When you are involved in a major car accident, you may experience severe injuries to your neck and spine. Those injuries often require a procedure known as an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) that can relieve your pain.
An ACDF, also known as spinal fusion surgery, can help relieve pain caused by conditions such as ruptured discs. During the surgery, the herniated or degenerative disc in your neck is removed. A metal plate and screws are then implanted to hold together the vertebrae between the removed discs. Before this is done, you’ll have a bone graft to help the vertebrae fuse with nearby bone to help stabilize your cervical vertebrae.
ACDF surgery is usually a last resort once conservative treatments such as physical therapy or medications have failed to relieve your neck pain. This type of surgery is very invasive and often requires a long recovery time, with ongoing physical therapy and disruption to your ability to work or engage in your normal daily routines.
If an accident led to your ACDF surgery, you may be able to hold the at-fault party responsible and seek financial recovery for your injury. An Austin car accident attorney can help you navigate the legal process and ensure you receive the compensation you deserve.
Damages in an ACDF Injury Case
People who have ACDF surgery typically go home the same day as their procedure and make a complete recovery. They often experience a significant decrease or complete elimination of any pain in their neck or arms as a result of pinched nerves. Some people, however, continue to experience pain either from the initial cause of the pain or from complications from the surgery.
When you have ACDF surgery, you may have a long recovery time that significantly impacts your life. It can impact your ability to work, take care of your family, and even run necessary errands, leading to a variety of long-term financial and other intangible consequences. Because of this, you may be able to seek reimbursement for lost wages and future earnings, as well as reimbursement for future medical consequences and costs.
The expenses associated with the procedure and ongoing medical care depend on the details of your specific case, so it’s necessary to determine both the short- and long-term damages associated with your ACDF surgery in order to pursue the right compensation.
Our personal injury attorneys in Austin can help you calculate the amount of damages you may be able to recover and work with your medical providers to show that your accident resulted in the need for ACDF surgery. They will also ensure that you have all the needed documentation and medical records to show any tangible costs associated with your injury to help you get the most compensation possible.
Injury lawyers will also help you assess your eligibility and the value of other recoverable damages, such as past and future pain and impairment, lost earning capacity, disfigurement, loss of enjoyment, loss of household services, and more.
What Factors Can Affect Your ACDF Injury Case?
ACDF surgery is an invasive procedure that has many facets and can result in a variety of complications. Even successful procedures can leave you with ongoing pain and limitations in your range of motion. Along with variations in both the surgery and its outcomes, there are a variety of factors that can affect the amount of your settlement, including:
- Complications from ACDF surgery. The majority of ACDF surgeries are successful, but that doesn’t mean complications can’t happen. There’s a chance that the plate or screws were improperly placed, the bones will fail to fuse, or you will have postoperative hemorrhaging. In any of these cases, you may need a second spinal fusion surgery with results that aren’t guaranteed. Both your surgery and any complications are considered when determining compensation in your case.
- The surgery’s impact on your employment. Recovery from ACDF surgery requires time off work and other daily responsibilities. How much time you’ll need to recover depends on the extent of your initial injury, how fast your body heals from the surgery, and whether there are any complications. This can have a huge impact on your ability to earn money, both now and in the future, and you may be entitled to compensation for lost wages and future earnings.
- The reason for your ACDF surgery. You will have to prove that another party’s negligence caused or aggravated an injury that led to your ACDF surgery. The amount of money you can recover depends on whether you were partially at fault for the accident or had a preexisting condition that was aggravated by the accident.
Insurance companies will do what they can to try to get you to settle for a lower amount, and they’ll often try to prove that your injury was preexisting. That’s why it’s so important to work with auto injury lawyers near you who know how to deal with aggressive insurance companies and can make sure you have all the medical documentation needed to prove your case.
How a Lawyer Can Help with Your ACDF Injury Case in Austin, TX
ACDF injury cases can be very complex, and there are a variety of factors that come into play as you recover. It will be important to establish the physical and financial consequences of your ACDF surgery. Unfortunately, these can be challenging to prove without the right documentation and evidence.
When you work with ACDF lawyers near you, you will have an expert helping you through the process so that you have time to focus on healing. Your lawyers will work with medical experts who can demonstrate how severe your injury was, why you needed ACDF, and the extent of any complications that occurred. They will also review your options for paying for your initial surgery and any subsequent surgeries that were needed due to complications.
ACDF injury lawyers will work with experts to establish the short- and long-term consequences of your accident and help determine things like lost future earnings and disability. They will also negotiate with insurance companies and get evidence to show that the accident caused your injuries or aggravated preexisting cervical issues.
Based on all of this information, your lawyer will determine the amount of financial recovery possible in your case and work tirelessly to get you the compensation you deserve.
Why Hire an Austin Car Crash Lawyer at FVF Law to Help with Your ACDF Injury Case?
Our skilled ACDF injury lawyers at FVF Law Firm – Injury & Wrongful Death Lawyers understand that spinal surgery can have a major impact on your life, and we are familiar with the complications and long-term effects that sometimes arise. Whether you’ve already had ACDF surgery, are having a second ACDF procedure, or your doctor has recommended it, we can help.
Our goal is to help you figure out the best way to maximize your financial recovery, as well as to support and guide you during a challenging time. Contact us today to schedule your free, no-commitment case consultation with an Austin wrongful death lawyer, Austin truck accident attorney, or Austin construction accident attorney.
Other Car Accident Cases We Handle
- Airbag burns
- Texting while driving
- Hit-and-run accidents
- Airbag injuries
- Distracted driving
- Airbag malfunction
- Rollover accidents
- Highway crashes