Motor vehicle crashes, slips and falls, and even surgical errors are all preventable accidents that can leave you with devastating injuries. While broken bones, traumatic brain injury, and internal bleeding tend to be more common outcomes, you also risk nerve damage. Depending on the extent of the injury, you can experience anything from numbness and tingling in your extremities to severe pain, permanent damage, and even paralysis. To make matters worse, few insurance companies are interested in compensating you fairly.
At Texas Law Guns, Injury & Accident Lawyers our accident lawyers have seen firsthand how nerve damage can impact your life. In severe cases, you may need ongoing medical care and be unable to work to support your family. If this happens to you or someone you love in Texas and you want to take legal action against the at-fault party, call us immediately for a free consultation and case review.
Nerve Damage Injuries: an Overview
Nerves form a vital communication network in the body. They control movement, sensation, and involuntary functions by transmitting signals from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and organs. When nerves are damaged, these sensory signals become disrupted, causing symptoms that range from minor discomfort to complete loss of function. Either way, your quality of life is affected.
Here are the common types of nerve damage associated with personal injury accidents:
Peripheral: Peripheral nerve damage happens when trauma disrupts the nerves outside the brain and spinal cord. These nerves are like the body’s communication lines to your hands, arms, feet, and legs. When they’re damaged, you might feel a wide range of symptoms that include weakness, sharp physical pain, or loss of sensation in those areas. Peripheral nerve issues can make everyday tasks, like walking or gripping a pen, feel impossible.
Autonomic: Autonomic nerve damage affects the nerves that control functions you don’t even think about, like breathing, digesting food, or keeping your heart beating steadily. With this type of injury, you might experience irregular heartbeats, digestive issues, or even feel lightheaded when standing. These symptoms can be alarming and unpredictable, turning simple moments into sources of anxiety.
Motor: Motor nerve damage targets the nerves responsible for movement. When these nerves are injured, the motor signals telling your muscles to move get interrupted. This can lead to serious problems like muscle weakness or even loss of feeling and paralysis in parts of your body. You might find it hard to control your facial expressions, lift everyday objects, or walk steadily.
Sensory: Sensory nerve damage hits your ability to feel. When they’re injured, the long-term effects can range from complete numbness to an overwhelming burning or tingling sensation, often described as “pins and needles.” Even light touches, like brushing against a shirt sleeve, can feel intensely painful. This type of damage can drastically change how you interact with the world by making even small, everyday experiences uncomfortable.
Each type of nerve damage is different, but they all share one thing: they disrupt your daily life in ways you might not expect. These types of injuries can also develop immediately or gradually, which is why seeking medical evaluation after any serious accident is critical, even if symptoms seem mild at first.
Recognizing Symptoms of Nerve Damage
Nerve damage often presents differently depending on its severity and location. Below is a wide range of common symptoms to look for:
Tingling or Numbness: Tingling or numbness is often one of the first signs of nerve damage. This sensation typically begins in the hands or feet and can spread over time, leaving affected areas feeling strange or disconnected. Even damage to a single nerve can have these adverse effects.
Sharp, Radiating Pain: This common symptom may feel like an electric shock or burning sensation. The discomfort can become more intense with movement or when pressure is applied to the injured area, causing muscle spasms and making it difficult to find relief.
Weakness or Paralysis: You might struggle to grip objects, lift items, or even walk steadily. Over time, the lack of strength in certain muscles can further limit your range of motion and affect your quality of life.
Sensitivity to Touch: Even light contact, like brushing against clothing or touching a surface, may feel uncomfortable or unbearable. This heightened reaction can make daily activities physically taxing.
Coordination Issues: You may notice difficulty maintaining your balance or performing tasks that require precision, such as writing or using tools. These challenges can interfere with both work and personal routines.
The progression of nerve damage varies. Some severe injuries resolve with treatment, while others become chronic, requiring lifelong management.
Common Causes of Nerve Injuries
Nerve injuries can result from a variety of situations, but accidents remain one of the most common causes.
Car and Truck Accidents: The force of a high-speed collision often results in trauma to critical areas like the spine, neck, or extremities. Whiplash causes the head to snap back and forth, stretching or compressing nerves in the cervical spine while airbags can sometimes exert enough pressure to cause nerve compression in the upper body. The consequences of these auto accidents often leave victims dealing with chronic pain, mobility issues, and long-term care needs.
Slip-and-Falls: Maybe you’re visiting the food court at your favorite mall, step in a spilled soda, and suddenly, you’re down. You might feel fine at first, but if the fall crushed or stretched a nerve in your back or legs, it can cause serious problems later. Broken bones from the impact can trap nearby nerves, leading to sharp pain or numbness that makes walking or sitting for extended periods unbearable.
Workplace Incidents: In jobs involving heavy machinery, accidents can be especially devastating. When a limb is caught or crushed, nerves often sustain severe trauma that impairs both motor function and sensation. These injuries can leave employees not only dealing with physical limitations but also financial stress due to lost wages and mounting medical expenses.
Medical Malpractice: During surgeries or other procedures, nerves may accidentally be severed, compressed, or stretched. These mistakes can leave patients with chronic pain, reduced mobility, or even permanent nerve damage. The aftermath of such injuries often includes both physical suffering and emotional distress, as accident victims struggle to adjust to a life they didn’t anticipate.
