NJ herniated disc car accident cases in New Jersey require experienced legal representation. At Maxwell, Tassini & Gardner, LLC in Spring Lake, we help injured clients throughout Monmouth and Ocean counties pursue their NJ herniated disc car accident claims. If you need a NJ herniated disc car accident attorney who understands New Jersey law, call (732) 230-5003 for a free consultation.
What Is a Herniated Disc and How Does It Happen in Car Accidents?
Herniated discs are one of the most common and debilitating injuries caused by car accidents in New Jersey. They can produce chronic pain, nerve damage, and disability that may require months or years of treatment. Understanding what a herniated disc is, how it occurs in a collision, and how it affects your personal injury claim is essential for accident victims throughout Monmouth and Ocean counties.
Anatomy of a Herniated Disc
Your spine is made up of vertebrae separated by intervertebral discs. Each disc has a tough outer layer (the annulus fibrosus) and a soft, gel-like center (the nucleus pulposus). These discs act as shock absorbers and allow your spine to flex, bend, and twist. A herniated disc occurs when the outer layer tears and the inner material pushes outward. This displaced material can press on nearby spinal nerves, causing pain, numbness, tingling, and weakness.
How Car Accidents Cause Herniated Discs
The sudden forces involved in a car accident can cause disc herniations in several ways:
- Compression: The impact forces the spine to compress rapidly, squeezing the discs beyond their normal tolerance.
- Hyperflexion/hyperextension: Whiplash-type motion forces the spine to bend beyond its normal range, putting asymmetric pressure on the discs.
- Torsion: Rotational forces during a side-impact collision can twist the spine and damage discs.
- Direct trauma: The spine can be struck by interior vehicle components, particularly in rollover or high-speed crashes.
Herniations most commonly occur in the cervical spine (neck, C4-C7) and the lumbar spine (lower back, L4-S1), as these are the areas of greatest spinal mobility.
Symptoms of a Herniated Disc
Symptoms vary depending on the location and severity of the herniation:
- Cervical herniation: Neck pain, radiating pain into the shoulders, arms, and hands, numbness or tingling in the fingers, and weakness in the arms.
- Lumbar herniation: Lower back pain, sciatica (pain radiating down the buttocks and legs), numbness or tingling in the feet, and weakness in the legs.
- Thoracic herniation (rare): Mid-back pain and pain radiating around the ribcage.
Symptoms may be delayed, appearing days after the accident as inflammation develops around the herniated disc.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Herniated discs are diagnosed through physical examination and diagnostic imaging, most reliably through MRI. Treatment typically follows a progression:
- Conservative treatment: Rest, anti-inflammatory medication, physical therapy, and chiropractic care.
- Interventional treatment: Epidural steroid injections to reduce inflammation and nerve compression.
- Surgical treatment: If conservative and interventional approaches fail, surgery such as microdiscectomy, laminectomy, or spinal fusion may be necessary.
Herniated Discs and the Verbal Threshold
A herniated disc that is documented on MRI, correlated with clinical symptoms, and confirmed as permanent by a treating physician will typically satisfy the verbal threshold requirement under N.J.S.A. 39:6A-8. This means you can pursue a bodily injury claim for pain and suffering against the at-fault driver, even if you selected the limitation on lawsuit option on your auto policy.
Insurance Company Defenses
Insurance companies almost always argue that herniated discs found on MRI after a car accident are pre-existing degenerative conditions rather than traumatic injuries caused by the crash. Degenerative disc disease is common in the general population, especially in people over 30. Your attorney and medical experts must demonstrate that the accident caused the herniation or significantly aggravated a pre-existing condition. Under New Jersey law, a defendant takes the plaintiff “as they find them”—if the accident aggravated a pre-existing condition, the defendant is liable for the full extent of the aggravation.
Contact MTG Lawyers Today
Maxwell, Tassini & Gardner, LLC
302 Washington Avenue, Suite 101
Spring Lake, NJ 07762
Phone: (732) 230-5003
Serving Monmouth and Ocean counties
If you were injured in an accident in New Jersey, you may have a compensable claim. Call MTG Lawyers at (732) 230-5003 for a free, no-obligation consultation. We speak English and Spanish. Hablamos español.
Understanding your NJ herniated disc car accident case is essential. Our attorneys handle NJ herniated disc car accident matters daily and know how to maximize your recovery. A NJ herniated disc car accident attorney at Maxwell, Tassini & Gardner, LLC can evaluate your claim during a free consultation.
Learn More About NJ herniated disc car accident
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- Mayo Clinic herniated disk — official NJ resource
For personalized guidance on nj herniated disc car accident, contact MTG Lawyers for a free consultation. Call (732) 230-5003 or reach out online today. Our NJ personal injury attorneys have helped thousands of accident victims recover the compensation they deserve.