Even in seemingly minor accidents, traffic accident injuries are a common result of these events. Some road accident injuries are minor and will heal in a short amount of time. However, for many victims with injuries from traffic collisions, they may be left with lengthy recovery times or even permanent disabilities that impact the rest of their lives.
When injuries completely alter your life, the medical expenses can quickly spiral out of control. These tend to create additional stress by rendering victims unable to work either in the short-term during recovery or over the long-term if there are permanent effects. With lost income, the burden of these financial impacts worsens. It can also create mental health issues that have far-reaching consequences.
A dedicated Washington car accident attorney is committed to helping victims who have suffered injuries from traffic collisions. Read on to discover the various types of traffic collision injuries and their impacts, as well as how a car crash lawyer from our law firm can be a tremendous asset in seeking justice and compensation.
Understanding Traffic Collision Injuries
Traffic accident injuries are any physical harm sustained from the impact of a motor vehicle collision. These injuries can be minor, such as cuts and bruises, or they can be extensive, leading to permanent damage that affects vital organs, such as the brain or spinal cord.
Road accident injuries will vary depending on the force exerted in the crash. The severity of the crash, the location of the impact, and whether seatbelts and other safety equipment were in use at the time will all affect the types of traffic collision injuries as well as their severity.
No two accidents are alike, as the factors between them will vary greatly. The only way to understand the full extent of traffic accident injuries is to seek immediate medical treatment following the crash.
Types of Traffic Accident Injuries
In car accidents, most people are left with injuries in some form. Common injuries in car crashes tend to include:
Whiplash and Neck Injuries
Neck injuries, especially whiplash, are very common injuries in car crashes. When the head is whipped forward and backwards in a sudden way, it can cause damage to the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in the neck.
Additionally, the discs in the cervical spine region located at the base of the neck may also suffer damage. You’re more likely to have whiplash or a neck injury in a rear-end collision or when vehicles are traveling at high rates of speed. It is possible to sustain these road accident injuries in any type of crash when the headrests aren’t adjusted to the proper height. They should be aligned with the head of the driver and passengers to minimize the space between the head and the headrests.
Since car accidents can cause victims to experience an adrenaline surge, the initial symptoms of whiplash and other neck injuries may not be noticeable in the immediate aftermath. It is wise to seek medical care promptly if you feel neck pain or stiffness, the pain in your neck hurts when you move, your range of motion in your neck is limited, or you experience headaches, dizziness, or fatigue.
The chances of recovery after whiplash or other neck injuries are fairly high; however, specific factors of the accident may mean that you are left with permanent, chronic neck pain or pain radiating through your arms and shoulders. Severe migraines and headaches may plague you over the long-term as well. By getting treated for these injuries, you can establish medical records that make it easier to get the full amount of compensation needed to cover your medical expenses.
Head and Brain Injuries
Among the most common types of traffic collision injuries are head and brain injuries, particularly traumatic brain injury (TBI). Depending on the circumstances, these can range from mild, such as a concussion, to severe, which could result in a coma or death.
You’re more likely to suffer these types of injuries in serious crashes, such as head-on collisions or rollovers, or in accidents that involve commercial trucks due to their larger, heavier size. Occupants who aren’t wearing safety restraints are also more prone to head and brain injuries when they are thrown from the vehicle during the impact.
In a major accident or one that involves a semi-truck, victims will likely need to go to the hospital, where doctors and supporting staff will check for head injuries and TBI. Taking a blow to the head could cause permanent damage, but open TBIs, where the skull has been punctured, are even more serious.
After a motor vehicle wreck that results in head injuries, victims may experience cognitive symptoms, including memory loss, difficulty speaking, or trouble with perception. Behavioral symptoms, such as mood swings, irritability, and anxiety, are also common. You may have physical symptoms that indicate your need for prompt medical intervention, including balance and coordination problems, nausea, vomiting, headaches, and fatigue.
Even with treatment, the potential for long-term impacts from these head injuries is high, especially when you have a moderate to severe traumatic brain injury. Rehabilitation and physical therapy may be required to help victims learn to speak or coordinate movements again. Some people are rendered incapable of independent living for the rest of their lives, requiring assistive care for the rest of their lives.
