Suffering a neck injury in an Alaska car accident is a frightening event. Once the initial shock wears off, the potential consequences of a neck injury may lead to costly medical care. Neck injuries require trained specialists, frequently resulting in overwhelming medical debt, particularly when you are unable to work. Determining the costs of a neck injury is complex because these injuries can require ongoing treatment and surgery.
Determining the average settlement for a car accident neck injury requires more than a simple calculation of the current medical costs for treatment. A car accident neck injury settlement amount is most accurately determined by experienced Anchorage car accident lawyers who will thoroughly assess a neck injury caused by a car accident to maximize your compensation. The Alaska car accident attorneys at Farnsworth & Vance have successfully secured millions in settlement compensation for clients injured due to negligence. We focus on your physical and financial recovery.
What is the Average Settlement for a Car Accident Neck Injury in Alaska?
Each neck injury occurring in an Alaska car accident is as unique as the individuals in Alaska. Various factors that pertain to your particular neck injury will determine how much settlement for neck injury you may receive. Unfortunately, there is no average settlement amount for a car accident neck injury.
Once you become aware of the variability of a settlement amount for a neck injury, then it provides a better understanding of how an insurance company may work to settle your claim for damages following a car accident. Knowing your rights when talking to the insurance company after a crash is critical to protecting your claim and settlement. The most assured way to protect a claim is to let a car accident lawyer in Anchorage mediate the communications between you and the insurance company to strive for the best outcome in a neck injury settlement.
Insurance companies know the seriousness of neck injuries caused by car accidents. They understand that an injured party’s right to compensation may increase with the severity of a neck injury resulting from negligence by the at-fault party. Because of this, neck injury victims are often rushed to settle a claim, potentially limiting and reducing the amount of compensation required for ongoing care and recovery. Learn more about the insurance company’s tactics after a car accident before you decide on a quick settlement.
What Determines a Car Accident Neck Injury Settlement?
Working with a knowledgeable Anchorage car accident attorney will help accurately assess a neck injury car accident settlement and avoid minimizing your settlement claim. Farnsworth & Vance cannot guarantee a specific settlement amount, but we will tirelessly work to ensure a fair settlement for your injuries. Discover how we have helped previous clients secure millions in recoveries and medical debt forgiveness.
Below is a list of the factors that play a role in determining a settlement for a car accident neck injury:
- Past, current, and possible future medical expenses
- Rehabilitative therapies
- Travel for medical care
- Lost income, wages, and potential bonuses
- Lost earning capacity
- Long-term home care and service
- Pain and suffering
- Loss of enjoyment of life
- Permanent disability
A neck injury may require a few weeks to recover, or you may reach a point where maximum medical improvement is achieved, resulting in your injuries impacting the rest of your life. So, the average settlement for neck injury car accidents in Alaska may vary considerably. The most vital step is to seek the care you need personally and determine what damages have impacted your life.
When specialized care is not available, it is common for individuals to receive medical care in the lower 48. Alaskans’ exceptional situations require a team of legal professionals who think outside the box to secure healthcare and compensation for these services.
How can an Anchorage, Alaska, Car Accident Lawyer Help My Neck Injury Claim?
Farnsworth & Vance continuously fight back against insurance companies for injured Alaskans. Neck injuries require time to heal. However, protecting your car accident claim requires immediate action. Let us help you maximize your neck injury car accident settlement by:
- Preserving sensitive information in your case using our resources
- Helping you get the medical care you need
- Offering legal guidance and support when you need it most
- Negotiating with the insurance company for a fair settlement
- Taking your case to court when the insurance company fails to offer adequate compensation for a neck injury
Let us answer your frequently asked questions about car accident personal injury cases. Because your situation is unique, schedule a free consultation to learn how we will help you specifically. We offer the support you need when a neck injury causes uncertainty.
What are the Three Signs of a Neck Injury?
Neck injuries may create complications following a car accident because they do not always present immediate symptoms. Because of the delayed onset of problematic pain and injury, your injuries may be attributed to a prior incident other than the car accident. Failing to get immediate care or follow-up medical treatment may significantly impact your compensation amount.
Receiving immediate care or scheduling a visit with a doctor as soon as possible provides medical documentation of the connection between a car accident and neck injury. The absence of initial onset pain at the time of the crash is never an absolute indication that no injury has occurred. Furthermore, failing to get care may result in further damage that may have been prevented.
Let’s discuss three common signs of neck injury. Any neck injury should be treated as a severe medical event.
Trouble breathing
Being unable to breathe naturally following a car accident is one of the most serious signs of a neck injury. The neck provides a connection pathway from the brain to the spinal cord that relays information to various parts of the body. Respiratory problems may initially appear to be a lung issue. However, it may be an indicator of a severe injury.
This sign of a neck injury that indicates traumatic spinal cord damage most often occurs following motor vehicle accidents. Respiratory issues are the most common cause of death following an injury. Losing the ability to take full breaths and cough deeply increases the possibility of disease, a reduction in active chest wall movement, and, over time, may lead to muscle spasticity.
