Kenny Habetz Injury Law | July 25, 2025 | Car Accident
Rear-end collisions don’t seem as dramatic as rollovers or head-on crashes. However, these “fender benders” can do lasting damage to the body, particularly the spine. When one car slams into another from behind, the force can jolt an occupant’s body forward and snap it back. Such a motion might only take a second, but it can permanently change the person’s life.
The neck and back are full of delicate structures. Muscles, ligaments, vertebrae, discs, and nerves all play an important role in keeping the body moving. The sudden impact of a car accident can throw that whole system out of balance.
Oddly, the pain might take time to show up. People often walk away from rear-end crashes thinking they’re fine, only to wake up days later, barely able to move.
These injuries aren’t always visible on imaging scans but can still disrupt your sleep, work, and basic daily routine. Without proper medical attention and documentation, they can make pursuing a legal claim more difficult down the line.
The Mechanics of Neck and Back Trauma
When a vehicle is hit from behind, the impact can push an occupant’s torso forward while their head stays in place for a split second. The same force can compress the spine and shift the vertebrae, leading to all sorts of back pain. In more extreme cases, the discs between the bones can bulge or press on surrounding nerves.
Even minor spinal injuries can be persistent and disruptive. Muscles stiffen, joints lock up, and inflammation sets in. If the spine was already under stress—perhaps due to age, poor posture, or a prior injury—the damage from a crash can make the situation even worse.
Common Injuries to Watch Out For
Rear-end collisions often cause a predictable set of injuries. However, every victim’s experience will be different.
Some of the most common injuries include:
- Whiplash: A textbook rear-end crash injury; the back-and-forth motion of a rear collision can strain the neck muscles and connective tissue.
- Herniated discs: Often seen in the neck or lower back, the pain from bulging or ruptured discs can take time to creep in.
- Muscle sprains and strains: Soft tissue injuries can be just as painful as broken bones and can limit movement and trigger chronic pain.
- Facet joint injuries: The small joints in the back of the spine promote flexibility; when they get jammed or inflamed, they can cause pain that mimics a herniated disc.
- Spinal cord impingement: When higher speeds are involved, the spine can become compressed or damaged.
The problem with neck and back injuries is that they’re often invisible on basic X-rays. But that doesn’t mean they’re not serious. MRIs, CT scans, and physical exams usually paint a clearer picture of what’s really going on.
Delayed Pain
After an accident, adrenaline can mask any immediate discomfort. Pain might take a day or two (or even longer) to show up, and that delay can confuse crash victims. They assume the car accident didn’t hurt them, so they go about their lives as usual, only to end up in worse shape later on.
This gap between the crash and the pain is crucial in personal injury cases. Insurance companies may argue that your pain came from something other than the accident. That’s why medical records can make such a difference. A simple document is often the first link in proving that an accident caused a specific injury.
Impacts on Daily Life
It’s easy to overlook how back or neck pain can affect you until it does. Basic activities like cleaning, driving, working, and even climbing out of bed can become painful chores. Sleep quality tends to suffer, as does concentration. Chronic pain can lead to mood changes, depression, and anxiety.
This kind of pain can completely derail the victim’s career. People in jobs requiring physical labor may find themselves unable to work. Even office workers can encounter problems when sitting for hours with torturous back pain.
Diagnosis and Treatment
Spinal injuries don’t follow a set timeline. Some people heal within weeks, while others’ pain lingers for months or becomes permanent. Even after the pain fades, weakness or stiffness might remain. Treatment typically involves physical therapy, pain management, chiropractic care, and possibly surgery.
Some patients may benefit from steroid injections, massage therapy, or acupuncture. Everyone responds differently, and no single approach works for every case. The key is finding a treatment plan that fits the injury, not imposing a one-size-fits-all solution.
Insurance adjusters frequently downplay neck and back injuries. They might argue that the crash wasn’t severe enough to cause real harm. However, real-world physical trauma doesn’t follow insurance playbooks. People get hurt in all kinds of accidents, and recovery is measured in how long it takes the person to get back to their everyday life.
Potential Legal Issues
Back and neck injuries from an accident can give rise to complicated legal claims. Delayed symptoms and insurers disputing the cause of the trauma can cause things to drag on. For example, if a crash victim had low back pain before their accident, adjusters might use that as an excuse to deny their claim.
The law doesn’t work that way. Even if a crash worsens a pre-existing injury, it can still qualify as compensable harm. The challenge lies in proving it, which requires medical records, expert input, and a clear timeline of symptoms.
A common hurdle in these cases is when the victim is in pain, but there are no explicit images to support it. In this situation, it’s vital to document how the pain affects daily life, work, and the ability to function normally.
Call Our Crowley Car Accident Lawyers at Kenny Habetz Injury Law After a Rear-End Collision
The vehicles involved in a rear-end crash might not sustain much damage, but the human body often tells a different story. When the spine is thrown out of alignment, it can affect everything else. What starts as an irritating inconvenience can grow into life-altering limitations.
Understanding how these injuries arise and manifest is the first step toward overcoming them. If you or a loved one experiences any of these injuries after a rear-end collision, call our Crowley car accident lawyers at Kenny Habetz Injury Law for help.
Contact the Louisiana Personal Injury Law Firm Of Kenny Habetz Injury Law for Help Today
If you’ve been injured in Louisiana, please call Kenny Habetz Injury Law for a free case evaluation with a Louisiana personal injury lawyer or contact us online. We have offices in Lafayette and Crowley, LA.
Kenny Habetz Injury Law – Lafayette
110 E Kaliste Saloom Rd Ste 101 Lafayette, LA 70508
(337) 399-9000
Kenny Habetz Injury Law – Crowley
604 S Parkerson Ave. Crowley, LA 70526
(337) 329-8883
