A car accident can have a devastating effect on a person’s life. These impacts can range from severe physical injuries to financial losses and collateral damage.
The extent of harm caused in a crash depends on several factors, including the speed and how well a vehicle absorbs and disperses impact force. In addition, whether a person is wearing a seatbelt can also make a difference in the extent of injury they experience.
Financial Injuries
Several financial injuries can result from a car accident. These include lost income, property damage, medical costs, and more.
These costs can be overwhelming, especially for those who must miss work due to injuries. If you miss work and cannot return to your former job, you may be entitled to compensation for your missed wages.
The damages a jury awards you can help cover your losses and compensate you for future expenses. These can be hard to calculate, but an attorney can use various tools to help you forecast how much your injuries will affect your income and expenses in the future. To learn more, visit website of a reputable law firm.
People who suffer severe injuries from a car crash can incur lifelong expenses related to physical therapy, assistive devices, medications, and other treatments. These can cost tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars per year.
Physical Injuries
Car crashes can cause a variety of injuries. Minor bruising or lacerations are common, but severe damage to tissues, organs, bones, and muscles can also occur.
Back injuries are prevalent, as is whiplash when your head and neck are rapidly jerked forward and backward. It can leave you with severe pain and lasting problems in your neck.
Broken ribs, legs, arms, and wrists are common injuries from a crash. These can be simple breaks that require casts or more serious fractures that may involve surgery to repair.
Burns are another common injury from a crash. These can be caused by contact with glass, chemicals, or even hot surfaces that melt on impact.
You should seek medical treatment for any abdominal bruising or bleeding, whether it looks like a normal bruise. It can signify internal trauma, such as a blood clot, that needs immediate medical attention. It can also indicate more serious internal issues, such as spinal cord damage or traumatic brain injury.
Emotional Injuries
Just as a car accident can lead to physical injuries, it can also cause emotional trauma. Symptoms of emotional trauma can include PTSD, depression, and severe anxiety.
If you are experiencing mental health concerns due to a vehicle accident, you must get professional care as soon as possible. The more time passes, the longer it can take to recover from your emotional trauma, and the more likely you will need therapy.
Fortunately, many resources are available to help victims of car accidents get the support they need to recover. These include therapists, grief counselors, support groups, and social groups.
Collateral Damage
Collateral damage refers to additional harm that can result from a car accident. It can be physical or emotional and affect other people not involved in the accident.
In many cases, this collateral damage can be extensive. It can be enough to reduce the amount of money a victim will receive in a settlement.
It is why the collateral source rule has become an essential part of personal injury and car accident law. It is meant to prevent defendants from being able to use any payments that an injury victim has received from a private insurance company against them.
It is because the defendant in a personal injury case must pay all the damages they caused. However, proving that an injured person has received compensation from another source is often tricky before a judge or jury awards them money.
