Types Of Injuries After A Car Accident
If a car accident caused your injuries, then you can receive compensation. Common physical injuries include the following:
- Burns and road rash
- Head, neck, and shoulder injuries
- Limb loss or amputation
- Paralysis
- Soft tissue damage
- Spinal cord injuries
- Sprains, strains, and bruises to the muscles, tendons, and ligaments
- Traumatic brain injuries
- Whiplash
- Wrist and hand injuries
Not only are these injuries extremely painful and devastating, but they are very expensive to treat immediately and in the long run as the victim will have to attend follow-up visits with a physician. Our Macon personal injury attorneys can help you recover damages for the expenses you incurred trying to get the medical attention you need.
Serious Injuries
Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are common after head-on collisions and range from mild, like a concussion, to severe, like a coma. Although most people recover from TBI within two years, it is very expensive and physically and mentally exhausting for the victim and their family. TBI can result in myriad cognitive and psychological effects such as loss of memory, irritability, confusion, inability to sleep, difficulty concentrating, and headaches.
The spinal cord is a bundle of nerves that run down the middle of the spine from the brain to the tailbone. Spinal cord injuries can result in permanent or temporary, full or partial paralysis, which can lead to other issues such as an inability to control one’s bladder or bowels. Some people are able to recover their ability to walk and move again, while others never do. Any recovery will come after expensive therapy.
Multiple broken bones can also require extensive physical therapy as well as surgeries to repair the bones. The most common types of fractures after a car accident occur in the pelvis, femur, skull, arms, or wrists.
Types of Car Accidents
There are different types of car accidents and different reasons why they occur.
Rollover Accidents
The National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA) reports that almost 75% of occupants killed in rollover crashes were not using restraints, like seatbelts, and just under two-thirds of them were ejected from the vehicle during the accident. A rollover accident is usually due to turning too quickly or sharply or when a car hits a curb, guard rail, or something else on the road that causes it to flip over. The initial reason a car hits the curb is usually that it is struck by another vehicle.
Frontal Crashes
Also known as head-on collisions, these occur when two vehicles traveling in opposite directions crash into each other. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), there were 12,932 fatal frontal crashes in the U.S., which accounted for 56% of passenger vehicle occupant deaths. Like most other car accidents, frontal crashes are caused by negligence by one or both drivers. When a driver doesn’t stay in their lane and veers into oncoming traffic or turns the wrong way on a street, they put others in danger.
T-Bone Accidents
Also known as intersection accidents or left turn accidents, these type of accidents get their name from the T shape the vehicles make when one strikes the other. They are called intersection accidents because they are often the result of one car making a left turn and another car coming from the opposite direction, hitting it on the side. T-bone accidents can lead to severe injuries such as paralysis, broken bones, TBI, and cuts and bruises.
Rear-End Collisions
When one car strikes another car from the rear, it is called a rear-end accident and is usually caused by one driver not paying attention to what’s in front of them. Most commonly they occur at red lights, but they can also be caused by one driver tailgating another and the vehicle in front suddenly stopping.
Causes of Car Accidents
There are different causes of car crashes. A car accident lawyer can help you in your personal injury case if you have been hurt due to any of these causes.
Distracted Driving
There are three types of distracted driving: visual, cognitive, and manual. Visual distractions take the driver’s eyes off of the road, cognitive distractions take the driver’s mind off of the road, and manual distractions are those in which the driver takes their hands off the wheel. Distracted driving is not only dangerous to other drivers but pedestrians as well. Distracted driving mostly affects teenagers. In 2019, 9% of young drivers involved in fatal car accidents were distracted at the time of the crash.
Speeding
Of the 33,244 fatal crashes in 2019, 17% of the drivers were speeding. 50,930 drivers were involved in those car accidents resulting in 36,096 fatalities, which is 20.6% of those killed.
Failure To Obey Traffic Laws
Negligent drivers who are aggressive or drunk behind the wheel or otherwise break the law can be liable for your damages. When a person signs their driver’s license, they agree to abide by all local and state laws that apply to road users. If the other driver was breaking any laws at the time of the accident, then they can be held liable for your damages.
Steps To Take After Motor Vehicle Accidents
Your car accident claim in Macon, GA starts the moment that your motor vehicle accident happens. You should take the following steps immediately after a car wreck:
Call The Police
Assess the situation after a car accident. Are there any injuries? Do you need to move to a safe location? Check on the other driver and other involved parties. Immediately call the police to the scene of the accident and inform them of the injured victims, how many there are, and where you are. Never move someone who is seriously injured, as that could do more harm than good.
Collect Contact Information
In order to file your auto accident case, you will need the name, address, phone number, email address, and auto insurance policy information of the other driver. You must also give them your information. If the other driver asks, then you must present to them your valid driver’s license to them.
Get the contact information of witnesses who saw what happened. Although you do not need to get the auto insurance information from witnesses, you should get their name, address, phone number, and email address. Passengers in the vehicle are considered witnesses, so their information should be taken.
Collect Evidence
You can collect valuable evidence at the scene of a crash by taking pictures of each of the vehicles involved and in what direction they were traveling. Make sure to get pictures of the license plates, surroundings, traffic signs or signals, and any road conditions that may have contributed to your crash.
