications. We also typically work with financial experts to help us calculate a fair dollar amount to pursue in negotiations or at trial. Our goal is to recover a fair amount for your financial costs of medical bills and lost wages, as well as compensate you for any emotional suffering.

Frequently Asked Questions About Portland Neck and Back Injury Claims