Back Injured in a Car Crash?

Whiplash is among the most common types of back injuries caused by car accidents. Whiplash-associated disorders (WAD) are a range of injuries to the neck and back caused by a sudden jerking movement of the head. There are more than one million car accident back injuries reported every year. About 10% of such injuries lead to long-term disability.

What are the Causes of Whiplash Injury?

Whiplash injuries are mostly caused by a sudden and violent impact on the neck and/or the head. Such injuries are most common in rear-end collisions. The unexpected impact may cause the victim’s head to jerk forward and then backward. Ligaments in the neck area can stretch and even tear by the sudden movement. The victim may suffer major damage along the spine. Chances of injury are high if the neck muscles are relaxed, irrespective of whether the vehicle was moving fast or slow.

Whiplash Injury: What Damage can it Cause?

A whiplash injury can cause serious damage to:

• Joints
• Discs
• Muscles
• Nerves
• Ligaments
• Spinal cord

What are the Symptoms of Whiplash Injury?

Whiplash injury and its after effects may not be seen immediately. However, the early symptoms may be:

• Pain or stiffness in the neck and back
• Aching shoulders
• Sensory disturbance to the arms and legs
• Recurrent headaches
• Pain in spinal areas
• Back sprain
• Nighttime muscle spasms
• Sexual disorder
• Loss of bladder control
• Soreness of muscles
• Bowel dysfunction

What Should a Victim do?

Immediately after an accident, one should:

• Apply ice – Ice therapy involves wrapped ice in a towel and pressing it gently against the impacted area for about 20 minutes.
• Find a well informed and specialist lawyer - Compensation can vary between $50 and $500,000.
• Consult a good doctor – Do not compromise on the medical help you seek. The doctor may recommend stretching exercises.

A victim may take weeks, months or even years to recover, depending upon the extent of damage. If the accident was caused by another party, one should not delay in consulting a back injury lawyer who can help with claiming compensation. Liable parties may be asked to compensate for medical expenses, the loss of income and/or earning potential and mental suffering.

Labels: Whiplash injuries,back injury lawyer,Whiplash,car accidents,Whiplash-associated disorders


About Solomon Neuhardt:
Solomon Neuhardt is the owner and lead attorney at Neuhardt Law Firm, a member of the American Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, and represents individuals and families in personal injury cases, including accidents, medical malpractice, defective products, dog bites, and insurance disputes.

Freak accident: How Should One Handle It?

Automobile accidents are almost becoming common today, with the number of accidents in the US increasing in leaps and bounds each year. Thousands die or are injured in car accidents each year and such accidents are certainly a cause for both civil and criminal liability for the driver.

Take the case of the freak accident on South Frontage Road, Billings, where three people were seriously injured. A small car collided with an SUV while heading west. The driver of the car, 18-year-old Jessica Umphrey, along with 19-year-old Matthew Nygard and an unnamed 8-year-old girl were rushed to the hospital. The accident happened when the car took a left hand turn near Zoo Drive and rammed into the oncoming vehicle, the driver of the SUV was unhurt.

What to do first?

So what should one do in such cases? Here are some steps to follow:

1. Write down the name, address and license number of the other driver involved in the accident.
2. Call the police.
3. Check your insurance policy status.
4. Gather documents/photographs of the scene.
5. Immediately get in touch with a car insurance lawyer.
6. Rush to the nearest hospital or get first aid.
7. Gather evidence in the form of medical reports.

Will I be compensated?

Accidents, regardless of whether they are big or small, and injuries, major or minor, you have the right to receive compensation. In a personal injury claim, the plaintiff will be compensated due to damage caused by the other party’s negligence. Claims can be filed against uninsured drivers, vehicle damage, medical expenses or injuries.

The case will be based on a circumstantial situation after examining the nature of the accident. For instance, whether the accident involved a roll over, side collision, rear end collision or a head-on collision needs to be ascertained.

