Vancouver, WA Lawyers Handling Head, Neck, and Shoulder Injury Claims
Respected injury attorneys representing clients throughout Washington and Oregon
A bad jaw injury can mean every time you take a bite to eat, you feel the pain. A shoulder injury can mean every time you lift your arm, it hurts. A neck injury can mean every time you turn to see what’s to your side, you scream “ouch.” Many injuries to the upper body are chronic; they just never go away completely, leaving you in constant pain and potentially unable to work, spend time with your loved ones, or do the things you want to do.
At Philbrook Law Office, PS, our Vancouver, WA neck, shoulder, and head injury lawyers understand how excruciating upper body pain can be. We work with your doctors to understand the cause of your pain and to show just how painful and crushing the pain is. We work with investigators and conduct extensive discovery to help show how another person’s negligence has caused you harm. For 20 years, we’ve helped personal injury victims obtain strong verdicts and just settlements for neck, shoulder, and head pain injuries.
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What types of accidents cause head, neck, and shoulder injuries?
While head, neck, and shoulder injuries may be due to bad posture and old age, negligence is a common cause of these types of injuries. The following are well-known to cause head, neck, and shoulder trauma:
- Car accidents
- Truck accidents
- Motorcycle crashes
- Slips and falls
- Being struck by an object
- Violent acts
- Physical abuse by nursing home staff or others
- Product defects
In most cases, we work to show a company or person was negligent and that negligence caused the head, neck, and shoulder injuries. In cases where a manufacturer’s defective product caused the injuries, the manufacturers and sellers of the product can be held strictly liable.
What are the common types of neck injuries?
Neck injuries are usually due to some type of forceful collision. Victims may not even know they have a neck injury for a few hours or even days after the accident. The more common kinds of neck injuries include:
- Whiplash. This type of injury happens fairly often in rear-end collisions. The car in the rear strikes the front car causing the neck of the passengers to whip forwards and backwards. Whiplash is a type of soft tissue issue injury that can take a long time to heal. Symptoms include:
- A stiff neck
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Shoulder or back pain
- Loss of concentration
- Difficulty sleeping
- Memory loss
- Depression
- A herniated cervical disk. According to the Mayo Clinic, a herniated disk occurs when “one of the rubbery cushions (disks) that sit between the individual bones (vertebrae) that stack to make your spine.” A herniated disk in the neck is called a herniated cervical disc. The disc can press on the nerves or spinal cord causing neck pain, numbness, and other systems. In most cases, the treatment is a surgical procedure or some type of pain management procedure.
- A pinched nerve. If the force of the accident moves the head to the side, such as in a car accident, the nerves to the arm can be damaged, causing brachial plexus injuries. This can cause shooting pains or stingers. Medications and therapy may be required.
- Spinal stenosis. This involves the narrowing of the spaces between the vertebrae of the neck.
- Neck fractures. Even in cases where a broken neck is neither fatal nor the root cause of paralysis, neck fractures could still require surgery to fix, and may never fully heal. There could be damage to the connective tissues, too. Some victims never regain full mobility.
What are the common types of shoulder injuries?
According to the University of Michigan Health System, the most common shoulder injuries include:
- Bicep injury
- Brachial plexus injury
- Broken clavicle
- Broken shoulder blade
- Bursitis
- Fracture of the shoulder
- Frozen shoulder
- Labral tears (SLAP)
- Rheumatoid arthritis
- Scapuloperoneal syndrome
- Shoulder dislocation/separation
- Shoulder instability
- prains and muscle strains
- Tendonitis
- Torn rotator cuff
What are the common types of head injuries?
Of all the head injuries, traumatic brain injuries may be the most severe. However, they are not the only life-altering injury. Other head injuries can include:
- Skull fractures
- Hematomas
- Edemas
- Hemorrhages
- Diffuse axonal injury
- Concussions
- Injuries to the eye
- Injuries to the ear(s)
Did you know?
According to Harvard Medical School, there are two million ER visits for head injuries each year – resulting in more than 72,00 deaths, and 80,000-210,000 moderate or severe head injuries which require long-term hospital care and disabilities.
What treatments are used for head neck, and shoulder injuries?
The treatments vary depending on the location of the injury, the type of injury, and the severity of the pain. Often extensive physical, occupational, and vocational therapy can provide relief. Head injury victims often need speech therapy and other types of medical care. Medications may help.
Surgical treatments include:
- Neck injuries. Surgical treatments include steroid injections, physical therapy, traction, short-term immobilization, and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS).
- Head injuries. Surgeries include repairing a fractured skull, removing clotted blood, stopping bleeding in the brain, and opening a skull window to relieve pressure.
- Shoulder injuries. Surgeries include arthroscopic repair, fusion surgery, mini-open repair, open repair, revision surgery, shoulder joint replacement, and shoulder replacement.
Chiropractic care, acupuncture, and other types of medical care may also help.
Our Vancouver, WA injury lawyers have experience with these types of claims
At Philbrook Law Office, we have a strong track record of success fighting for accident victims who have suffered neck, head, and shoulder injuries including a recovery for a plaintiff who was forced to lay his motorcycle down when a car pulled into his lane from a parking lot, causing ligament damage to his spine and shoulder. We’ve helped thousands of negligence victims in Washington; let us help you, too.
Speak with a trusted Washington neck, head, and shoulder injury lawyer now
There is help for your excruciating pain. At Philbrook Law Office, we know that some injuries take longer to heal than others, and some may be permanent. If you suffered an injury to your head, neck, or shoulder because of someone else’s negligence, we can help. To schedule a free consultation at one of our offices in Vancouver or Battle Ground, WA, please call 360-695-3309 or complete our contact form. We also serve the greater Portland area and Oregon State. We handle neck, head, and shoulder injury victims on a contingency fee basis. We see you in your home if you’re not mobile.