Chronic Pain & Personal Injury Law
Car accidents, slips and falls, and workplace accidents can cause serious injuries that leave you with chronic pain. Left untreated for an extended period, chronic pain only worsens, leading to long-term physical, emotional, and psychological issues.
Whether you’re suffering from immediate, delayed, or lingering pain after an accident, if someone else is at fault for your injuries, you deserve compensation for any damages you’re entitled to. Fortunately, you don’t have to go it alone. The personal injury attorneys at Peters Law Firm can guide you on your physical and financial recovery journey and fight for the compensation you deserve.
What Is Chronic Pain?
The CDC estimates that one in five U.S. adults suffers from chronic pain, which experts define as pain that lasts longer than three to six months. Its intensity can range from mild to agonizing, occasional to continual, and inconvenient to incapacitating. Most injuries linked to chronic pain stem from injury, trauma, or damage to the body’s nervous system.
Signs of chronic pain following an accident include:
- Headaches you can’t explain
- Back and shoulder pain
- Neck pain and stiffness
- All-over body aches
- Confusion
The longer people go without getting treated for their chronic pain, the more their quality of life suffers. They often withdraw from everyday activities, sleep more often, have weakened immune systems, and experience mood changes with increased levels of depression, stress, anger, and anxiety.
Accidents That Cause Long-Term Injuries
The chronic pain you experience after an accident can come from one or multiple injuries. One of the most common causes is force, like when two cars collide, but you can also suffer long-term injuries and pain from other incidents besides car accidents, including:
- Motorcycle accidents
- Trucking accidents
- Medical malpractice
- Traumatic brain injury
- Nursing home neglect or abuse
Common workplace accidents that can lead to chronic pain include:
- Slips, trips, and falls
- Overexertion
- Struck by equipment, another worker, or a falling object
- Crashes and collisions
- Exposure to harmful substances
- Fire and explosions
While many auto accidents and work-related injuries are apparent right away, it can sometimes take weeks or months for something to become evident. And it’s not always easy to connect the pain you’re feeling with something that happened in the past.
How Chronic Pain Affects a Personal Injury Claim
Chronic pain cases are highly complex, mainly because the claims are based on pain that’s ongoing and long-term. Seeking medical attention immediately after an accident is key to bolstering any potential personal injury case where you develop long-term chronic pain, with a paper trail being the most critical element in your case.
Other ways to bolster a personal injury claim that involves chronic pain include:
- Maintaining a daily “chronic pain journal”
- Getting friends and family who’ve witnessed your struggles with chronic pain to give testimonials
- Making a video of your daily routine showing chronic pain’s effect on your life
- Gathering statements regarding your injury from any medical professional you’ve consulted or who has treated you for your chronic pain
The more information you can provide your personal injury attorney, the better they’ll be able to help you move forward with a case.
If you or a loved one suffers from chronic pain due to a vehicle or workplace accident, talk to one of the personal injury lawyers at Peters Law Firm today. From assessing your claim to gathering evidence and getting maximum compensation for your injuries, we’re here for you each step of the way.
Contact us online today or call (712) 328-3157 to get started.
