All posts tagged motorcycle accident

Common Back and Spine Injuries After an Accident

Does your back hurt after a car or work accident in West Virginia (WV)?

If your spine has been injured, you know the pain can be excruciating, debilitating, and unending. Back and spine injuries are some of the most common injuries that permanently alter our clients’ lives after a car wreck or workplace accident. The insurance companies will attempt to minimize the amount of compensation you receive for your back injury, especially if you have a prior history of back pain that has been aggravated and made considerably worse by this traumatic event. Our office frequently receives calls concerning spinal injuries, especially to the lower vertebrae, and the Robinette Legal Group has consistently obtained excellent results for our seriously injured clients.

Spinal cord injuries include:

Herniated discs: Fluid in the discs between any vertebrae ruptures, causing partial arm paralysis and pain
Fractured vertebrae: Can happen anywhere along the spinal column. Individual vertebrae break or disconnect, leading to possible paralysis below the fracture.
Cervical injuries: Injuries to the spine near the neck usually result in full or partial paralysis. A broken neck is a type of cervical injury.
Thoracic injuries: Mid-back area of the spine. Often results in paralysis or partial immobility of arms and legs.
Lumbar and sacral injuries: Lower spine injuries often result in mobility problems or paralysis of hips, as well as effects on the urinary tract and digestive tract.

A spinal cord injury doesn’t always mean paralysis. Many spine injuries suffered in accidents go undetected as hairline fractures on the vertebrae. There may be only minor symptoms, which may go away over time, leaving the victim to believe that no serious injury occurred.

In time, however, even a minor spinal cord injury can progress to a serious problem, requiring surgery and years of medical treatment. At their worst, a spinal cord injury can progress to paralysis and organ damage.

Get the Help You Need From Experienced Professionals

If you or a loved one has been in an accident and is noticing back pain or other nerve damage, make sure a medical specialist considers the possibility of a spinal cord injury. The West Virginia spinal cord injury lawyers of the Robinette Legal Group have extensive experience representing clients involved in spinal cord injury claims.

Jeff Robinette is a former insurance defense attorney who now exclusively represents plaintiffs injured by someone else’s negligence. I use my courtroom experience and knowledge of the insurance litigation system to provide vigorous, effective representation for people who need to recover full and fair money damages for serious injuries that forever change our clients’ work and daily lives.

Free Books for WV Accident Victims:

Spinal cord injuries don’t go away on their own. If you have been injured, you may face a lifetime of medical treatment and financial loss. Our firm will fight hard to help you recover the full and fair money damages you are entitled to.

To learn more about what actions you should take — and must avoid — after an accident, order a FREE copy of our latest book Righting the Wrong: West Virginia Serious Injury Guide. You can obtain this book by contacting us through our website
http://www.robinettelaw.com
or by calling us at 304-594-1800 today.

We welcome your call and would be glad to answer your questions concerning your serious back or spinal injury.

1 Comment

by Jeffery Robinette on October 24, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Back Injuries, Car Accidents, Uncategorized

Tagged Back injuries, back injury, car accident, motorcycle accident, spinal injury, truck accident, work accident, WV lawyer

Posted by Jeffery Robinette on October 24, 2012

http://wvaccidentlawyer.org/2012/10/24/common-back-and-spine-injuries/

Common Shoulder Injuries after an Accident

Was your shoulder hurt in an accident in West Virginia (WV)?

Many people suffer from shoulder pain either immediately or shortly after a car wreck, motorcycle, or bike accident, slip and fall, or after having been hurt in a work accident. The severe trauma to the shoulder joint caused the impact of an accident can result in several different types shoulder injuries.

The shoulder is a ball-and-socket joint with three main bones: the upper arm bone (humerus), collarbone (clavicle), and shoulder blade (scapula). These bones are held together by muscles, tendons, and ligaments. The shoulder joint has the greatest range of motion of any joint in the body. Because of this mobility, the shoulder is more likely to be injured, especially the acromioclavicular (AC) joint, which lays over the top of the shoulder.

Common shoulder injuries you may experience after an accident

Rotator cuff tear: the most common shoulder injury after an accident is a stretching, tear, or rip in the tendons and ligaments in the shoulder joint. The shoulder has three separate joints, and any of these joints can be separated, causing extreme pain and loss of movement.
Fractured bone
Bruises
Strains and sprains
Frozen shoulder

Common symptoms of shoulder injury

Painfully tender, stiff shoulder that hurts more at night and may interrupt sleeping
Tingling, numbness, weakness, or swelling in shoulder
Shoulder pain in a specific spot that may worsen with exertion
Difficulty moving arm in any direction without pain
Sudden, intense pain in shoulder area
Pale, blue or otherwise discolored shoulder area

What type of treatment will I need?

If you suspect a broken bone or tear resulting from your accident, seek medical care immediately. Do not move the shoulder; stabilize its position.
Shoulder injuries can be accurately diagnosed by an orthopedic doctor through tests such as x-rays, CAT scans, MRIs, and clinical evaluation.
The remedy may be as simple as the use of a sling to immobilize your arm and rest your shoulder to promote healing and reduce pain.
Elevation, compression, and ice may also aid healing.
A torn muscle or ligament or tendon may require prompt surgery, so an early diagnosis is essential for maximizing your recovery.
Pain can be coming from somewhere else in your body (referred shoulder pain), so accurate, as well as early, diagnosis is essential.
Physical therapy
Surgery

Frozen Shoulder

A frozen shoulder usually begins when injury or overuse causes pain that, in turn, limits the shoulder’s range of motion. Common conditions that cause pain in the shoulder are bursitis or a tear in the rotator cuff.

