If you’ve been in a car accident in Columbia or anywhere in mid-Missouri, the shock doesn’t end when the vehicles stop moving. Sometimes it takes hours, even days, before you realize just how much your back hurts. At Eng & Woods, we’ve helped countless accident victims navigate back injury claims. This guide is designed to help you understand what you’re dealing with and when it’s time to get legal help.
Back injuries are among the most common — and most serious — consequences of car accidents. They’re also the injuries that insurance companies work hardest to minimize or deny altogether.
How Common Are Back Injuries After Car Accidents?
According to spinal cord injury research, approximately 38% of car accident victims report a spinal injury of some kind. Even low-speed collisions result in lower back pain for many victims.
Here in Missouri, with thousands of accidents occurring on our roads every year, back injuries represent a significant portion of personal injury claims. Our Columbia office sees these cases regularly, and we know firsthand how dramatically a back injury can affect someone’s life.
The Most Common Types of Back Injuries from Car Accidents
The human back is incredibly complex. When a car accident occurs, the sudden forces involved can cause various types of damage.
Herniated or Bulging Discs
Your spinal discs act like cushions between the vertebrae in your back. When the force of a collision pushes these discs out of their normal position, they can press against nearby nerves or the spinal cord itself. A herniated disc occurs when the outer layer tears and the soft inner material pushes out. This can cause radiating pain down the legs (sciatica), numbness, tingling, and weakness.
Soft Tissue Injuries
When people hear “soft tissue injury,” they often assume it’s not serious. That’s exactly what insurance companies want you to think. The reality? Soft tissue injuries to the back can be excruciating and long-lasting. These injuries occur when ligaments, muscles, or tendons stretch beyond their normal range or tear. The tricky part is that they often don’t show up on X-rays or MRIs, making them easier for insurance companies to dispute.
Compression Fractures and Vertebral Fractures
Research indicates that car crashes account for between 22.5% and 51% of all thoracic and lumbar spine fractures. Compression fractures develop when vertebrae are compressed, creating small cracks in the bone. More severe impacts can cause burst fractures where the vertebra shatters. These injuries can damage the spinal cord and surrounding nerves, potentially requiring surgery.
Spinal Cord Injuries
These represent the most severe category. According to the Georgia Brain and Spinal Injury Trust Fund Commission, car accidents have been the leading cause of spinal cord injuries since 2015, accounting for roughly 40% of all cases nationwide. These injuries can result in partial or complete paralysis and permanent disability.
Why Back Injuries Disrupt Your Life
Back injuries don’t just cause pain—they fundamentally disrupt your ability to live normally:
- At Work: You may struggle to sit at a desk, stand for extended periods, or perform physical tasks. Many back injury victims miss work for weeks or months, and some can never return to their previous occupation.
- At Home: Simple daily activities become challenges—picking up your children, doing household chores, even getting out of bed.
- During Recreation: Activities you enjoy may be off-limits during recovery or permanently restricted.
- Long-Term Health: Back injuries often lead to chronic pain that persists for years, require multiple surgeries, and may cause dependence on pain medication.
The financial impact compounds these struggles. Medical bills pile up quickly with back injuries requiring extensive diagnostic imaging, specialist consultations, physical therapy, injections and potentially surgery.
How Insurance Companies Handle Back Injury Claims
At Eng & Woods, we see repeatedly how insurance companies treat back injury claims differently than other injuries. They’re more skeptical, more likely to dispute severity, and quicker to offer inadequate settlements.
Difficulty in Proving the Injury: Because many back injuries don’t show up clearly on imaging, insurance adjusters question whether the injury exists or is as serious as claimed.
Pre-existing Condition Arguments: Insurance companies argue that current pain stems from pre-existing conditions, not the accident.
Delayed Symptom Onset: Back injuries often don’t cause immediate pain. Insurance companies use this delay to argue the injury isn’t related to the crash.
The result? Initial settlement offers that barely cover immediate medical bills, let alone future treatment, lost wages or pain and suffering.
Calculating Damages for Back Injuries in Missouri
Under Missouri law, car accident victims are entitled to recover several types of damages when another party’s negligence causes their injuries.
Economic Damages include medical expenses (emergency room visits, imaging, specialist consultations, physical therapy, surgery, medications), lost wages, reduced earning capacity and property damage. Missouri law places no cap on economic damages in standard car accident cases.
Non-Economic Damages compensate for pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life and emotional distress. For most auto accident cases in Missouri, there is no cap on non-economic damages.
