File a Summons and Complaint in court within 6 years of the crash if the insurer won't pay fairly. Before that, the money usually starts with a basic no-fault/PIP claim under the car's policy, and as a rideshare passenger in Mandan, that can mean the driver's policy, the rideshare company's policy, or both.

1. Your old back problem does not erase a new claim

North Dakota law does not let an insurer off the hook just because your MRI already looked bad before the wreck. If a winter crash on I-94 near Mandan or a black-ice ramp wreck made a prior condition worse, they owe for the aggravation, not just for a brand-new injury. That is the raw truth. Degeneration is common. Insurers use it like a weapon anyway.

2. The value depends on what changed after the wreck

The number usually turns on this: what could you do before, and what can't you do now? If you were living with manageable back pain and after the crash you needed injections, missed work, or developed leg numbness, that is claim value. A minor flare-up might be worth a few thousand dollars. A clear aggravation with treatment, wage loss, and lasting limits can push into the five figures or more.

3. North Dakota no-fault changes the first money source

North Dakota is a no-fault state. The first medical bills usually go to basic no-fault benefits, not straight to the at-fault driver. Those benefits are limited. Once the case moves beyond that, bodily injury coverage and rideshare coverage matter. As a passenger, you usually are not the problem. Coverage fights are.

4. The old records can help you if handled right

The insurer will line up your pre-crash MRI against your post-crash complaints and say "same spine, same pain, no payout." That argument falls apart if records show a before-and-after difference: new symptoms, stronger meds, more treatment, work restrictions, or worse imaging after the wreck. Records from CHI St. Alexius Health, Sanford, or your regular doctor in the Bismarck-Mandan area can make or break the value.

If the crash was reported, get the North Dakota crash report and track every bill and wage-loss document. In a bad winter visibility wreck, especially around Mandan exits and ground-blizzard conditions, insurers love blaming weather to shrink payouts. Weather may explain the crash. It does not cancel the damage it caused.