Only a doctor can diagnose your car crash injuries. Your injury will be unique and will depend on many factors, including:
- The type of collision that occurred.
- The speed of the vehicles at the time of the collision.
- Your seat in the car.
- Your overall health.
- Other factors.
It is important that you get a prompt and accurate diagnosis so that you can manage your pain, get the appropriate medical treatment to help you get better or prevent your injury from worsening, and so that you can protect your legal claim. Accordingly, we encourage you to explain all of your physical symptoms to your doctor—no matter how minor they may seem—and to consider the following types of injuries that commonly occur after a car accident.
Car Accident Injuries to Watch For
You will not suffer all of the following injuries, but it is important to be aware that they may occur and to talk to your doctor about:
- Brain injuries. A traumatic brain injury can significantly impact your life for a short amount of time or for the rest of your life depending on the specific injury that you suffer. Medical care and a change in your ability to work and go about your daily activities should be expected. Other types of head injuries, such as broken skulls, can also cause extreme pain and require extensive medical treatment.
- Spinal cord injuries. Spinal cord injuries can result in weakness or complete paralysis below the part of the spinal cord injury that was injured. This type of car accident injury may be irreversible and damages can easily reach millions of dollars.
- Back injuries. Herniated discs, fractures, and other back injuries can be disabling. Your treatment plan and prognosis will depend on your specific injury.
- Neck and shoulder injuries. Neck and shoulder injuries are common car accident injuries. Fractured bones, rotator cuff injuries, and other injuries can result in medical expenses, time lost from work, and other losses.
- Broken bones. Any bone can break in a crash. Some broken bones do not heal as easily as others. A broken pelvis, for example, can result in significant complications and expenses.
- Burns. Car crashes or fires can result in painful burn injuries. Burns often require extensive medical treatment and may result in dangerous infections or permanent scars.
- Amputations. The amputation of an arm, hand, finger, leg, foot or toe may happen at the accident scene or later, in the hospital, due to the severity of the accident injury.
Of course, other serious injuries to other parts of the body, such as the chest, eyes and face, may also occur because of an auto collision.
Getting the Recovery You Deserve
If your loved one has died in a car crash or if you have suffered a significant injury—such as one of the injuries described above—then you may have the right to recover damages if you can prove that someone else was legally responsible for the crash. In most cases that will mean proving that the other driver was negligent. However, in some cases it could also mean that the driver acted intentionally or that there was a defect in the vehicle that caused it to malfunction.
If you can prove any of these things then you might have a cause of action and you may be able to recover damages for your past, current, and future:
- Medical costs.
- Out-of-pocket costs.
- Lost income.
- Pain and suffering.
Your recovery is likely to result from a successful settlement negotiation with the insurance company or in court. Either way you are going to have to present convincing evidence and make persuasive arguments to convince the insurance company, judge, or jury to provide you with a fair recovery.
However, You Don’t Have to Do This Alone
You have the right to work with an experienced Louisville car accident attorney who will conduct a thorough investigation and aggressively advocate for your full recovery. Our team of attorneys, our staff nurse, and the rest of our firm work hard for each individual client. We want to know about your injuries and we want to make a difference in your life by getting you the recovery that you deserve. Call us any time—365 days a year—to schedule your free consultation and to learn more about your rights and potential recovery from a serious car accident injury.
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