Missouri’s Pure Comparative Fault System means that even if you share some responsibility for the accident, you can still recover damages—they’ll just be reduced by your percentage of fault. However, this gives insurance companies an incentive to shift as much blame as possible to you.
The Importance of Immediate Medical Documentation
One of the biggest mistakes accident victims make is delaying medical treatment. Seeking immediate medical attention is critical for your health and your claim.
Insurance companies will argue that if you didn’t seek immediate treatment, your injury must not be serious. They’ll use any gap in treatment to question the connection between the accident and your injury. Creating a clear medical record from the day of the accident through complete recovery is essential.
Even if you don’t feel pain immediately, get checked out by a doctor. Explain that you were in a car accident and ask for a thorough examination. Follow all recommended treatment plans and keep detailed records.
When Should You Contact a Back Injury Attorney in Missouri?
You should strongly consider contacting an attorney if:
- Your back injury requires ongoing medical treatment, physical therapy or surgery
- You’re experiencing chronic pain that hasn’t resolved within a few weeks
- You’ve missed significant work time or your injury affects your ability to work
- The insurance company has offered an inadequate settlement
- The insurance company is disputing your injury or blaming you for the accident
- Your medical bills are mounting
- The at-fault driver was uninsured or underinsured
At Eng & Woods, we handle back injury cases on a contingency fee basis — you don’t pay anything unless we recover compensation for you.
How Eng & Woods Approaches Back Injury Cases
When you come to our Columbia law firm, we take several important steps:
Thorough Investigation: We gather all evidence—police reports, witness statements, photos and video footage—to establish exactly how the accident occurred and who bears responsibility.
Medical Record Review: We obtain all medical records and often consult with medical experts to understand the full extent of your injuries, prognosis and future treatment needs.
Damage Calculation: We carefully calculate current and future damages, including medical expenses you haven’t yet incurred, future lost wages and the full impact of pain and suffering.
Strategic Negotiation: We handle all communications with the insurance company, presenting a compelling evidence-based case.
Trial Preparation: While most cases settle, we prepare every case as if it will go to trial. Insurance companies take us seriously because they know we’re ready to fight for you before a jury if necessary.
Our goal is always to maximize your recovery while minimizing stress during an already difficult time. With over a century of combined legal experience, our team has the knowledge and resources to handle complex back injury claims.
Frequently Asked Questions About Back Injury Claims in Missouri
How long do I have to file a back injury claim in Missouri?
Missouri’s statute of limitations for personal injury claims is five years from the accident date. However, don’t wait—evidence becomes harder to gather over time, and it’s best to consult with an attorney as soon as possible.
What if my back injury doesn’t show up on X-rays or MRIs?
This is common with soft tissue injuries. The absence of clear imaging doesn’t mean your injury isn’t real or serious. We work with medical experts who can explain why your injury causes pain even without obvious imaging findings.
Can I still recover compensation if I had pre-existing back problems?
Yes. Under Missouri law, if the accident aggravated, worsened or accelerated your pre-existing back condition, you’re entitled to compensation for that aggravation. The insurance company has to take you as they find you.
How much is my back injury case worth?
The value depends on multiple factors: injury severity, extent of medical treatment, recovery time, work missed, permanent limitations, pain level and the strength of evidence. Every case is unique. We provide honest assessments after thoroughly reviewing your case.
What if the insurance company is offering me a settlement?
Be very careful before accepting any settlement. Once you settle and sign a release, you can’t come back later for more money—even if your injury is more serious than initially thought. Have an experienced attorney review any settlement before accepting.
Taking the Next Step
Back injuries from car accidents affect your health, ability to work, daily activities and quality of life. They also create significant financial burdens that can last for years.
If you’ve suffered a back injury in a car accident in Columbia, Jefferson City, or anywhere in mid-Missouri, you don’t have to face the insurance company alone. The team at Eng & Woods has extensive experience handling back injury claims, and we’re committed to fighting for the full compensation you deserve.
We offer free consultations where we’ll review your case, answer your questions, and explain your legal options with no obligation. We work on a contingency fee basis, so you don’t pay attorney fees unless we recover compensation for you.Your focus should be on healing and recovery. Let us handle the legal fight with the insurance company. Contact Eng & Woods today at 573-874-4190 or visit our contact page to schedule your free consultation. You can also view our case results to see how we’ve helped other accident victims recover the compensation they deserved.