Arm Injuries After a Car Accident: Getting Compensation

If you or someone you know has sustained car accident arm injuries, you may be able to recover compensation through a lawsuit to cover your expenses and damages. The support of the experienced attorneys at Morgan & Morgan can help you to evaluate your basis for a claim for car accident damages.

Since most people use their arms for work as well as all throughout the day in their personal life, car accident arm injuries have the potential to change your life significantly. Car accident arm injuries can run the gamut from minor scrapes, cuts, and bruises, all the way to severe injuries that can impact not just your arms but your neck and shoulders as well. Many of these injuries may not quickly heal after the accident and may require surgery. These arm injuries can also cause serious arm pain, including nerve damage and arm fractures.

Even if you are not yet sure whether you have sustained serious injuries as a result of a car accident, it is important to seek immediate medical attention. You can learn the precise cause of your arm pain and more about your diagnosis and treatment options. From there, you may need to hire an experienced personal injury lawyer to hire a car accident arm injuries lawsuit. If your accident was the fault of someone else's reckless or negligent behavior, you may be entitled to compensation for your damages, such as medical bills, vehicle damage, loss of income from missed work, and pain and suffering, through settlement conversations or in court. A personal injury claim may be your only opportunity to recover compensation for your damages, and working with the right lawyer can greatly increase your chances of recovering what you need and deserve to move forward with your life after this unfortunate event.

To get started, contact Morgan & Morgan today for a free, no-obligation case evaluation.

Understanding the Causes of Arm Pain After a Car Accident

Most frequently, car accident arm injuries are caused by damage to the soft tissues in your arm, such as injuries to the arm, bones, arm joints, tendons, ligaments, and muscles. The blunt force impact of a vehicle accident can tear, stretch, or shatter the soft tissues of the arm as well as the hard bones. You may not be able to understand your diagnosis or treatment plan immediately after being hurt, which is why it is so important to get medical attention from a qualified physician. You may be unable to return to work immediately and may be facing substantial medical costs and other expenses associated with your accident.

You should contact your insurance company and notify them about the accident and your initial medical condition. If you begin to experience new symptoms or your arm pain gets worse, you also need to inform your doctor about such developments so that it can become part of your personal injury claim.

Many accident victims sustain car accident arm injuries because, as a reflex, they use their arms to shield themselves. For example, you might try to protect your face from windshield impact by putting your arm in front of it during a car crash. This can be a natural instinct, but these gestures can significantly injure your arms. Furthermore, the impact of the crash can cause a wide range of injuries when you slam against something inside the car, such as a steering wheel, airbag, or side window. A victim in a car accident who has hit hard surfaces may suffer nerve damage or shoulder injuries that can impact both of their arms.

Most Common Arm Injuries From an Accident

Whether you find yourself pressed against something inside the car or used your arms to shield another part of your body, the trauma of a car accident can cause multiple different arm injuries. You should always get a proper diagnosis from an experienced and qualified medical professional so that you can get a treatment plan and diagnosis in line with what you need.

Some of the most common arm injuries from a car accident include a scapula fracture, clavicle fracture, forearm fracture, humerus fracture, elbow sprain, rotator cuff tear, joint dislocation, whiplash muscle strain, or brachial plexus injury. While an injury like whiplash may not directly impact your arms, damage to the soft tissues in your shoulders and neck can cause pain that radiates down your arm.

Furthermore, herniated discs or fractures or other damage to the spinal discs in your neck can cause radiating or shooting arm pain.

How Do I Know if I Have an Arm Injury?

Arm injury symptoms typically vary based on the location of the injury. Torn rotator cuffs are usually felt in the upper shoulder and arm, whereas an injury to your elbow may be felt in the forearm or directly in the elbow, depending on the type of accident and the location of your injury, as well as its severity. The stem, the timeline of symptoms, and intensity may vary.

Some injuries lead to immediate pain system symptoms that are found at the scene of the accident. One such example is a fracture. However, many other types of serious car accident arm injuries occur as delayed pain symptoms. Delayed pain may be a sign of a major car accident injury, so be sure to get medical attention immediately regardless of when your symptoms begin.

Some of the most common symptoms of a car accident arm injury include elbow pain, stiffness, wrist pain, numbness, shoulder pain, muscle weakness, muscle spasms, tingling sensations, inflammation and swelling, warmth or redness at the injury site, and bruising or discoloration. Anytime you move your arm, you should also watch for additional physical symptoms, such as “popping” sounds. This can indicate serious tears on your shoulder joint. When you get medical attention for your car accident arm injuries, your doctor may order X-rays or MRIs to identify the source of the sound.

What if I Can't Go Back to Work?

Depending on whether or not the car accident happened in conjunction with your job, you may need to file a workers' compensation claim or a personal injury claim. If you were driving for work and were injured in an accident while on the clock or carrying out work-related duties, you may be eligible to file a workers' compensation claim to get compensation.

This is because your employer may be required to carry workers’ comp coverage in case an employee gets hurt or ill on the job. Depending on the specifics of your accident case, however, you may also have a third-party claim against another responsible party. Working with a knowledgeable car accident arm injuries lawyer like the attorneys at Morgan & Morgan is one of the best ways to verify who may be liable for your injuries, and it can also help you with preparing the necessary evidence for your case. Depending on whether or not you can go back to work, you may be eligible to receive disability payments, receive workers’ compensation benefits, or fight for compensation in a personal injury lawsuit.

If you cannot go back to work because your injury is so severe, you are entitled to the lost wages you missed during the time of recovery, and you may also have grounds to request this compensation in your personal injury lawsuit. If you relied on your arm or related parts of your body to do your job and are now affected permanently, get the support of an experienced and qualified arm injuries lawyer to ensure you receive the compensation that you are owed.

Can I Sue Someone Else for Pain After a Car Accident?

If you can show that someone else is responsible for your injuries, you may be able to open a personal injury lawsuit with the help of the experienced attorneys at Morgan & Morgan. The qualified lawyers at Morgan & Morgan are very familiar with many of the legal issues involved in the recovery of compensation and always work as hard as possible on behalf of accident victims to recover damages.

The kinds of damages that you may be entitled to will depend on the severity of your accident, the projected future cost of your injuries, and whether or not you live in a fault or no-fault state. If you live in a state such as Florida, you will need to turn to your personal injury protection coverage first in order to get compensation.

It is very likely that if you have severe injuries, you will not be able to fully cover the cost of your treatment, any lost wages, or other associated expenses simply under PIP coverage. For this reason, you may need to work with a knowledgeable car accident arm injuries lawyer who can help you prepare a compelling case to recover compensation in court.

Don’t wait. Contact Morgan & Morgan today for a free, no-obligation case evaluation to get started. You won’t pay a penny unless we win your case.