A case can be presented to the insurance company, backed by ground evidence and substantial medical information to build the case. If caught driving without insurance, the fine can be up to $500 and/or 10 days in jail. Getting in touch with an attorney will make the claimant compensation process easier.

What does it cost?

The minimum auto insurance policy requirements for the state of Montana are as follows:

* $25,000 for bodily injury liability for each person
* $50,000 for bodily injury liability per accident
* $10,000 for property damage liability

Accidents and their after affects can be really stressful in terms of the financial and mental ordeal one goes through. Drive safe, but in case of an unfortunate event, an attorney’s help can accelerate your cleanup and repair process and also help you claim your rights.

Labels:Accident Cases in Montana,car insurance lawyer,personal injury claim,insurance policy requirements,compensation process


About Solomon Neuhardt:
Solomon Neuhardt is the owner and lead attorney at Neuhardt Law Firm, a member of the American Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, and represents individuals and families in personal injury cases, including accidents, medical malpractice, defective products, dog bites, and insurance disputes.

Six people sent to hospital after two-vehicle crash.

Date: June 29, 2009

Type: Car Accident

A woman driving a Suburban traveling east on I-90 drifted to the right side of the right lane, when she realized she was going off the road, she overcorrected and hit a car that was passing her. Both of the drivers lost control of their vehicles. The Suburban rolled into the median and the sedan crossed two lanes of traffic and ended up on the opposite side of the interstate. The people in the sedan were uninjured and there was only minor damage to their car.

The suburban was carrying 4 children and 2 women, all of which were sent to the hospital. All occupants of both vehicles were wearing their seatbelts.

About Solomon Neuhardt:
Solomon Neuhardt is the owner and lead attorney at Neuhardt Law Firm, a member of the American Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, and represents individuals and families in personal injury cases, including accidents, medical malpractice, defective products, dog bites, and insurance disputes.

Spiraling Medical Expenses and Evasive Insurance Companies

Skyrocketing health costs and the ongoing economic slump have impacted the common man, particularly in dealing with unexpected situations like a chronic illness or an accident.

A 2009 study supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation reveals that spiraling medical expenses are one of the major reasons for over 60 percent of most personal bankruptcy filings. This tragic truth is predicted to worsen further, as even top American economists forecast an increase in plant closures, salary cuts and layoffs during this period of recession.

Medical Care and Cost

Healthcare, as we all know, is very expensive and if you are not insured, then a serious illness or an injury can cost you close to a staggering sum of $27,000 (in average). This further includes uncovered or out-of-pocket medical expenses such as:

* Prescription medication
* Deductibles
* Uncovered payments
* Co- payments

An unfortunate fact of life is that some insurers may not follow good faith when evaluating claims of those who are struggling with a serious illness or an injury. There are insurance companies that choose to delay, deny or evade compensation simply to protect bottom lines. They may choose to refuse coverage for essential medical testing or treatments.

In such situations, it becomes vital to seek an attorney’s help to safeguard the claimant’s rights and interests.

Possible Tactics

Some tactics that an insurance company can do or are already doing:

* Deny claims or reimbursement
* Refuse coverage for compulsory medical testing and/or treatments
* Offer alternatives like cheap coverage and less-effective formulas
* Encourage patients to delay their medical treatment
* Elude paying additional damages such as lost wages, pain and suffering compensation

Legal Solutions

Highly knowledgeable, experienced lawyers would be able to accomplish the following:

* Formulate the right strategies to deal with evasive insurance companies.
* Represent you legally and speed up legal procedures to ensure that you get justice.
* Re-invigorate the insurance company’s responses towards legitimate claims filed by patients or victims of accidents.


Numerous insurance companies make up unbelievable stories to deny medical claims or refuse coverage. Prove your case by consulting with a well known attorney who has a proven track record in such cases. Protect yourself at once from being victimized or wrongly denied your rights by a few unscrupulous insurance companies.

