After a spine fracture from a motorbike accident, the first priority is to establish how serious the injury is, stabilise the spine and check whether the spinal cord or surrounding nerves have also been damaged. Treatment and recovery vary considerably depending on the fracture.

Fractured vertebrae do not automatically mean that you have suffered a spinal cord injury. Some spinal fractures heal without lasting neurological damage, while more serious injuries can cause nerve damage, ongoing pain, weakness or loss of function.

If someone else caused the collision, and was legally responsible for it, a motorcycle accident claim may allow you to recover compensation that addresses the wider effect of the injury, including lost earnings, rehabilitation, medical expenses and any support you may need during your recovery. Switalskis' motorcycle accident team regularly deals with serious injuries including fractures and spinal cord injuries.

In this blog, we explain what can happen after a spine fracture from a motorbike accident, how the seriousness of the injury is assessed, what recovery and rehabilitation may involve, and how a compensation claim can help with the financial and practical consequences.

What happens immediately after a spinal fracture?

Doctors will first assess where the fracture is, whether the spine is stable and whether there are signs of spinal cord or nerve damage.

Depending on the injury, CT scans, X-rays or MRI may be used to understand the nature of the damage. For adults, a CT scan is generally used where imaging for suspected spinal injury is indicated, while MRI may be required following CT where there is a neurological abnormality that could be attributable to spinal cord injury. Treatment then depends on the type and severity of the fracture. Some broken vertebrae can heal without surgery, sometimes with the support of a back brace. More unstable or severe spinal fractures may require surgery to stabilise the spine or relieve pressure on the spinal cord or nerves.

Alongside medical treatment, the practical steps taken after the collision can later become important evidence. Our article on what to do after a motorcycle accident explains how police reports, medical records and evidence from the scene can establish what happened.

How serious can a spine fracture from a motorbike accident be?

Some spinal fractures heal with treatment and rehabilitation, but more serious injuries can involve spinal cord or nerve damage, which may result in long-term or permanent neurological problems.

Doctors may describe various types of vertebral fracture, including a compression fracture, burst fracture or Chance fracture. The important factors affecting the severity of the injury are the type of fracture, whether it is stable, whether nerves or the spinal cord have been affected and what the injury means for future function.

A rider may experience severe pain and restricted movement without having a serious or permanent spinal cord injury. Spinal cord damage or nerve damage can also cause numbness, weakness, nerve pain or loss of movement. The only way to understand the nature of your injury is to seek urgent medical attention and have your condition assessed.

Where an accident has resulted in neurological problems as well as broken vertebrae, our spinal injury claim team will look closely at the medical prognosis and the support likely to be needed in the future, and work to secure compensation that covers your current and future needs.

How are spinal fractures treated after a motorcycle accident?

The best course of treatment depends on the fracture site, its stability, the symptoms it is causing and whether other structures have been damaged.

Many spinal fractures are treated without surgery and allowed to heal naturally, sometimes with a brace to support the spine. More serious injuries require surgical treatment, such as stabilisation or spinal fusion. Physiotherapy and pain management may then form an important part of recovery.

Treatment is therefore highly individual. A relatively stable broken bone will have a very different recovery period from an unstable fracture involving nerve damage or other serious injuries. Our broken bone and fracture claims team considers not just the fracture itself, but also the treatment, pain, time away from work and effect on daily life.

What can recovery from a spinal fracture involve?

Recovery can be disruptive when you’re waiting for the fracture to heal. Pain, stiffness and reduced movement can affect work, driving, sleep and ordinary daily activities for weeks or months.

Motorcycle accidents can also cause several injuries at once. A rider recovering from a spine fracture may also be dealing with broken limbs, soft tissue injuries or psychological trauma. At Switalskis, our work with riders recovering from serious motorcycle accident injuries reflects how rehabilitation can involve physiotherapy, occupational therapy, pain management and psychological support as well as treatment for the initial injury.

