Neck Injury Lawyers in St. Louis

Job-related neck injuries are common across a wide range of industries. Construction workers, warehouse employees, and any sort of manual laborers are at a high risk of sustaining neck injuries; even office workers are known to suffer these types of injuries due to prolonged periods sitting and working on computers. While there are many ways to avoid neck-related injuries, workers are not always able to prevent them from happening. It’s important that employees know how to navigate the Missouri workers’ compensation system to protect themselves. This is where The Dixon Injury Firm’s St. Louis neck injury lawyers come into play.

Our legal team is here to help you file a workers’ compensation claim after a job-related neck injury. Whether you suffered a debilitating neck strain injury due to prolonged repetitive motions or were catastrophically injured in a commercial vehicle crash, our team is committed to protecting your rights and fighting for the full, fair benefits you are owed.

Contact us online or call our office today at (314) 208-2808 to request a free initial consultation.

What Are the Common Causes of Neck Injuries?

Anything from a slip or a fall to a minor car accident can lead to chronic neck pain or injury. There are ways to reduce pain through medication, rest, and surgery, though avoiding these injuries is the best priority.

Here are a few common causes of work-related neck injuries:

  • Repetitive trauma or motions
  • Falling objects
  • Slips, trips, and falls
  • Crushed discs
  • Inflammation tied to existing disease
  • Excessive strain
  • Traumatic spinal cord injuries

Neck injuries are very serious and can have immense implications for affected individuals. In the most severe cases, a neck injury victim can be paralyzed or sustain serious damage that leads to long-term chronic pain and discomfort. Even relatively “mild” neck injuries can put an employee out of work for weeks or months and require extensive medical attention.

What to Do If You Suffer a Neck Injury

Regardless of how the injury occurs, it is critical that you obtain immediate medical attention. If necessary, call 911 or have someone call an ambulance for you. If emergency treatment is not necessary, go to the doctor right away. Not only is this important for your overall health and well-being, but seeing a doctor for your work-related injury also establishes that you were seriously injured and that your injuries required medical attention. This is often critical for your workers’ compensation claim.

Next, notify your employer in writing of your injury. You must do this within 30 days of the incident or the date on which you became aware (or should have reasonably become aware of) the connection between your injury and your work. If you fail to notify your employer within this timeframe, you could lose your right to seek workers’ comp benefits.

The next step is filing your workers’ compensation claim. We strongly recommend that you work with a knowledgeable workers’ compensation lawyer, like those at our firm, during this process to ensure that your rights are protected. Our St. Louis neck injury lawyers will keep your best interests in mind every step of the way. We are prepared to aggressively advocate for the maximum benefits you are owed.

Seeking the Justice & Fair Compensation You Are Owed

The neck, or the cervical region, is a very important part of the body, the significance of which cannot be overemphasized. Connecting the head to the rest of the body with the help of the cervical spine, the cervical region is where many integral structures of the body are located. The cervical region contains all the major blood vessels running straight from the heart to endocrine organs, such as the thyroid and parathyroid glands, which are essential for normal growth and development.

Due to its delicate and narrow structure, the neck is susceptible to succumbing to the least bit of trauma. There are special pressure-sensors located on the carotid artery called baroreceptors that can be activated by a slight amount of pressure, sending signals to the heart depressing its activity to an extent that it may even cause death.

If you were injured or if your loved one died due to a cervical neck injury and you believe that another person or party is to blame, contact The Dixon Injury Firm right away. Our St. Louis cervical neck injury lawyers can help you determine who is liable for your injuries and losses and can fight to recover the maximum compensation you are owed. We have years of experience and have recovered over $50 million on behalf of catastrophically injured individuals and the families of those wrongfully killed throughout St. Louis and all of Missouri.

Contact us online or call (314) 208-2808 to schedule a free initial consultation. There are no fees unless we recover compensation for you.

Types of Cervical Neck Injuries

Neck injuries are some of the most frequently reported injuries in insurance claims in the U.S. Over 100,000 neck injuries are sustained every year due to traffic accidents, particularly those involving semi-trailer trucks and other heavy vehicles which, due to their massive size and weight, lead to horrendous crashes.

Depending upon the type of tissue involved, cervical injuries can be of following types:

  • Cervical Spinal Cord Injury: These types of injuries often result from trauma to the cervical portion of the spinal cord. These are the most severe neck injuries, as they may result in paralysis of all four limbs. The vital brain centers for breathing and circulation are located under the first two vertebrae, damage to which leads to instantaneous death. This is seen in cases of hanging.
  • Cervical Disc Injury: These injuries are due to damage to the intervertebral discs. A cervical disc injury may either result in herniation of the inner soft part of the disc or tearing of the outer fibrous part of the disc.
  • Vertebral Fractures: The severity of the fracture is proportional to the force of the trauma in vertebral fracture injuries. The most frequent injuries can occur either at the level of the second vertebra or the sixth or seventh vertebra.
  • Spinal Stenosis: This is a condition in which the canal of vertebras containing the spinal cord is narrowed as a result of trauma or injury, which leads to compression of spinal nerves leading to pain.
  • Whiplash Injuries: Such injuries are a very common in auto accidents. The mechanism of injury is hyper-flexion, followed by hyperextension of the neck, rendering damage to the muscles and ligaments of the neck.
  • Stingers and Burners: These are so called due to the sensation they produce and occur due to injury to the nerve roots of the brachial plexus.
  • Laceration of Blood Vessels: The carotid arteries and jugular veins are located in the neck and can be lacerated, leading to death as a result of severe blood loss.

Signs & Symptoms of Neck Injuries

Below are some of the warning signs that an individual has sustained a cervical neck injury:

  • Pain, constant and severe, making the patient unable to move his/her neck
  • Inability to move (paralysis) any or all four limbs
  • Numbness or tingling in the upper limbs
  • Stiffness in neck
  • Headache at the base of the neck
  • Dizziness
  • Blurred vision
  • Fatigue
  • Loss of bowel or urination control
  • Irritability
  • Memory loss
  • Difficulty in concentrating

Cervical Neck Injury Treatment Options

There are several treatments available for victims of cervical neck injuries, including:

  • Medication: In case of minor pain, a cervical neck injury can be managed at home with over-the-counter painkillers, ice packs, and/or rest. If the pain is aggravated and a physician must be consulted, they may prescribe stronger narcotic painkillers or inject a local anesthetic to numb the region and give muscle relaxants, or they may give a corticosteroid injection that will reduce the inflammation.
  • Surgery: If the degree of injury is severe and has resulted in a ligament or muscle tear, cord damage or vertebral fracture, then surgical intervention is required.
  • Immobilization of Neck: This is achieved by surrounding the neck with a soft foam collar that prevents movement and stabilizes the neck.

Neck injuries are an extremely serious matter and any delay in medical treatment can lead to numerous kinds of disabilities that may impair one’s ability to live a healthy life. Thus, if you are exhibiting any of the above-stated symptoms after any type of accident or traumatic event, refer to a health professional immediately.

Your Initial Consultation Is Completely Free

The Dixon Injury Firm offers free initial consultations to all potential clients. We also provide our legal services on a contingency fee basis, meaning you do not owe any attorneys’ fees unless/until we recover compensation for you. In the unlikely event that we do not secure workers’ compensation benefits in your case, you do not owe us a dime.