Staten Island Car Accident Lawyer for Lumbar Fusion Injuries

One of the most common types of personal injuries after a motor vehicle accident is a back injury.  Fortunately, most back injuries are a mere inconvenience and will heal on their own after days or weeks of soreness.  Other victims of a car accident may have a more severe type of back injury and suffer for weeks or a few months before returning to normal – sometimes after medical treatment such as an injection or physical therapy.  Unfortunately, there will be some victims who need a lumbar fusion after a car accident in Staten Island which results in a permanent and disabling injury.  Our car accident lawyer in Staten Island knows that this is a big problem, as statistics reveal that there are approximately 200,000 new lumbar fusion surgeries occurring each year in the United States.

If you or a family member were one of those individuals that needed a lumbar fusion after a car accident, call our experienced car accident lawyer in Staten Island at the O’Connor Law Firm to learn how we can help you recover compensation for your personal injuries.  Our bodily injury law firm offers FREE consultations and case evaluations, therefore allowing you and your family to explain what happened to you, what your injuries are, and to ask questions about what your legal remedies may be under New York law.  To learn more about your legal remedies, including what compensation you may be entitled to, call our experienced team today to schedule your free appointment.

What is a Lumbar Fusion?

A lumbar fusion is a type of permanent and disabling surgery that affects a person’s lower back.  The surgery is irreversible because it removed bone, disc tissue, and other structures, and replaces it with cadaver or manufactured parts.  The procedure also carries with it a very long recovery, often preventing a person from lifting, carrying, pulling, pushing, twisting, or otherwise placing any stress on the back during the recovery.

Although this is a drastic type of surgical procedure, it can occur in a motor vehicle accident such as a car crash, trucking wreck, motorcycle collision, bicycle crash, or when a pedestrian is hit by a car.  This surgery is expensive and, in addition to the physical pain and suffering, it can also cause emotional and financial damages.

Why Do Some Victims Need a Lumbar Fusion After a Car Accident in Staten Island?

The surgery is performed on the lower back where the lumbar area of the spinal cord is, which consists of 5 vertebrae.  The vertebrae make up the spinal column and are composed of a bone (vertebra) followed by a soft and flexible cushion (disc).  Nerves originate between the from the spinal cord and extend in little spaces between the vertebrae and discs. 

When a person’s back is injured in a car accident, that space can be impinged, crushed, or otherwise inhibited—thus causing severe pain, weakness, and even paralysis.  Sometimes a person’s back could be injured in a manner where the disc is protruding into the spinal cord itself.  This is incredibly dangerous because it can cut off or severe messages between the rest of the body below that location to the brain.  As a result, a person could become paraplegic.

How a Lumbar Fusion is Performed

Thus, in the area of damage and instability caused by the motor vehicle accident, a surgeon will cut into that area of the lumbar spine and remove the cushioning disc between the bone.  That will be replaced with a spacer, often cement or a bone graft, but sometimes another type of flexible spacer.  This is the main cause of pain and the most difficult and important part of a spinal fusion.

The surgeon will then remove some boney appendages on the vertebrae above and below the removed disc, and then drill holes for screws on the left and right side of each vertebrae.  A metal rod will be threaded through the screws and tightened, which will then mobilize the two vertebrae. 

As a result, this will prevent the vertebrae from rubbing or damages the nerves extending out of the spinal cord at that level.  But the cost of this is limiting the victim’s range of motion and strength, something which cannot be restored because of the permanency of the procedure.

Compensation for a Lumbar Fusion After a Car Accident in Staten Island

If you or a loved one suffered a lumbar fusion after a car accident in Staten Island, you may be entitled to compensation for the following:

• Past pain and suffering
• Future pain and suffering
• Medical bills
• Lost wages
• Loss of consortium
• Home or vehicle modifications
• Punitive damages in rare and exceptional cases of negligence
• Nursing home costs, and
• Other damages related to your case.

Call Our Experienced Car Accident Lawyer in Staten Island for Help

If you need a lumbar fusion after a car accident in Staten Island, call the O’Connor Law Firm to speak with our experienced car accident lawyer to learn more about your rights to compensation under New York law.  We handle cases in Staten Island, Brooklyn, New York City, The Bronx, Queens, Long Island, and in surrounding areas.  Call to schedule your FREE consultation by dialing (718) 948-3500 or using our “Contact Us” box available here.