What Do I Need to Know About Car Accident Injuries?

Car accidents happen daily in the United States, causing severe injuries and sometimes even death. Some of these accidents are unpreventable, while others unnecessarily occur due to someone else's negligence. If you or your loved one has suffered injuries caused by a car accident, it's important to know what to do next. 

So without further ado, here's everything you need to know about car accident injuries. 

Car Accident Injuries Statistics You Should Know

According to a recent study, at least 2.7 million injuries were caused by car accidents in the United States in 2019. In the same year, at least 4.5 million people in the US consulted doctors regarding car accident injuries. Sadly, more than 39,000 people lost their lives in car accidents in the US that year alone. 

Further studies show that the average number of car accidents in the United States stands at 6 million every year. Shockingly, more than 90 people die in car accidents every day in the country, and over 2 million drivers in the United States suffer permanent injuries caused by car accidents every year. 

From the above statistics, it's clear that car accidents are a big problem in the United States. The unfortunate truth is that you don't even need to be a driver or a passenger to be involved in a car accident. No one is safe out there.

Besides, these accidents can change your life forever. For this reason, it's always advisable to understand what you're entitled to when involved in a car accident, whether as the driver, passenger or pedestrian. 

Common Types of Car Accident Injuries

Car accidents cause various injuries; some are serious, while others are quite manageable. Regardless of the injury, it significantly impacts the victim's life, either temporarily or permanently. Here's an overview of some common car accident injuries worth knowing, including their symptoms and effects. 

Spinal Cord Injuries

Spinal cord injuries are quite common in car accidents. This kind of injury occurs when there's a sudden blow to the spinal cord or its surrounding tissues, such as discs, vertebrae, ligaments, etc. 

Some common symptoms of spinal cord injuries include muscle weakness, numbness within the chest, arms, and legs, loss of bowel and bladder control, difficulty breathing, extreme pain in the back, head, or neck, etc. 

Spinal cord injuries can break, crush or relocate sensitive tissues found around this area. As a result, the injured individual could experience internal bleeding, leading to a slow death. This kind of injury can also lead to paralysis, especially in the lower half of the body. 

Back Injuries 

Back injuries are more common, particularly when a car is hit from behind. The impact usually relocates the spine and other back tissues, causing extreme pain. Victims of back injuries caused by car accidents may experience the following symptoms:

• difficulty walking upright, sitting, or standing in a particular position;
• radiating pain down the buttocks and legs;
• muscle spasms; or
• numbness in arms, legs, feet, or hands;

If left untreated, back pain from car accidents can lead to even more serious conditions, such as lumbar spine strain and paralysis.

Burns

Burns mostly occur when the cars involved in the accidents explode into flames. This kind of injury also happens when the victims get into contact with hot fluids from the car's hood or anywhere else within the vehicle. Burns caused by car accidents can be severe, especially if the victim is trapped inside the burning vehicle. 

Doctors classify burns under four main categories, as discussed below:

First-degree burn: This kind of burn only affects the outer skin layer and causes skin redness. You'll also experience a little bit of pain, but you won't develop blisters in most cases. 

Second-degree burn: This type of burn targets your skin's outer layer and the dermis, the layer underneath. Common symptoms of second-degree burns include soreness, bright redness, a “wet” appearance, and blisters. This burn further falls into two sub-sub-categories: the superficial second-degree burn, which only targets your dermis and doesn't cause scarring, and the deep partial-thickness burn, which changes your skin color and leaves scars. 

Third-degree burns: Also known as “full-thickness burn,” it damages two layers of your skin and nerves, making it appear black, brown, yellow, or white. However, this kind of burn is painless because it destroys your nerves. 

Fourth-degree burns: This kind of burn is life-threatening because it damages all layers of your skin, including your tendons, muscles, and bones. 

Internal Injuries

Many people lose their lives due to internal injuries caused by accidents because such injuries don't usually show serious symptoms until it's too late. This explains why it's always advisable to visit a doctor after a car accident. The doctor will scan your body to ensure you don't have any internal injuries. And, if you do have such injuries, you'll need treatment right away. 

Common symptoms of internal injuries include abdominal pain, chills, fatigue, and lightheadedness. This kind of injury often comes with mild symptoms, which is why most victims tend to downplay its seriousness. But on a serious note, internal bleeding can rupture your blood vessels or cause internal blood clots, eventually leading to death. 

Broken Bones

Most victims of car accidents suffer broken bones due to the impact of the accident. Some broken bones may require a cast, while others may need more complex procedures, such as surgery. Common signs of fractures or broken bones include deformity, swelling, and pain. 

Amputation

Amputation is usually considered for body parts severely damaged by the crash. Unfortunately, while amputation can save the victim's life, it often leads to permanent disability.

Whiplash and Neck Injuries

Whiplash is a type of neck injury that occurs due to rapid, back-and-forth movement of the neck. Its name derives from the back and forth movement of a whip. This kind of injury damages the muscles, tendons, and ligaments along the neck, shoulder, and back. 

