What are the most common injuries caused by car accidents in North Carolina?
Accidents can cause many different types of injuries, including brain injuries, broken bones, muscle strains, and mental health issues. All of these injuries can have serious and long-term consequences. It is important that you know about them and are prepared to take appropriate action if you are ever in a car accident to protect your rights. Contacting an experienced North Carolina car accident attorney will help ensure your rights are protected when seeking compensation for your injury treatment costs and other losses.
The following are some of the most common serious injuries experienced as a result of car accidents.
Brain Injuries
Traumatic brain injury is one of the most serious injuries that can result from a car accident. Traumatic brain injury is an injury to the brain caused by a severe blow to the head, usually from a car accident, a fall, or being hit by an object. Symptoms of traumatic brain injury can be wide-ranging, from a coma to concussion to amnesia to headache.
Diagnosing and treating brain injuries is a number one priority for receiving treatment after a car accident. What can seem to be a small injury can quickly escalate into something much more serious. Consider that the CDC notes how traumatic brain injuries can have wide-ranging effects on cognition, functioning, memory, and even mood. Anyone who experiences symptoms should receive prompt treatment. Delaying treatment can progressively worsen your condition, and it can also mean it is more difficult to attribute the brain injury to the recent wreck.
Broken Bones
Bone fractures are a common outcome in many severe North Carolina accidents. The most common broken or fractured bones in a car accident include the following:
- Arm
- Wrist
- Tibia/fibula (legs)
- Femur (thighs)
- Clavicle (collarbone)
- Rib
- Back
- Hip
- Pelvis
- Face/skull
You can get these injuries by being thrown from the car, being crushed in the cabin, being hit by an external object, or by hitting a hard object like the windshield, among other ways.
If you see signs that you have a broken bone, get medical care as soon as possible. Failure to get care immediately for a broken bone can cause it to heal incorrectly. Broken bone injuries can take six-eight weeks to heal when promptly treated, and when left undiagnosed, can lead to complications that lengthen the healing process while making it less likely that the bones will fully knit back together.
Neck Injuries
Neck injuries are by far one of the most common injuries in auto accidents. Often, you do not feel pain from neck injuries until the next day or even days after an accident occurs. This does not mean that you should delay receiving care for your neck-related symptoms after an accident. It is always a best practice to get checked out by a doctor after an accident. Neck injuries can be severe, are sometimes the result of referred pain from back injuries, or may be the sign of some other injury.
Neck injuries can include whiplash, cervical bone fractures, and spinal cord injuries. Neck injuries are prevalent in rear-end accidents. And while some of the “whiplash” or soft tissue injuries resolve within weeks, nearly 50% of them develop into persistent problems.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Post-traumatic stress disorder, or a condition where one suffers severe emotional and psychological stress of an ongoing nature, can be a typical result of a traumatic incident, such as a car accident. This is true especially in the case of young children who may reflexively reenact the accident in their minds anytime they ride in the car.
Adults can also have post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health disorders caused by car accidents. Depression and anxiety can often follow a car accident, especially when injuries linger for a long time and seem like they will never go away. Please remember that you cannot claim this injury if you do not receive appropriate medical care and a diagnosis from a doctor or mental health professional.
Pain and Suffering
If you have an injury that affects your life, you are likely entitled to a pain and suffering award. Pain and suffering is a term used to evaluate the pain and suffering you experienced because of your car accident related injuries. This may even include a loss of enjoyment of life after the accident.. The value for this claim depends on the severity of your injury, your ongoing health care needs, and the impact your injury has on your ability to live your daily life.
One way you can help to substantiate a claim for pain and suffering is to keep a journal of your daily activities. Such a journal will help bolster your claim of pain and suffering if you need to provide evidence to the insurance company when you and your attorney make your claim.
Loss of Consortium
Are you married? If you are, your spouse might also have a claim if you were injured in a car accident. That type of claim is called loss of consortium. It is a claim independent of the claim that you make as the injured party. Loss of consortium is based on your spouse’s loss of the benefits of a family relationship. Be sure to speak to your N.C. car accident attorney to see if you may be entitled to compensation for a loss of consortium claim.
Contact an Experienced North Carolina Car Accident Attorney
If you or a loved one were injured in a car accident, you should contact an attorney right away. The liability insurance company for the at-fault driver may try to get you to settle quickly — because accepting a low settlement is good for their bottom line. Don’t speak to the insurance company without first speaking to an experienced North Carolina accident attorney.
Remember, when you sign a settlement agreement, you are cutting off your ability to ask for more money later, even if your condition worsens. Before you know how severe your injuries are, signing a settlement agreement could cost you financially for years to come. If you settle prematurely, you could be on the hook for years of medical treatments with no help from the insurance company.
Auger & Auger Accident and Injury Lawyers, North Carolina car accident attorneys, can help you with your car accident claim. We will fight for you to make sure you get the settlement you deserve for your accident claim. We can meet with you for free to speak to you about your accident and your options for moving forward. It doesn’t cost anything up front to hire us, and we only get paid if you get paid! We have over 26 years of experience representing clients just like you and have recovered over $50,000,000 for our clients. Schedule a free, no pressure, no obligation case review via our website or on the phone at 800-559-5741. We look forward to speaking with you very soon!