Labels: Medical Malpractices, spiraling medical expenses, personal bankruptcy, uncovered payments, deny compensation


About Solomon Neuhardt:
Solomon Neuhardt is the owner and lead attorney at Neuhardt Law Firm, a member of the American Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, and represents individuals and families in personal injury cases, including accidents, medical malpractice, defective products, dog bites, and insurance disputes.

Tricks from your insurance company

Tricks from your insurance company

1. Tricks from your insurance company include telling the insured driver to go through the insurance company of the other driver, since they were the one that was at fault. This is false, and insurance companies are obliged to give you the service to appraise and provide insurance for your vehicle. Though you may have to pay a deductible to get your car fixed through your insurance, you will often get it fixed much more quickly through your insurance.
2. The insurance company of the driver that is not at fault will often enter into agreements with the other insurance company to get reimbursement for paying your medical bills, often at the complete disregard of the insured.
3. Another popular trick involves secret surveillance or detective-work on you to get information to use at settlement; this includes talking to neighbors and co-employees.
4. Your insurance company also might resort to using social networking sites, like YouTube.com and Facebook.com, to gain information about your activities.
5. They might also fail to give the correct information to the insured, making it difficult for you to pursue fair settlement offers.

In the case that a driver has only $100,000 in insurance, a number considered on the low end, but if the case is worth more than that, the insurance company will make a low-ball offer that will inevitably be rejected. This offer will allow the jury to return a much lower settlement that should be necessary for the driver to reclaim all of their losses.

Labels:Insurance company tricks, Insurance adjustor, accident claim, vehicle insurance, accident attorney

About Solomon Neuhardt:
Solomon Neuhardt is the owner and lead attorney at Neuhardt Law Firm, a member of the American Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, and represents individuals and families in personal injury cases, including accidents, medical malpractice, defective products, dog bites, and insurance disputes.

Contaminated Blood Transfusions and Personal Injury Claims

Blood transfusions can be life-saving when executed responsibly. On the other hand, contaminated blood transfusions can be fatal, as one might get infected with diseases like AIDS, Hepatitis (B and C) or hemophilia. If you have received infected blood, you are eligible for filing a claim for personal injury. The most common cause of death from infected blood is a condition called Acute Hemolytic Transfusion Reaction (HTRs or AHTRs).
Every year about 11 million units of red blood cells are transfused into around 3 million patients in the US alone. This is why strict standards are maintained for the monitoring and administering of blood. Transfusion depends on the doctor and not on the patient. Therefore, blood transfusions should be thoroughly checked and tested for various infectious agents. The fact is that even going by tougher blood donation standards and screening processes, contaminated blood transfusion mishaps continue to occur.

One of the studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine revealed that two-thirds of the transfusions are not administered properly. In such a case, your legal rights should be protected. If you happen to develop a serious infectious disease after receiving a blood transfusion, your attorney must know how to help you.

Who is expected to provide evidence?

* Patients
* Dependants
* Bereaved families
* Medical / scientific community
* The government
* Legal representatives

What are the causes of contaminated blood transfusion?

* Inability to identify signs and symptoms after transfusion
* Cross-matching of multiple samples simultaneously
* Insufficient orientation or training to hospital staff members
* Storing of blood for multiple surgical patients in a common refrigerator
* Lack of communication among caregivers
* Errors like patient identification, sample label or even blood label
* Inadequate patient blood transfusion certificate
* Unethical policies such as patient dumping and discrimination
* Lab errors, surgical errors, negligence and unsanitary conditions

In any of the event where a serious injury or death occurs due to blood transfusion errors, the institution comprising of doctors, nurses and other medical care unit members should be held responsible.


About Solomon Neuhardt:
Solomon Neuhardt is the owner and lead attorney at Neuhardt Law Firm, a member of the American Bar Association, the American Association for Justice, and represents individuals and families in personal injury cases, including accidents, medical malpractice, defective products, dog bites, and insurance disputes.