Common symptoms of whiplash include severe pain in the neck, back, and shoulders, dizziness, headache, muscle spasms, sleep disorders, and stiffness. 

Knee Injuries

Knee injuries occur when the car hits another car or object involved in the accident. It can also occur when the car is hit by another car or object from any direction. Knee injuries are painful, and in most cases, victims of such accidents are usually unable to walk for days, weeks, or even months. 

This kind of injury can also tear the meniscus or knee cartilage if the knee is turned or twisted abruptly during the crash. As a result, the victim will have difficulty walking and may need surgery and physical therapy for months or even years. 

Lacerations 

A laceration is a common injury caused by flying objects, broken glass, or torn sheet metal during a car accident. This kind of injury often leads to severe bleeding, damaging internal tissues, organs, bones, and muscles. 

Post Traumatic Stress Disorders

Some car accidents cause Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. As a result, victims of such accidents often have a rough time doing certain things as they used to before the accident. For example, some may take years to drive again, which may not have anything to do with their physical injuries from the accident. PTSD affects the brain and may require routine therapy and counseling to manage. Some individuals with PTSD may take a few months to recover, while others never recover at all. 

How Much Is My Car Accident Injury Worth?

If you or your loved one has been involved in a car accident caused by someone else's negligence, you may be entitled to compensation. Understandably, you may also want to find out how much your injury is worth. Unfortunately, that's not something you can tell just by looking at the injury itself. 

One of the best ways to find out how much your car accident injury is worth is by working with an experienced car accident attorney. Such an attorney will evaluate multiple factors and then come up with an estimate of the value of your car accident injury.

To determine the actual value of your car accident injury, you need to follow certain steps after the injury, as detailed below. 

Seek Medical Attention

The first and most important thing is to seek medical attention. Call 911 and request an ambulance if necessary. Your doctor should be able to evaluate your injuries and propose the right treatment plan. Depending on the nature of your injuries, you may undergo simple treatment, which takes a few days or weeks to recover, or surgery, which could take months to recover. Remember to keep copies of all medical reports, including expenses arising from your trip to the doctor or other doctor-recommended appointments, such as counseling and therapy. 

Speak to an Attorney

It is always advisable to consult with an experienced car accident attorney, especially if you have suffered serious injuries. Working with an attorney comes with numerous benefits. Examples include: 

Calculating your case value: An experienced car accident attorney from a reputable law firm like Morgan & Morgan will apply the legal concept of 'damages' to calculate the value of your case. Damages may include the extent of injury, pain, and suffering, cost of past, present, and future medical treatment, among other factors. 

Beating important deadlines: Car accident claims are time-sensitive. While it may be challenging to file a claim as you undergo treatment, an attorney takes this burden off your shoulders by filing the claim on your behalf. This gives you the much-needed peace of mind knowing that someone who cares about your wellbeing is also fighting for your rights. 

Collecting crucial evidence: Insurance companies are difficult to deal with, especially if you don't have sufficient evidence to prove damages caused by the accident. However, given that experienced car accident attorneys have dealt with numerous insurance companies, they understand what works and what doesn't as far as collecting and presenting evidence is concerned.  

Negotiating settlement: After collecting sufficient evidence, a car accident attorney will approach the other party's insurance company (or even your own insurance company, depending on the nature of the accident) to seek compensation for the damages suffered. Such an attorney will negotiate the settlement out of court on your behalf. However, if the other party refuses to settle, your Morgan & Morgan car accident lawyer will file a lawsuit, taking the case to court. 

Representing you in court: The attorney will represent you in court and prepare you for the hearing. When it comes to legal matters, one wrong statement could slash your settlement in half or even cancel it altogether. For this reason, having an attorney by your side gives you the much-needed confidence to face the other party in court. 

How Morgan & Morgan Can Help

The list of the benefits of working with a car accident attorney is endless. However, while it is always advisable to work with such an attorney, the exact type of attorney or law firm you choose to work with could significantly impact your case. 

For example, if you work with an attorney who lacks the required legal resources to pursue your claim from the beginning to the end, chances are they will settle for a lowball offer just to close the same. This could mean digging deeper into your pockets to support your post-accident needs. But on the other hand, an experienced attorney from Morgan & Morgan will always fight for your rights and never run out of the resources necessary to pursue your claim. 

Besides, life after a car accident can be expensive. As you receive treatment, you'll have bills to pay and loved ones to support at the same time. We understand that you may not be able to afford a lawyer at such a time, and that's why we provide our legal representation services on a contingency basis. This approach means you do not owe us anything unless we win the case for you. 

Our car accident attorneys do not settle for anything less than total compensation. Someone needs to be held responsible for your damages, and that is why Morgan & Morgan, the largest personal injury law firm in the country, is here to help. If you or your loved one has been injured in a car accident and are unsure where to begin, call us today at 877-483-4196 or contact us on our website for a free consultation.