Car accidents can result in many types of injuries ranging from minor cuts to more serious injuries, such as broken bones, spinal cord injuries, and traumatic brain injuries. No matter the injury you suffered in your car accident, you can be compensated for your damages and other losses.
Do not accept an early settlement after a car accident since you don’t know the true extent of your injuries. Instead, opt to speak to a car accident lawyer to review your case. Learn more here. Here are some common injuries that may occur in car accidents.
Whiplash Injuries
Whiplash is among the most common car accidents, and it occurs when the head is quickly jerked forward and backward. Many underestimate a collision’s powerful impact, so they don’t brace themselves. When a collision occurs, seatbelts, although useful to protect passengers from more serious injuries, play a part in whiplash injuries.
Whiplash injuries can result in neck stiffness or pain, headaches, soft tissue damage, and shoulder pain, but these types of injuries can have various other symptoms.
Broken Bones
Car accidents often result in fractures and broken bones, particularly in the arms, legs, hips, and other body parts, and can lead to internal bleeding. These injuries require immediate intervention. Many car accident victims that suffer broken bone injuries will require long-term care.
Soft Tissue Damage
In many car accidents, victims commonly suffer soft tissue injuries or damage to the muscles, tendons, and ligaments, which can cause pain, swelling, and reduced mobility for extended periods of time.
Spinal Cord Injuries
Spinal cord injuries are common in severe car accidents. These injuries can result in paralysis or other long-term disabilities. Not all spinal cord injuries result in permanent paralysis.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Another common injury in serious car accidents is concussions or traumatic brain injury (TBI). These types of injuries cause many symptoms ranging from headaches to seizures, dizziness, memory loss, and cognitive impairments.
Understanding Your Rights
Many injuries that are common in car accidents, including some of those mentioned above, don’t always manifest symptoms right after the accident. In some instances, such as in the case of TBIs, symptoms can occur a couple of days after the accident.
Because of this, car accident victims should always accept a medical examination right away to asses their injuries and treat them. It’s possible that insurance adjusters will approach victims to negotiate a settlement.
You should only accept a settlement offer or pursue a personal injury claim after discussing it with a car accident lawyer beforehand. You will often be offered a lesser settlement amount than the one you deserve for your medical expenses and property damage, and that’s why you should first speak to a lawyer.
You may also be entitled to other types of compensation, such as for lost future and past wages, pain and suffering, emotional distress, and more.
