{"id":18429,"date":"2026-08-11T08:41:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T15:41:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.danielstark.com\/?post_type=news&p=18429"},"modified":"2026-08-25T05:48:30","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T12:48:30","slug":"central-texas-rear-end-crash-shows-how-a-minor-collision-can-cause-life-changing-injuries","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/www.danielstark.com\/es\/news\/central-texas-rear-end-crash-shows-how-a-minor-collision-can-cause-life-changing-injuries\/","title":{"rendered":"Un choque por alcance en el centro de Texas demuestra c\u00f3mo una colisi\u00f3n menor puede causar lesiones que cambian la vida."},"content":{"rendered":"

A young cosmetology graduate walked out of the emergency room with a \u201cstrain.\u201d Nearly<\/em> <\/em>four years later, she has undergone spinal surgery, lives with chronic pain and other complications, and has still never sat for the license she had earned.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Property<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

AUSTIN, Texas \u2014 <\/strong>She was supposed to be sitting for her Texas cosmetology license the week after Christmas. She had already graduated the program \u2014 an accelerated course that ran daily from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. \u2014 and was enrolled in a state-board preparation class. She had spent the better part of three years working toward the salon career she had chased since high school graduation. Instead, on Dec. 28, 2022, one of the busiest travel days of the year, she was stopped in traffic when the driver behind her failed to brake. She has never taken that exam. Nearly four years later, that career is gone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Court records show the rear-end crash occurred that afternoon on a Central Texas roadway when the following driver failed to slow for stopped traffic and struck her vehicle at high speed. She was restrained; no airbags deployed. Emergency medical services transported her to a nearby hospital, where a physician assistant diagnosed cervical and thoracic strain, prescribed a muscle relaxant and an anti-inflammatory, and discharged her the same day. The medical records noted she was in \u201cimproved and stable condition.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time of the crash, she was 22 years old. She had just graduated from Paul Mitchell Cosmetology School and was working full-time in retail while she prepared for her state boards. She had modeled since she was 16 and completed a paid photoshoot about two weeks before the collision. She lived with her mother. She spent her time off shopping with friends, going to dinner, roller-skating, and taking short day trips. She drove for relaxation. \u201cIt was one of my favorite things to do,\u201d she said in an interview later. That, too, is gone. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within weeks, the \u201cstrain\u201d from her discharge paperwork proved to be something else. MRIs in February 2023 confirmed disc bulges at C4\u2013C5 and C5\u2013C6 in her neck and disc injuries at L4\u2013L5 and L5\u2013S1 in her lower back with a posterior central herniation. The pain radiated into her legs and arms. Her right leg went numb. She began experiencing severe migraines every other day. In July 2025, more than two and a half years after the crash, she underwent a partial laminectomy, facetectomy, and discectomy on her lower back. The pain did not resolve. During physical therapy, doctors identified piriformis syndrome \u2014 nerve and muscle damage that has disrupted her ability to control her bladder. She now wears adult undergarments as part of her daily routine. She is 25 years old. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis case has stayed with everyone who worked on it,\u201d said Brad Russell, attorney at Daniel Stark Injury Lawyers. \u201cShe had graduated the program. She had the exam on the calendar. She had spent three years working toward her dream career. One moment on a Central Texas roadway ended all of it. Our job wasn\u2019t to give her that life back; no amount of money can do that. Our job was to make sure the driver who caused this, and the coverage available to make her whole, were pursued in full.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After more than two years of pretrial work and litigation, the case resolved in June 2026 for a $1,000,000 settlement, with all available insurance coverage tendered in full. The client\u2019s medical recovery is ongoing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the biggest myths we encounter is that a rear-end crash is automatically minor,\u201d Russell said. \u201cThis client walked out of the emergency room with a strain diagnosis and walked into years of surgeries, chronic pain and a completely different future. The damage to a vehicle is often the least important part of the story and very rarely a reliable indicator of how serious the crash was.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Rear-end collisions consume an outsized share of Texas roadway crashes each year, and the long-term costs, including spinal surgery, chronic pain, cognitive symptoms and lost earning capacity, often surface months or years after the discharge paperwork is filed away. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Drivers and Passengers Should Know<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n