If you don’t move your shoulder much at all for many weeks, the tissue surrounding the shoulder joint thickens and shrinks. It loses its ability to stretch. When you try to move it even a little, it hurts. So to avoid the pain, you move the shoulder even less. As a result, the joint capsule stiffens even further. It’s a vicious cycle.

A frozen shoulder can take months to develop. The cornerstone of treatment is physical therapy. At first, you’ll concentrate on exercises that stretch the joint capsule. Then you’ll move on to strengthening exercises.

Full recovery can take several months or even longer. If you don’t improve steadily, go back to your doctor or consult a shoulder expert. In rare cases, a frozen shoulder that doesn’t respond to the treatments I’ve discussed may require surgery.

Video of shoulder surgery: Rotator Cuff Repair

It wasn’t my fault — how am I going to pay for treatment?

If a combination of home treatment and physical therapy does not help your shoulder injury, shoulder surgery may be required. Surgery is not only expensive, but will require recovery time away from your workplace, limitations on your daily activities, and time and money spent on physical therapy and doctor’s visits. If your shoulder has been injured due to someone else’s carelessness or negligence, please contact our office for a free consultation to determine the best course for obtaining the financial resources needed to pay for your treatment and lost wages.

Submitted by the Robinette Legal Group, PLLC, West Virginia Workplace Injury/Wrongful Death Lawyers. Call us today: 304-216-6695 or 304-594-1800 for your free copy of Righting the Wrong: WV Serious Injury Guide or Collision Care: WV Auto Collision Injury Guide. These books will answer your questions concerning negotiations with the insurance companies.

2 Comments

by Jeffery Robinette on January 27, 2012 • Permalink

Posted in Car Accidents, Motorcycle Accidents and Safety, Work Injuries

Posted by Jeffery Robinette on January 27, 2012

http://wvaccidentlawyer.org/2012/01/27/common-shoulder-injuries-after-an-accident/

What is First Party Insurance Bad Faith?

Your insurance company has an obligation to fairly consider your interests and compensate you according to the loss you have suffered within the limits of your insurance policy. If the insurance company considers its own best interest, and you suffer losses as a result, you have a right to sue your own insurance company for bad faith.

Personal Property Bad Faith:

If you have suffered significant damage by fire, flood, ice, or wind to your home or place of business, your insurance company may only offer a fraction of the amount of money it will take to repair the damage. Insurance companies are motivated to pay as little as possible, so you will need a lawyer if you wish to recover the full value of your loss.

In order to prove bad faith, your attorney will have to prove that your insurance company acted unreasonably in the adjustment of your claim. This will be a complex process of litigation, and for optimum results it is essential that you hire an attorney with many years of experience in working directly with insurance companies.

Motor Vehicle Accident Bad Faith:

Likewise, if you have been in a car, truck, or motorcycle accident and are suffering from a personal injury and your insurance company has acted unreasonably or unfairly in settling your claim, you may be a victim of insurance bad faith.

If you need help with your insurance claim, contact us at www.robinettelaw.com or 1-304-594-1800.

Motorcycle Accident Fatality, Morgantown, WV

James Butler of Morgantown, WV was killed on Tuesday, September 20, 2011 when the motorcycle he was riding collided with an SUV making a left turn. Monongalia County Sheriff’s Deputy M.D. Stemple said the investigation is ongoing, but speed may have been a factor.

According to the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA), in 2006, motorcyclists’ risk of a fatal crash was 35 times greater than a passenger car. In 2007, 5,154 motorcyclists were killed – 38 of them in West Virginia. The most frequent impact scenario - forty percent (40%) of the crashes - involved the other vehicle turning left in front of the oncoming motorcycle while the motorcycle was going straight, passing, or overtaking the vehicle.

Intersections are the most likely place for motorcycle crashes with other vehicles. The most common cause of motorcycle/car accidents is the at-fault driver does not see the cycle until impact.

In multiple vehicle accidents, lack of visibility of the cycle is most often a contributing factor, with glare or other vehicles obstructing the at-fault driver’s view. In two-thirds of multiple vehicle accidents with motorcycles, driver of the other vehicle violated the motorcycle’s right of way and caused the crash.

The likelihood of injury is extremely high in motorcycle accidents-98% of the multiple vehicle collisions and 96% of the single vehicle accidents resulted in some kind of injury to the motorcycle rider; 45% resulted in serious injury and death. Riders without helmets sustained a 600% greater rate of traumatic brain injury than riders wearing helmets.

NHTSA estimates that helmets saved 1,784 motorcyclists’ lives in 2007, and that 800 more could have been saved if all motorcyclists had worn helmets. The state of West Virginia requires that all motorcyclists wear shatter-resistant eye protection and a helmet that conforms to federally approved safety standards.

This is a legal advertisement of the Robinette Legal Group, PLLC.

Source:
http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/810990.PDF

For further information about motorcycle accidents, go to RobinetteLaw.com.

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