If there is spinal cord damage, recovery and rehabilitation may be much more extensive. Some people may need ongoing medical care, mobility support or changes to the way they work and live.

Why does your prognosis matter to a compensation claim?

Your prognosis helps the personal injury claims solicitors at Switalskis understand whether the effects of the injury are likely to resolve or continue into the future.

A scan showing that a fracture has healed does not necessarily mean that every consequence of the accident has ended. You may still experience significant pain, reduced movement, nerve symptoms or difficulty returning to your previous work.

Medical evidence can establish whether further treatment is required and whether there are likely to be long-term complications. That information is important before a final settlement is agreed because compensation needs to account for future losses as well as the immediate injury.

The amount ultimately recovered depends on the severity of the injuries, recovery period, effect on daily life and financial losses such as treatment and lost earnings.

What evidence is important after a motorcycle spine fracture?

A legal claim will usually require evidence about responsibility for the accident, as well as medical and financial evidence showing the nature of the spinal injury and how it has affected you.

Medical records, scans and independent medical evidence are used to establish the nature of the fracture and your prognosis. Evidence of lost wages, medical expenses, care and other costs  shows the financial effect of the accident.

We will also investigate responsibility for the collision. Depending on what happened, this may involve police material, photographs, video footage, witness statements and other accident evidence. Our guidance on your legal rights after a serious collision explains how we gather evidence, and why gathering evidence as soon as possible can preserve important evidence and support the investigation of your claim.

You do not need to collect everything yourself. Our legal professionals can identify the evidence needed, obtain relevant records and deal with the defendant’s insurance company on your behalf.

Can rehabilitation start while the legal claim is ongoing?

In a serious injury claim, rehabilitation needs should be considered as early as possible rather than waiting for the legal process to finish.

Depending on the injury, you could need funds to cover physiotherapy, pain management, psychological treatment and help returning to work and other daily activities. We will consider rehabilitation needs at an early stage and explore whether treatment and support can be funded while the claim is ongoing. Where appropriate, we may also seek an interim payment before the final claim is settled to meet immediate financial, care or rehabilitation needs. This means that in some cases of serious and life changing injury, an ongoing legal claim is part of the recovery process and is built around the support you need early in your recovery.

What compensation can a spinal fracture claim cover?

Compensation reflects both the spinal injury itself and the financial losses caused by the accident, although the amount recovered may be reduced if the injured person is found to have been partly responsible for the accident or their injuries.

Depending on your circumstances, a claim may include:

• Pain, suffering and the effect of the injury on your daily life.
• Lost wages and future loss of earnings.
• Medical treatment and rehabilitation.
• Medical expenses and travel costs.
• Future treatment or support where the injury has lasting effects.
• Care and assistance, including help provided by family or friends.
• Equipment, aids and adaptations where required.
• Accommodation or mobility needs in cases of more serious injury.
• Pension losses and other future financial losses where applicable.

A spinal fracture that heals without significant ongoing problems will have different consequences from an injury involving permanent nerve or spinal cord damage. Where the accident has caused more serious injuries and long-term needs, our serious injury solicitors work with medical and rehabilitation professionals to understand the care, treatment, earnings and support that need to be considered in the claim.

How can Switalskis help after a spinal fracture from a motorbike accident?

If another person was responsible for your accident, we can investigate what happened and take responsibility for progressing a legal claim for compensation while you focus on recovery.

We can obtain medical records and accident evidence, instruct independent medical experts and deal with the insurance company. We will also look at how the injury has affected your ability to work, your daily life and any ongoing treatment or rehabilitation needs.

Where appropriate, we can seek interim payments to help with immediate costs to support your recovery. We will also make sure the long-term medical picture is properly understood before advising you about final settlement.

If you have suffered a spinal fracture in a motorcycle accident caused by someone else's negligence, call Switalskis on 0800 138 0458 or contact us through the website to discuss your options.