Radiating or Referred Pain
Beginning in the brain and traveling through the neck to other parts of the body, the nervous system channels pain signals through the body to the brain. Radiating pain from a neck injury may be felt down the arm or in the back. The pain appears to travel.
Often, pain originates in one part of the body, such as the neck, but is felt in another part of the body and is called referred pain. Because of the intricate network of nerves throughout the body, pain from the injury location may be sensed in another area of the body.
Impaired Sensation
A lack of feeling in the hands and feet or impaired sensation in any part of the body is another indicator you may have suffered a neck injury in a car accident. Pinched nerves or blood vessels in the neck can result in decreased sensation and a lack of blood flow, making injuring the body’s extremities possible.
What are the Other Signs and Symptoms of Neck Injury?
The neck is a complex system of bones, joints, ligaments, muscles, nerves, and tendons. Neck injury signs may begin with benign stiffness, jaw pain, or any other uncomfortable or painful sensation. Never ignore these symptoms of neck injury:
- Neck pain accompanied by numbness, swelling, tingling, or a headache
- Pain that is ongoing for days without relief
- Radiating pain
- Severe discomfort
- Growing muscle tightness or spasms
- Decreased mobility
- Pain that builds when the neck is stationary, such as when watching TV or using a computer, or when driving
- Tenderness when touched
- Bruising
The signs of a neck injury you experience may not fit a standard description. Ultimately, you know your body and what feels normal. Brushing off any neck injury sign or symptom may result in lasting damage impacting your life.
How Neck Injuries Are Diagnosed
Diagnosing a neck injury may require a series of tests, often resulting in extensive medical costs. Growing medical bills are particularly frightening when you may not have health insurance and are concerned will the car insurance company pay for my medical treatment. Diagnostic testing for neck injury is the most reliable way to identify injury in a car accident in Alaska and may consist of the following:
- CT (Computed tomography) or CAT scans
- MRI (Magnetic resonance imaging)
- X-ray
- EMG (Electrography)
- NCS (Nerve conduction studies)
According to Health.Alaska.Gov, Alaska ranks fourth with the highest number of uninsured individuals in the United States. Without health insurance, many healthcare clinicians refuse or discontinue treatment out of fear of not being paid for their services. When you become a client of Farnsworth & Vance, we will work closely with you and your treatment team to strive to facilitate ongoing care until a settlement for a neck injury can be reached.
How Do My Actions Impact Car Accident Neck Injury Settlements?
Negligence laws in Alaska personal injury claims follow the rule of comparative negligence (Alaska Stat. §09.17.060). This rule concludes that any person’s contribution to a personal injury reduces their compensation by their percentage of fault. A fair evaluation of negligence is vital to a fair neck injury settlement. The actions you take following an accident may impact a neck injury car accident settlement as well:
- Apologizing or saying you’re sorry after an accident
- Admitting fault to the insurance company
- Speaking to the insurance company without the representation of an Anchorage, Alaska, car accident lawyer
- Posting any content on social media
- Failing to follow a doctor’s orders or treatment care plan
Farnsworth & Vance are committed to protecting your claim. Browse our client testimonials to read more about how we fight for the rights of injured Alaskans. Reducing injured Alaskans’ claims saves insurance companies millions of dollars in revenue. Their savings cost you the care and recovery you deserve.
Why is Seeking Compensation for a Neck Injury Necessary?
Many Alaskans view legal action as unnecessary or overreacting. But you have the legal right to seek compensation for your damages. Additionally, neck injuries are often costly.
As mentioned, diagnosing and treating an Alaska car accident neck injury may produce tremendous amounts of medical debt. With many Alaskans’ income being seasonally dependent, the hard work you put in and the income you earn during the prime seasons can face significant impact from the costs related to a neck injury.
The quality of care you receive and your capacity to recover should not be limited based on your immediate ability to pay or whether you have insurance. Seeking a neck injury settlement based on supporting documentation may show your ability to pay for the services you need and deserve.
What if a Car Accident Neck Injury Settlement Does Not Cover My Damages?
We mentioned quick settlement offers earlier as a tactic to reduce the damages in a car accident in Alaska covering a neck injury. Injured Alaskans are not required to take the insurance company’s first offer to settle. However, the need to pay for medical care significantly influences many people who need financial support immediately.
The fear of cost is also a contributing factor to injured Alaskans not seeking legal guidance following a car accident in Alaska. Farnsworth & Vance understands the financial consequences of personal injury, so there is no out-of-pocket cost to you to work with us after suffering a neck injury in a car accident. The insurance company pays our fees, not you.
Discuss Your Settlement Potential for a Neck Injury Resulting From a Car Accident in Alaska
Ultimately, there is no average settlement or magic compensation amount for a neck injury. Promises of large settlement amounts may be an indicator to continue your search for trusted legal guidance following a car accident. We hope your search for an Anchorage car accident lawyer ends with the team at Farnsworth & Vance. Schedule a free consultation today.