Back and Spinal Cord Injuries
Injuries to the back can result in strains, sprains, herniated discs, spinal fractures, and spinal cord injuries. You’re more likely to have damage to this vital lifeline in your body in a rollover accident or high-speed collision.
Since the symptoms will vary depending on where the injury occurred on the spinal column and the severity of said injury, it is important to undergo a full medical examination. You may feel back pain, experience weakness or tingling in your legs, have limited mobility or range of motion in your spine, or lose control of your bladder or bowels.
Time is of the essence if a back or spinal cord injury is present. Treating it quickly may prevent it from worsening. However, in catastrophic crashes, likely, chronic back pain, irreversible loss of mobility, permanent loss of bowel and bladder function, and problems with circulation or respiration will require victims to need constant medical care.
Broken Bones and Fractures
In high-speed crashes, especially front or side-impact crashes, broken bones and fractures are common injuries. Drivers and passengers can suffer broken arms, legs, ribs, and various fractures. These will all range in severity depending on where they occur.
If you have broken bones, you will most likely experience severe pain and bruising at the point of injury. Swelling or tenderness is also common, and you may be unable to move the affected limb. Some broken bones can be easily treated by immobilizing the area in a cast and getting rest. However, if the fracture is open and the bone pokes through the skin or areas of the bone are crushed, victims will experience long-term impacts. These may include chronic pain, permanent mobility issues, and nerve damage.
Internal Injuries and Organ Damage
Internal injuries are extremely concerning, as they can happen in any type of motor vehicle accident. The jarring impact of a collision can cause vital organs to sustain bruising and damage, leading to bleeding.
Internal bleeding often does not have immediate symptoms, and skipping medical treatment could result in a life-threatening condition. Always request medical attention after a crash to check your organs and make sure you have not suffered injury.
Psychological Impacts
Beyond the physical impacts of the common injuries in car crashes, psychological impacts can develop as well. Depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may make it difficult to move forward with your life.
Survivors of major car accidents who endure permanent physical injuries are more likely to have lasting psychological impacts, as their injuries may prevent them from returning to their careers or enjoying life. Even when an injury is expected to heal in time, victims may develop a fear of driving or be afraid of getting into any vehicle, and require mental health treatments.
Road Accident Injuries Specific to Pedestrians, Cyclists, and Motorcyclists
It is also important to consider that the most vulnerable users on the road are pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists. Since these road users have no protective barriers in an accident, their road accident injuries tend to be far more severe.
Even when wearing a helmet, bicyclists and motorcyclists may still suffer head injuries that completely alter the course of their lives. Pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists tend to experience broken bones, particularly in the legs, ankles, ribs, arms, shoulders, and wrists. Facial injuries are another concern, often requiring multiple reconstructive surgeries to correct shattered jaws and orbital cavities.
When these vulnerable road users are hit by a motor vehicle, it can cause them to skid across the pavement, leading to road rash that can result in permanent scarring, even after multiple skin grafts. Protective gear can significantly reduce the risks for the most serious types of traffic collision injuries, though it is no match for a vehicle that weighs several thousand pounds.
No matter what type of accident you’ve been in, your health is most important. You should make sure that you immediately proceed to the hospital after a major crash or, if your injuries do not appear life-threatening, to an urgent care center. Even if you think you are fine, visit your doctor, who may refer you to a specialist to ensure your health and vitality.
You must speak to a car accident lawyer in Washington after getting medical care to learn more about your legal rights. At Jacobs and Jacobs Injury Law, we provide the compassionate advocacy you need while we fight for your fair compensation.
The Legal Implications of Washington Road Accident Injuries
When you suffer traffic accident injuries as a result of another driver’s negligent actions, personal injury law allows you to hold them accountable for your damages. In Washington State, insurance follows an at-fault model, which means the driver responsible for causing the accident will be held liable.
However, the rule of pure comparative negligence is also a factor, and it could mean that you are partially blamed for your injuries. Washington follows a pure comparative negligence model, allowing victims the chance to recover compensation even if they are 99% at fault. The compensation award is reduced by the percentage of fault assigned, and this could be problematic when your actions or inactions had nothing to do with the crash.
