On Your Side

Back injuries range from a strain that heals in a few weeks to a fractured vertebra that changes how you move for the rest of your life. Levin & Levin, P.C. represents people throughout Portsmouth and the Hampton Roads area whose back injuries were caused by someone else’s negligence, whether in a car accident, a fall, or another type of incident.

Back injuries fall into several categories, and the type you have affects both your treatment and the value of your claim:

• Sprains and strains — overstretched or torn ligaments and muscles that don’t always show up on imaging but can cause persistent pain, muscle spasms, and stiffness for weeks or months.
• Herniated discs — sometimes called a slipped, bulging, or ruptured disc, occurring when the soft inner material of a spinal disc pushes through a tear in its outer layer, often causing radiating pain, numbness, or weakness known as sciatica.

The shoulder is one of the most mobile joints in the body, which also makes it one of the more vulnerable to injury during an accident. Levin & Levin, P.C. represents people throughout Portsmouth and the Hampton Roads area who suffered shoulder injuries because of someone else’s negligence, from a car accident to a fall to a workplace incident.

Shoulder injuries range widely in severity and treatment, and the type you have significantly affects your recovery and your claim:

• Rotator cuff injuries — damage to the group of muscles and tendons that stabilize the shoulder joint, ranging from a mild strain to a complete tear often requiring surgery to repair.
• Shoulder dislocations — occurring when the upper arm bone is forced out of the shoulder socket, which can also damage surrounding ligaments, tendons, and nerves.
• Labral tears — damage to the ring of cartilage that helps stabilize the joint, frequently occurring alongside a dislocation or a hard fall onto an outstretched arm.

Neck injuries are among the most common injuries in car accidents, and also among the most frequently dismissed by insurance companies. Levin & Levin, P.C. represents people throughout Portsmouth and the Hampton Roads area who suffered neck injuries because of someone else’s negligence, and we know how to build a case that reflects the real impact of these injuries.

Whiplash is the neck injury most people are familiar with, caused by the rapid back-and-forth motion of the head during a collision, which strains and sometimes tears the muscles and ligaments in the neck. Beyond whiplash, we also handle claims involving:

• Cervical strains and sprains affecting the muscles and ligaments of the neck
• Herniated discs in the cervical spine, which can press on nearby nerves and cause pain, numbness, or weakness radiating into the shoulders and arms
• Cervical vertebral fractures, in more severe cases

A broken bone can mean weeks in a cast, months of physical therapy, or in more severe cases, surgery and permanent hardware to hold the bone together. Levin & Levin, P.C. represents people throughout Portsmouth and the Hampton Roads area whose fractures were caused by someone else’s negligence, whether in a car accident, a fall, or another type of incident.

Fractures vary widely in severity and treatment, and the type of break you have affects both your recovery and the value of your claim:

• Simple (closed) fracture — a clean break where the skin remains intact.
• Compound (open) fracture — the bone breaks through the skin, carrying a higher risk of infection and typically requiring more involved treatment.
• Comminuted fracture — the bone breaks into three or more pieces, often from significant trauma, and generally requires surgical repair.

Not every head injury involves the brain, but that doesn’t make it any less serious. Facial fractures, scalp lacerations, and skull fractures can cause significant pain, disfigurement, and long recovery times of their own. Levin & Levin, P.C. represents people throughout Portsmouth and the Hampton Roads area who have suffered head injuries because of someone else’s negligence.

When people talk about a head injury, they sometimes mean a traumatic brain injury specifically, but the head includes far more than the brain itself. Types of head injury we regularly handle include:

• Skull fractures, ranging from a simple linear fracture to a more serious depressed or compound fracture
• Facial fractures involving the jaw, cheekbones, nose, or eye sockets
• Scalp lacerations requiring stitches or staples, which can bleed heavily even when not life-threatening

A concussion is a form of traumatic brain injury, and even though doctors often describe it as mild, the symptoms can disrupt someone’s life for weeks, months, or longer. Levin & Levin, P.C. represents people throughout Portsmouth and the Hampton Roads area who suffered concussions because of someone else’s negligence, and we understand how frequently these injuries are misunderstood or dismissed.

A concussion generally falls at the milder end of the traumatic brain injury spectrum, based on measures like the Glasgow Coma Scale, but that classification describes the initial severity, not necessarily the impact on your life. Many people with a concussion diagnosis experience real, disruptive symptoms, including headaches, dizziness, difficulty concentrating, memory problems, sensitivity to light or noise, and mood changes, sometimes for far longer than the word mild suggests.

Some injuries change the entire course of a person’s life. Levin & Levin, P.C. represents individuals and families throughout Portsmouth and the Hampton Roads area who are dealing with catastrophic injuries caused by someone else’s negligence, and we understand these cases require a different level of preparation than a typical injury claim.

A catastrophic injury is generally one that causes permanent, severe impairment and fundamentally changes how a person is able to live, work, and care for themselves. This category typically includes:

• Spinal Injuries resulting in paralysis, whether paraplegia or quadriplegia
• Brain Injuries severe enough to cause permanent cognitive or physical impairment