Diagnosing and Treating Nerve Damage
Getting a proper diagnosis is where it all starts. Without it, correct treatment isn’t possible, and the injury might worsen over time. That’s why medical professionals rely on a combination of tests and tools to figure out the extent of nerve damage and the best path forward for your recovery process.
Imaging Studies: Tests like X-rays, MRIs, and CT scans provide a detailed look at the affected area. For instance, in car accidents, the force of impact often affects the spinal cord or nearby nerve roots, and imaging helps pinpoint the exact location of the damage.
Nerve Conduction Tests: These tests evaluate how fast electrical signals move through your nerves and how strong those signals are. For example, if you’re experiencing tingling or numbness in your hands, a nerve conduction study can reveal whether the cause is carpal tunnel syndrome or another underlying issue.
Treatment Options
After an accurate diagnosis, treatment options for nerve damage focus on relieving symptoms and promoting recovery:
Medications: Pain relievers, anti-inflammatory drugs, or nerve-specific medications like gabapentin are commonly prescribed.
Physical Therapy: These exercises help restore strength, mobility, and coordination, particularly after motor nerve injuries.
Surgical Intervention: In severe cases, surgery may be needed to decompress or repair damaged nerves.
Lifestyle Adjustments: Adaptive techniques or assistive devices like braces can improve daily functioning.
Recovery timelines vary based on the severity of your overall medical condition. Some physical injuries heal within weeks, while others require years of ongoing therapy. An experienced attorney can review your case and explain your legal options for compensation.
Compensation for Nerve Damage
Victims of nerve damage often face high medical expenses and personal challenges. Fortunately, Texas law provides avenues for recovering compensatory damages, including those outlined below.
Economic Damages
Medical Bills: Medical care bills are often the largest part of a nerve damage claim. This includes hospital stays, diagnostic tests, physical therapy sessions, surgeries, and prescription medications. If ongoing care is needed, like additional surgeries or specialized rehabilitation, those projected costs can also be included in your personal injury lawsuit.
Loss of Income: If your nerve injury prevents you from working (or forces you to work fewer hours) you’re entitled to recover the wages you’ve missed. If your injury affects your ability to perform your job long-term, you can seek fair compensation for your lost earning potential.
Rehabilitation Costs: These costs can include physical therapy, occupational therapy, or specialized equipment like braces or mobility aids. If your home needs modifications, such as wheelchair ramps or grab bars, those expenses are recoverable too.
Property Damage: If your vehicle, clothing, cell phone, or other personal property were damaged in the accident, you may be able to include them in your personal injury lawsuit.
Non-Economic Damages
Pain and Suffering: This compensation acknowledges the emotional toll that comes with living in constant pain, dealing with limited mobility, or facing the uncertainty of whether you’ll ever fully recover. It recognizes how this injury impacts your mental health and overall well-being.
Loss of Enjoyment: Nerve damage can take away the simple joys of life. Maybe you used to love hiking, but now your leg pain makes it impossible. Compensation for loss of enjoyment aims to acknowledge those losses and provide some measure of relief.
Loss of Consortium: If nerve damage hurts your relationship with your spouse, you can claim fair compensation for the way things have changed.
The value of a personal injury claim depends on the severity of the injury and the long-term prognosis. Legal representation from an experienced attorney gives you the best chance of securing maximum compensation for nerve damage.
How Can a Personal Injury Lawyer Help?
When you suffer nerve damage as a result of an accident, a personal injury lawyer can provide legal advice and can help you file a claim for compensation. They start by investigating what happened, which means gathering evidence at the accident scene, collecting witness statements, and consulting medical experts. This level of detail ensures that every aspect of your injury, from immediate medical treatment costs to long-term impacts, is accounted for.
It is important to note that insurance companies are rarely on your side. Their goal is to settle quickly and pay as little as possible. An experienced lawyer knows how to push back against lowball offers from insurance adjusters and use evidence to demand the compensation you truly deserve. They’ll also calculate the full scope of your damages (medical bills, lost wages, future earning potential, and the long-term pain you’ve endured) to make sure no detail is overlooked.
If negotiations don’t lead to a fair settlement, a skilled accident lawyer can take your case to court. They’ll represent you in front of a judge and jury, presenting the facts clearly and persuasively. Throughout the legal process, you’ll have peace of mind knowing that someone is fighting for your best interests and going the extra mile to win the financial compensation you need.
Get a Free Consultation From a Texas Personal Injury Attorney
Nerve damage after an accident can bring lifelong challenges. When your accident was caused by someone else’s negligence, you deserve fair compensation for your financial losses as well as the future impact on your life, but the legal process can seem exhausting to someone who’s still in pain from their injuries.
At Texas Law Guns, Injury & Accident Lawyers, we understand what you’re going through and are ready to fight for you, your family, and your future. Schedule your free initial consultation now, and let us help you fight for the fair settlement you need to rebuild your life. For more information about how to file a personal injury lawsuit after suffering nerve damage, call our law firm at (210) 800-0000 or contact us online today.
