A car crash can upend a person’s life in a matter of seconds. For one of our clients, a routine drive ended with his van rolling over in a ditch, broken bones in his back, months of treatment from several specialists, and surgery on his shoulder.
On top of being in severe, constant pain, his doctor expected him to be out of work for 6 to 12 months due to the surgery. Being out of work for that long meant he was no longer being paid, which put financial strain on him and his family. That is just another way a car crash causing severe injuries can threaten someone’s livelihood.
The Townsley Law Firm fought for him and resolved his case with a settlement of more than $450,000.
A truck turned across his lane and forced his van off the road
Our client was driving his van in the outside lane of a multi-lane highway. A pickup truck was traveling in the same direction in the inside lane. Without warning, the truck driver made a right turn from the inside lane, cutting directly in front of our client’s van.
The collision sent the van off the road and into a ditch, where it rolled over. Our client did nothing to cause the crash and had no chance to avoid it. A driver who turns across another lane of traffic has a duty to make sure the way is clear. Improper turns, failing to keep a proper lookout, and failing to see what should have been seen are among the most common causes of crashes like this one.
The crash fractured his spine
The rollover injured our client’s neck, back, and shoulder. The most serious damage was to his thoracic and lumbar spine. The thoracic spine is the middle of the back, running from the base of the neck to the bottom of the rib cage. The lumbar spine sits below it and supports much of the body’s weight.
Testing showed that he had suffered both a burst fracture and a compression fracture in his thoracic vertebrae. These two injuries sound similar, but they are not the same.
A compression fracture happens when a vertebra collapses and loses height, much like a soda can crushed from the top. A burst fracture is more serious. The bone breaks apart in several directions, and fragments can push outward toward the spinal canal, where the spinal cord and nerves run. Either injury can make sitting, standing, bending, and sleeping painful. Together, they can take months to heal.
His doctors fitted him with a TLSO (thoracolumbosacral orthosis) brace. This rigid brace wraps around the torso from the upper back to the hips. It limits bending and twisting so broken vertebrae can heal in proper position. Wearing one is uncomfortable, and it makes ordinary tasks like getting dressed or climbing into a car far harder.
He also received physical therapy and a long list of medications: Naproxen, Robaxin, Percocet, Flexeril, and Norco. In simple terms, that list includes an anti-inflammatory, two muscle relaxers, and two prescription opioid pain relievers. A medication plan this heavy shows how much pain the fractures caused in the early weeks of recovery.
Follow-up imaging revealed lasting changes to the spine
A CT scan showed a compression deformity and increased sclerosis at the site of the burst fracture. A compression deformity means the injured vertebra had settled into a flattened shape. Sclerosis refers to bone that has become denser or harder, which often reflects the bone’s response to injury and healing.
MRIs added more detail. They confirmed the compression fracture and also showed degenerative changes at multiple levels and fusion of the posterior facets. The posterior facets are small joints at the back of the spine that let the vertebrae glide and twist.
Findings like these matter in an injury claim. Insurance companies often point to degenerative changes and argue that a person’s pain comes from normal aging rather than the crash. A careful review of the full medical record helps show what the collision actually caused and how it affected the injured person’s life.
Pain management brought injections and new medications
When his pain continued, he was referred to a pain management specialist. There, he received epidural steroid injections and was prescribed Hydrocodone, Methocarbamol, and Celecoxib.
An epidural steroid injection delivers anti-inflammatory medicine into the space around the spinal nerves to calm irritation and reduce pain. His new prescriptions continued an opioid pain reliever and a muscle relaxer and added Celecoxib, a different type of anti-inflammatory.
His specialist also recommended bilateral dorsal medial branch blocks. These procedures place numbing medicine near the small nerves that carry pain signals from the facet joints. If the pain fades after the block, doctors know where the pain is coming from and can plan further treatment.
Surgery was needed to repair his shoulder
His back was not the only problem. A neurosurgeon performed surgery on his right shoulder that combined four procedures: arthroscopy, subacromial decompression, superior labrum repair, and distal clavicle excision. Here is what each one involves:
Shoulder arthroscopy. The surgeon works through small incisions using a tiny camera and specialized instruments.
Subacromial decompression. The surgeon removes bone or inflamed tissue to create more room for the rotator cuff tendons, which can become pinched when the arm is raised.
Superior labrum repair. The labrum is a ring of cartilage that deepens the shoulder socket and holds the joint steady. A tear at the top of the labrum can cause pain, clicking, and weakness, so the surgeon reattaches it to the bone.
Distal clavicle excision. The surgeon trims a small piece from the outer end of the collarbone to relieve painful bone-on-bone contact where the collarbone meets the shoulder blade.
Shoulder surgery of this kind is usually followed by a period in a sling and a long course of rehabilitation. For someone already recovering from spinal fractures, that recovery adds another layer of pain and limitation.
The injuries kept him off the job for months
According to his physician, our client would be unable to work for 6 to 12 months. That is up to a full year without a paycheck while medical bills keep arriving.
Lost income is one of the most stressful parts of a serious injury, and it is a real loss that belongs in any claim for compensation. So does the time a person spends at appointments, the help they need at home, and the activities they can no longer enjoy.
