Our nervous system is the body’s communication system. Our nerves are the messengers responsible for relaying chemical and electrical signals to and from the brain. These signals are fundamental to our existence, playing a part in voluntary movement, sensations, and automated functions like regulating body temperature and breathing.
When you’re involved in a car accident in California, it’s possible to suffer nerve damage, which is also known as peripheral neuropathy. Depending on the extent of the injury, the results have the potential to be life-changing.
How Can a Car Accident Cause Nerve Damage?
Nerves are typically damaged when they’re crushed, compressed, stretched, or severed. While there are many mechanisms of injury, the two most common causes in car accidents are blunt force trauma and twisting.
Blunt force trauma occurs when the body makes direct impact with a blunt object, such as a steering column, windshield, car door, or pavement. Any nerves at and around the point of impact can become damaged in the process.
Your body may twist, turn, and contort unnaturally if you’re crushed as the vehicle collapses or ejected from the vehicle upon impact. Similarly, your body may overextend or twist as it absorbs the force of the collision.
The extent of your nerve injury will depend on many factors - including the location of the nerve damage, its severity, and the specific type of trauma.
Generally speaking, there are three classifications of nerve injuries. From least severe to most severe, they are: neurapraxia, axonotmesis, and neurotmesis. It is possible to recover fully from more moderate nerve injuries. Some will resolve on their own over time, while others can improve with surgical interventions. Unfortunately, some severe nerve injuries are permanent, and victims will experience life-long complications.
How Can I Know If I’ve Suffered a Nerve Injury?
It would be important to seek prompt medical treatment if you experience any of the following signs and symptoms of nerve damage after a car accident in California:
- Slowed reflexes
- Incontinence
- Tremors
- Numbness
- Tingling
- Muscle weakness
- Burning
- Radiating pain
- Memory loss
- Muscle shrinking
- Coordination problems
- Difficulty walking
Doctors can diagnose peripheral neuropathy injuries using ultrasounds, MRIs, EMGs, and nerve conduction studies. Prompt diagnosis and treatment can help to prevent the nerve damage from getting worse or, in some situations, being permanent.
Singleton Schreiber Can Help You Seek Compensation For Nerve Damage After a Car Accident in California
Nerve damage injuries can be painful, costly, and debilitating. If you’ve suffered nerve damage in a recent crash in California because someone else was negligent, you have the right to hold them accountable for your resulting medical bills, lost wages, and suffering.
Singleton Schreiber can help.
Our California car accident attorneys are award-winning litigators with a proven ability to help clients win top results. Our case results include over $2.5 billion in monetary awards, which help our clients navigate the costs and distress caused by catastrophic injuries like nerve damage.
We represent clients across the state of California, including Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, and Santa Rosa. Don’t hesitate to contact our legal team to discover how we can help you fight to maximize the compensation you deserve for your nerve damage injuries. Your first consultation is free.
