Cervical Radiculopathy from a Car Accident

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While the injury cervical radiculopathy from car accident most likely will not cause long-term damage, it can be extremely painful, and may be debilitating until it is corrected. If you have suffered from a cervical radiculopathy, you should consult with an attorney to discuss your options for recovering damages.

What is cervical radiculopathy?

Cervical radiculopathy is the medical term used to describe the common ailment of a pinched nerve. Specifically, however, a cervical radiculopathy refers to a pinched nerve in the cervical spine (at one or more of three cervical vertebrae) that is usually caused by a herniated disc or a bone spur. A person may suffer from cervical radiculopathy if, during a car accident, any damage to the spine occurs.

Symptoms of Cervical Radiculopathy

As mentioned above, a cervical radiculopathy occurs in the spine. That being said, the symptoms are often felt in other places, as pain radiates out from the neck in cervical radiculopathy.

As such, a person who is suffering from a pinched cervical nerve may experience weakness, tingling, numbness, or pain in the neck, shoulders, arm, or even the hand. Typically, a person who is suffering from cervical radiculopathy will also experience headaches and pain in the back of the neck.

What are my treatment options?

Following a diagnosis of cervical radiculopathy from a medical professional, you will likely begin treatment. There are a few different treatment options that you may undergo, depending upon the severity of the cervical radiculopathy, your doctor’s recommendations, and your personal preferences.

  • Prescription and over-the-counter medication
  • Use of a cervical collar
  • Use of a cervical pillow
  • Steroid injection therapy
  • Surgery
  • Physical therapy (for rehabilitation)

 

Surgery is only required in the most extreme of cases. These cases include instances when the patient is in heavy amounts of pain, the muscle is wasting, the affected area has spread to other parts of the body, such as the legs, or the cervical radiculopathy is not improving despite the implementation of other treatment options.

Related Damages

In addition to pain, a cervical radiculopathy may prevent the affected person from being able to work, therefore barring him or her from collecting a wage/salary. Additionally, the injury can also be expensive to correct, demanding expensive medical treatment. As such, a person who as suffered from a cervical radiculopathy from a car accident may have some damages, ranging from pain and suffering to medical expenses to lost wages.

Luckily, all of these damages may be recoverable. Washington is an at-fault insurance state. This means that if your accident—and your cervical radiculopathy injury—would not have occurred but for the negligence of the other driver, you have the right to file a personal injury claim for damages directly against the at-fault driver. You can also file a claim directly with the other driver’s insurance company. 

Consult with an Attorney and File a Claim Today

A cervical radiculopathy injury is painful, and can leave you unable to work or do the things that you love to do. Before you accept a settlement offer from the other driver’s insurance company, make sure you consult with a Washington State car accident attorney. Another thing to think about is Washington’s comparative negligence law. Even though you are the person that is hurt, the other driver or the insurance company may still not want to pay the large sums of money needed to compensate you and may try to show that you contributed to the accident.

An attorney can work with you to negotiate for a fair settlement amount, prove the fault of the other driver, and demonstrate the extent of damages that you have suffered. To learn more about how to recover damages for a cervical radiculopathy injury from a car accident, call the attorneys at Max Meyers Law PLLC today. You can reach our offices now at 425-399-7000

Max Meyers
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Max is a Kirkland personal injury attorney handling cases in Seattle, King County & surrounding in WA State.