Seek Medical Attention
You should go to the nearest emergency room to be assessed for serious injuries. Even if you don’t think that you have been injured, it’s important to get checked out after a car accident because the natural “fight or flight” response might dampen some of the pain or injuries that you have suffered.
Whiplash is one of the most common types of injuries with delayed-onset symptoms. Whiplash gets its name from the whipping motion that the neck makes after impact, which strains the muscles. Just like how you may not feel sore after going hard at the gym until the next day, with whiplash, you may not notice the pain until several hours later when you can’t get comfortable or move your neck.
Even more severe is stomach bleeding, which is a tragic injury. Victims do not feel anything at all, but under the skin, burst capillaries are pooling blood. It can take several hours for enough damage to be done internally before the victim is in excruciating pain and needs to be rushed via ambulance to the hospital for emergency surgery to stop the bleeding. Internal injuries can be caused by the crushing of the body against the seatbelt or dashboard and can affect the stomach and the lungs. Medical professionals in Macon, GA can identify internal bleeding and save lives.
Seek Legal Advice
You should speak to a Macon car accident lawyer before you talk to the insurance company. The insurance company will try to find any way to pin fault on you. For example, it may seem like an innocent question when they ask what time the accident occurred, but they might try to use your answer to argue that rather than looking at the road, you were looking at the clock on your radio. They might make up an arbitrary deadline to make it seem like you need to settle your case sooner than you need to.
Our Macon car accident attorneys are keenly aware of these tactics by insurance companies to reduce how much they pay out in personal injury cases, so we talk to the insurance company for you. We fight on behalf of injured clients in Macon, GA so that they can focus on their recovery and health while we negotiate the maximum compensation possible in their car accident claim.
Even if you have been hit by an uninsured motorist, you should still speak to an accident lawyer before talking to the insurance company. If you have uninsured motorist coverage, then it will kick in to help you as you recover from the accident. You should get a copy of your policy to be sure that you have this type of insurance.
Damages After Car Accidents
Your personal injury attorney can help you recover compensation after your car accident. The two types of damages that you can receive in a Macon, GA personal injury claim are economic damages and non-economic damages.
Economic Damages
You can recover compensation for your medical expenses, lost wages, future lost wages, legal services, and other out-of-pocket costs related to your car accident. Car crashes lead to extremely high medical bills that can put you in significant debt. Our Macon, GA personal injury law firm has experience successfully recovering damages for medical bills and other financial losses related to car crashes.
Non-Economic Damages
Not all injuries after car accidents are physical. There are many psychological effects following a car accident, such as emotional and mental injuries. There may be a period of grieving and mourning in the case of a negligent driver taking the life of a loved one in a car accident.
Damages In Wrongful Death Claims
Call now to speak to a car accident lawyer about your wrongful death claim if a negligent driver took the life of someone you love. Not only can you recover medical expenses and lost wages for the deceased, but funeral and burial costs, and the amount that the victim would’ve earned in their lifetime had they lived. The victim’s spouse, children, or parents can file a wrongful death claim in Georgia. Motor vehicle crashes are one of the top causes of death in Georgia.
FAQ
These are some of the most common questions our car accident lawyers receive.
How long do I have to file my car accident claim?
The statute of limitations on personal injury claims in Georgia is two years from the date of the injury or wrongful death. That is the legal deadline by which you need to file a claim. But just because the law grants you two years doesn’t mean that you should take that long to contact an attorney. If you wait, then the evidence in your case could deteriorate, or if you’re too close to the deadline, it could pass while waiting to be heard.
How is fault determined in a car accident?
Based on the evidence, we determine who is liable for your accident and injuries. We will ask questions such as: was the other driver breaking any laws at the time of the accident? Were they distracted or fatigued? Drivers must use a reasonable standard of care behind the wheel, so if they are negligent, they can be held liable for the injuries and property damage they caused. We use photos from the scene of the accident, the police report, expert witnesses, and witness testimony to determine who is at fault.
Who is an “expert witness”?
Authorities in fields such as medicine, engineering, and forensics can provide testimony that is admissible in court to explain how an accident or injury occurred.
Your Macon Car Accident Lawyers
Our Macon car accident lawyers talk to the insurance company on your behalf. Unfortunately, insurance companies take advantage of car accident victims. They are interested in saving themselves money, not paying out damages for bodily injury after a car crash.
Attorneys specialize in practice areas, just like doctors. For example, some attorneys specialize in criminal defense or family law. That’s why you need to speak with a car accident attorney with years of experience recovering compensation in successful personal injury claims. Our personal injury firm also represents victims of truck accidents, bicycle accidents, premises liability claims, motorcycle accidents, medical malpractice, and business litigation. Contact us today about your personal injury matter by calling 833-PAID-123.
There are a few reasons why you should choose T. Madden & Associates, P.C. Our attorneys are members of the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association. We also have a firm that’s small enough to provide you with individualized attention but large enough to have the resources to meet the needs of your investigation. We care about the community and have a long tradition of public service and involvement in civic and educational activities, in addition to our dedication to lifelong learning and professional development. We understand how much this accident has affected your life, and we will provide empathetic and knowledgeable representation. Finally, we are owned firm that demonstrates the very essence of black excellence.