NEW YORK CITY NECK INJURY ATTORNEY
Neck injuries are one of the most common injuries from traffic accidents, and the symptoms are not always present right away. That’s why you need an experienced New York City neck injury attorney to represent you. After a car, bus, truck, or bicycle accident, it’s a good idea to check to see if your neck has a full range of motion. Gently moved your down and around in a circle and notice if there is any pain with this movement. Our necks are less protected than other parts of the body, and what might feel like a slight twinge initially could be a herniated disc, a torn ligament or even a slight fracture. This is all the more reason you should seriously consider taking an ambulance to the hospital directly from the scene of an accident.
It’s also a good idea to call an expert New York City Neck Injury Attorney to find out what you might need to do right away to preserve your rights. At Wittenstein & Wittenstein, we’ve been holding client’s hands through their cases for over 60 years. Let us work on the legal aspects of your situation, while you focus on returning to full health. Please call us for a free consultation at 718-261-8114.
Strains and Sprains (Whiplash)
Whiplash is the lay term for mild traumatic injuries to the neck. Sensitive tendons, muscles, and ligaments work together in your neck. A strain of the neck is when the muscle or tendon is suddenly contracted or stretched. A sprain is when the ligaments are stretched or torn. It is very difficult to diagnose a neck problem with any certainty without Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) films. With an MRI, a doctor can determine the extent of your neck problem and recommend the best treatment.
Herniated Disc
The neck (cervical spine) is made up of discs with a hard shell and a soft gel filled interior. This works to absorb force and protects the spine. When the gel inside the disc protrudes, due to trauma or degeneration, this is known as a herniated disc. Symptoms include a shooting pain that radiates down the arms, numbness or tingling and muscle weakness.
A herniated disc is usually diagnosed with an MRI and clinical testing of reflexes, range of motion and pain level. Treatment is usually a combination of physical therapy, chiropractic treatment, pain relievers and muscle relaxants. Rarely, surgery is necessary to relieve the pain.
These are the most common types of traumatic neck injuries from traffic accidents. If you have sustained an injury to your neck, you should seek medical treatment and consider suing the negligent party for compensation. Please call Wittenstein & Wittenstein for a free consultation at 718-261-8114
What Is Whiplash?
Everybody knows the cliché about car accidents and whiplash, with the victim wearing a neck brace as a visual statement about their pain and suffering. Neck injuries are the most common injury sustained in a traffic accident and can vary greatly in severity. Whiplash injuries can range from mild stiffness that lasts for days to catastrophic injuries that cause permanent paralysis from the neck down. Most whiplash injuries are not very severe, but it’s important to speak to an experienced Queens, Bronx, Manhattan, Staten Island and Brooklyn personal injury attorney to have the best understanding of the value of your case. What Causes Whiplash? Whiplash is an injury to the cervical spine that is usually caused [...]
How Can a Car Accident Attorney Help Me?
You should contact a car accident attorney as soon as possible after you have an accident. You may have more rights than you think! Sometimes people are afraid to go to the hospital in the ambulance provided by the police because they are concerned about payment of the hospital bill. This is not something to worry about because the hospital bill is always paid by the car insurance scheme, even if all the cars are uninsured! An experienced Queens Car Accident Attorney can be a valuable source of support, helping get your medical bills paid, collect money for lost earnings, pain and suffering and other causes of action. How an Accident Attorney Can Help Your Case [...]
The Psychological Impact of Bullying
Gone are the days when bullying was considered a “rite of passage” and parents whose children have been bullied are told things like “teach them to stand up for themselves” and that “boys will boys.” We know now that bullying has serious has a serious lifelong impact on a child, and that it has been linked to the current rash of school shootings. While laws on the books are being strengthened, the enforcement of those laws is lagging behind. It’s time to hold schools accountable for the harm due to the psychological impact of bullying o their students. According to National Voices for Equality, Education and Enlightenment (NVEEE)“Every 7 MINUTES a child is bullied. Adult [...]
Brooklyn Has the Most Accidents in New York City
Insurance companies are cracking down on “rate jumpers,” raising awareness about where accidents in the City are more common. According to Nerd Wallet, Kings County (Brooklyn) has the highest rates in New York City overall, with an average annual car insurance rate of $3,550.47. The next highest insurance and accident rates are The Bronx, Queens, Staten Island and Manhattan. That’s why is so important for New Yorker’s to know both how to avoid accidents and what to do if they happen. How to Avoid Accidents in New York City Any experienced NYC Construction Accident Attorney knows that most injuries to people adjacent to construction sites could have been avoided. People are curious about construction sites, failing [...]
How to Avoid Being Dropped by Insurance Companies
Can My Insurance Company Drop Me? Here at Wittenstein & Wittenstein, rarely does a day go by without somebody asking us if their insurance company can drop them. People pay for insurance, but are afraid to use it for fear of being dropped. That’s why we thought it would be helpful to address this, and the related issue of when an insurance company can raise your rates. When Can My Insurance Company Drop Me? An insurance company can drop you whenever they’d like to, and no reason is required. Most of the time however, insurance companies like to keep their customers. So they’re not likely to drop you unless it starts to look like they’ll have [...]
What Big Box Law Firms Don’t Tell You
Everywhere you look giant lawyer billboards are shouting about how many millions of dollars they’ve collected. These megalithic firms employ armies of fast-talking guys in cheap suits who promise you a huge amount for signing on the dotted line. After they reel you in, you don’t get to speak to an attorney or even a paralegal as you’re relegated to contact with a case manager. They don’t tell you that they don’t care about your case because they work cases like an assembly line, and don’t give any particular case the personal attention that’s needed to get the highest possible settlement or verdict. The good news is that the best accident attorney in Queens doesn’t [...]
How to Know the Value of a Personal Injury Case
We all know that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is! Yet, everybody always wants to know what their personal injury case is worth the day after it happened - and some are willing to believe anything! The reality is that the value of a personal injury case usually depends on facts that can take months or years to establish, and anybody that claims that they can get you big bucks for your small injury is, well, ummm, LYING! What prompted this post was a call from a former client who told me that he tried to refer a friend to our office. He told me she had broke her leg [...]
What Damages can be Recovered for Personal Injury Claims?
Most people know that they can collect money for “pain and suffering” from parties that accidentally or intentionally harm them, but wonder if there are other types of compensation that can be collected. This will help you get the big picture about the structure of personal injury claims, so that when you consult with your Brooklyn car accident attorney or NYC Construction accident attorney, you will be able to ask great questions. Future Medical Costs For most car accidents, first-party “no-fault” benefits will cover $50,000 in medical bills, lost earnings and out-of-pocket expenses. This fund will usually be sufficient to cover current medical costs, but some types of injuries can cause problems much later in life. [...]
The Accident Was Minor. The Injury Was Not. Why Low-Impact Car Crashes Still Cause Serious Harm
People tend to describe car accidents using the language of property damage. The car wasn’t totaled. The bumper barely dented. The airbags didn’t deploy. Everyone walked away. And yet, weeks later, the pain arrives. This disconnect—between what a crash looked like and what it did—is one of the most common and most misunderstood issues in New York car accident cases. It is also one of the most aggressively exploited by insurance companies. In Queens, where traffic is dense, speeds are inconsistent, and collisions often occur in close quarters, many crashes fall into the category insurers like to call “minor impact.” The phrase sounds scientific. It isn’t. It’s a financial label, not a medical one. Vehicle Damage [...]