Peripheral nerve damage, also known as peripheral neuropathy, is a condition where the nerves inside your brain and spinal cord are damaged. This can cause weakness, pain, and numbness, typically in your hands and feet. You may also notice a change in bodily functions like urination and digesting food.
The brain and spinal cord form the central nervous system, and peripheral nerves send information between these organs and the rest of your body. Peripheral neuropathy can happen from a variety of natural conditions, like diabetes. However, many people develop the condition after a traumatic accident, like car crashes or being hit with a falling object.
It’s essential for those with nerve damage to seek medical treatment, which can help with pain and other debilitating symptoms. Those who sustained the injury while performing their job duties or due to negligence by someone else have the right to seek compensation for the harm they suffered. For more information on filing a peripheral nerve damage lawsuit, contact the offices of Normandie Law Firm.
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How can I Tell if I have Peripheral Nerve Damage?
Following an accident, it’s essential to obtain medical care as soon as possible. Certain symptoms may indicate some form of nerve damage, which requires immediate treatment. Symptoms that are signs of nerve damage after an accident include:
- Numbness or a tingling sensation in your hands and feet
- Muscle weakness, typically in the arms and legs
- Feeling around the affected area that mimics wearing tight gloves or socks
- Sharp pain in your hands, arms, feet, or legs
- Frequent incidents of dropping objects
- A buzzing sensation that feels like a mild form of electric shock
Peripheral Nerve Damage Injury after a Car Accident
Nerve damage is very common among car accident victims. How many people end up with peripheral neuropathy after a car accident is impossible to say, as the condition is often misdiagnosed, which is not unusual with “invisible injuries with complex and varying symptoms.
Peripheral nerve damage from a car accident is typically the result of blunt force trauma when two vehicles collide. In fact, accidents involving cars are the leading cause of peripheral neuropathy and other nerve disorders, followed by motorcycle accidents. In many of the cases we handle, the victim sustains an injury to their hand, arms, wrists, and other areas of the upper body. Direct impact in these areas from a collision with another vehicle can cause significant damage to your nerves. Peripheral nerve damage can also develop as a complication of a slipped disc or broken bone bones after an auto accident
Can You Get Peripheral Nerve Damage from a Slip and Fall?
Yes, you can be diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy after a slip and fall or trip and fall accident. Such incidents result in one or more injuries that are accompanied by nerve damage. Some people can end up with fiber damage to the nerves, damage to the nerve fiber and tissue, or a compete severing of the nerve.
The signs of nerve damage can take time to manifest, so it’s essential to recognize the symptoms and talk to your doctor right away. Another thing to keep in mind is that the site of injury is not necessarily where you will feel the effects of damage to the nerves. For example, let’s say you slipped on a greasy floor at a restaurant and dislocated your shoulder. It’s quite possible that you will notice symptoms of peripheral nerve damage in your hands, even though this is not where the injury occurred.
Peripheral Neuropathy Resulting from a Work Injury
Peripheral nerve damage after a work injury may be the result of an unexpected fall, being hit by a car, and other accidents at work. Alternatively, nerve disorders are associated with cumulative or repetitive stress injury, meaning it happens gradually over a long period of time.
In either of these situations, you can file a workers’ compensation claim for payments like lost wages and cost of medical treatments. Unlike a lawsuit based on negligence, these are benefits from the state’s workers’ compensation system. With very few exceptions, you are entitled to WC payments simply for being injured within the scope of employment.
Workplace injury claims are straightforward in theory, but nerve damage is a complex injury that’s not obvious, like a broken arm or deep cuts and puncture wounds. If you run into any problems or questions regarding the process for a work accident injury case, don’t hesitate to give us a call.
How Much is My Case Worth?
Peripheral nerve damage claims vary widely in settlement values, with some cases resulting in $10,000 to $50,000 payouts. Lawsuits involving serious, long-term injuries are normally worth $75,000 and above. If the victim is diagnosed with permanent nerve damage, the resulting payout is typically over $500,000.
For the most severe injuries, meaning there is a significant loss of function and/or pain that requires lifetime medical care, a peripheral nerve damage case value is significantly higher. These claimants generally have the right to non-economic damages, like emotional distress and pain and suffering. If the case is tried in court and the victim is awarded punitive damages, the average compensation for a nerve damage lawsuit is likely to exceed $1,000,000.
Deadline to File a Compensation Claim for Peripheral Nerve Damage
The California court system allows up to a certain amount of time when it comes to the filing of a lawsuit. So, it’s crucial to keep in mind that the statute of limitations for a personal injury lawsuit is normally 2 years from when you were involved in an accident. With certain conditions, however, it can take weeks, months, or even years before the patient receives an official diagnosis. That’s why the deadline for a lawsuit can also begin from the date of discovering an injury caused by a fall, motor vehicle accident, and other traumatic events.
There are separate time limits that are specific to workers’ compensation claims, by the way. First, you must notify your employer of the injury within 30 days. Then, you must file the appropriate claim forms with your employer’s WC insurance provider within 1 year of the incident / diagnosis of injury.
Our law firm is available to you 24/7 if you need help figuring out how long you have for a peripheral nerve injury lawsuit.
We are Here to Help
Our attorneys have spent decades fighting for the rights of accident victims, and we are more than ready to bring you compensation from a nerve damage after an accident injury claim. All you have to do is contact us and speak with a member of our legal team, who is here to help with all your questions and concerns.
As part of our commitment to the clients we serve, we bill the cost of legal services to the party you are suing. That means you will never pay a single cent out of pocket when you choose Normandie Law Firm. Once your settlement check is released, a portion of it will be set aside to cover attorney’s fees. If we do not succeed in wining your case, we eat the costs and charge you $0.
To learn more about the Zero Fee Guarantee and all the other ways we can help you, please schedule a free case evaluation.
Other Pages on Our Website Related to This Topic
Forearm Fracture Resulting in Permanent Nerve Damage or CRPS
Axillary Nerve Dysfunction Caused by an Accident – What Is My Case Worth – Value of a Case Involving Shoulder Nerve Damage?
