Many individuals who are injured in New Jersey accidents, whether car accidents or slip and fall accidents, are often injured again in subsequent accidents. As a result, they may aggravate old injuries, such as neck or back injuries. Because injuries from subsequent accidents are pre-existing or reinjured, victims may think the value of their damages is significantly decreased. However, this is not always the case. See I was in a car accident in Marlton, NJ and reinjured my back injury from several years ago. Can I still sue the driver who hit me even though I had a pre-existing back injury?
For over 35 years, I have helped many New Jersey car accident victims. During that time, I have helped accident victims recover significant compensation for accidents that reinjured or hurt old injuries. Many times, victims who experience pain and discomfort to a body part that was previously injured may think that they simply aggravated the old injury after the subsequent accident. They do not know that they may have also sustained a new injury to the body part in addition to aggravating the old injury. This is often the case with a spine injury to the neck, middle back or lower back.
Car Accident Injuries – Comparing the Old Injury with the New Injury
There are many vertebrae and discs in the spine, and a car accident often causes injury at multiple discs. If an individual injures her neck in a car accident, she may have a herniated or a bulging disc at a specific level of her cervical spine. After extensive treatment and therapy, her neck injury improves. Two years later, the individual is hit from behind in a rear-end car accident and injures her neck again. She believes she reinjured her previous neck injury because she feels the same neck pain after the previous accident.
She seeks medical treatment, and her orthopedic doctor orders an MRI imaging study. Upon studying the MRI films, the orthopedic doctor discovers a new disc herniation at another level of the cervical spine that was not present in her imaging study taken after her previous accident. Therefore, she sustained a new injury even though she feels the same neck pain as she did in the prior accident.
This above scenario is what happened to one of my clients who was in a car accident in Medford, New Jersey. We recently settled her car accident lawsuit. My client injured her neck and back after she was rear-ended by another vehicle. She had injured her neck and back in two previous car accidents. After reviewing her medical records and MRI imaging studies, we were able to determine that she had new disc pathology from this accident that was not in the previous MRI imaging studies. Because of the new disc injury, she had surgery. Although her symptoms improved, her injury is permanent and will remain problematic. To see a detailed discussion of this car accident settlement, see Medford, New Jersey Car Rear-End Accident Case Result (February 2014).
Consulting with a NJ Car Accident Lawyer in South Jersey
It is important to seek professional legal advice after a car accident. An experienced car accident lawyer can help injured victims recover compensation after careful investigation and review of the victims’ medical records. If you were in a car accident in Cherry Hill, Marlton or Camden and would like to have your case evaluated by a lawyer, call the Law Office of Philip Ciprietti at 800.281.8695. Mr. Ciprietti always offers a FREE consultation, and he will take the time to answer all of your questions and concerns.
*Disclaimer: Every case is unique and you should not take any action or make decisions in your case without speaking to a qualified car and truck accident lawyer in New Jersey. This website page does not provide legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship. Use of the contact form on this website or emailing Mr. Ciprietti does not create any attorney-client relationship. In addition, confidential information should not be sent through the contact form.