The biggest issue that tends to arise with traffic accident injuries is that insurance companies will attempt to assign more blame to a victim in an attempt to reduce the payout. Even if you are issued 10% of the fault, the amount you receive will be reduced by this percentage, likely causing you to pay out of pocket for the remainder of your damages.
Insurance companies are focused on profits, and while their adjusters have been instructed to seem sympathetic, they are ultimately looking for ways to whittle down your settlement. Speaking to a lawyer from the start of your injury claim can help you assess the true value of your case and allow you to seek what is fair to cover your medical bills, lost wages, and other financial impacts from the crash.
Why You Need a Lawyer When You Have Injuries from Traffic Collisions in Washington
If you have suffered traffic accident injuries, you should learn more about your legal options through an attorney. At Jacobs and Jacobs Injury Law Group, we provide a free initial consultation to help you determine your next steps. Hiring a lawyer in this situation provides many benefits, including:
Experience Navigating Insurance Claims
Whether you’ve been in an accident before or it’s your first time, navigating insurance claims can be stressful and confusing. Our attorneys know how to decipher the legal terms on insurance policies and how to provide proper documentation of your injury claim to get you the amount you deserve.
Protection from Lowball Offers
Many victims in motor vehicle accidents are relieved when the insurance company for the at-fault party offers them a quick settlement. It’s completely understandable as you’d certainly like to put this matter behind you and move forward with your life.
However, when you look at the types of traffic collision injuries listed above and the potential impacts they may have for the rest of your life, you may be settling for an amount that isn’t even close to covering the financial losses from your medical bills. You need to think about the cost of your future medical care, whether you can ever return to your job in your former capacity, whether you will be forced to take a lower-paying job, or the mental impacts of not being able to live independently again.
Car accident attorneys understand how to calculate all economic and non-economic losses and seek full compensation. If you’ve already been issued an offer from the insurance company, do not sign the release for it without having a lawyer review it to make sure it is sufficient. Once you sign for the check, you will not be permitted to seek additional compensation for your accident.
Investigations into the Crash
The insurance companies will investigate the accident, and while police will assess the accident scene, some crashes are far more complex. With an attorney, you will have someone who will investigate to gather other evidence, such as traffic camera footage, or hire experts like accident reconstructionists to testify.
All of this evidence can help build a strong case, proving who was responsible for the wreck. This helps you avoid being falsely blamed and allows you to collect compensation for all of your losses and damages. An attorney is an essential advocate to have, especially if you were rendered unconscious in the accident and woke up in the hospital. The typical steps you’d take after a crash, such as taking photos and videos or exchanging contact information, are impossible when you have severe injuries, but your legal team can step in quickly to gather evidence.
Tackling Legal Complexities
When your road accident injuries are severe or life-altering, there are multiple parties involved, or your accident was caused by a commercial truck, there are even more complexities that will arise. It can be much more difficult to file claims and lawsuits when these factors are present, making the need for an attorney imperative.
Negotiating with the At-Fault Party
Insurance companies count on injured victims to go without legal representation, allowing them to manipulate the situation. These companies have their own legal teams, so why shouldn’t you? They will use a variety of tactics to lower their settlement offer, but your trusted motor vehicle crash attorney will know how to handle each of them to reach a settlement that is to your benefit.
If you have endured significant injuries in a traffic crash as a result of another person’s negligence, liability is disputed, the other driver was uninsured or underinsured, or multiple parties were involved, talk to a lawyer at Jacobs and Jacobs Injury Law Group today during your free initial consultation.
Seek Legal Help from Jacobs and Jacobs Injury Law Group
At Jacobs and Jacobs Injury Law Group, we know how challenging it is to cope with serious injuries. In a fraction of a second, someone’s negligent choices on the road caused your life to change, potentially leading to your need for lifelong medical care.
Insurance companies do not have your best interests at heart and try to get you to settle for much less than you deserve. We will fight to protect you from these tactics and help you get your life back to as normal as possible.
You can count on our personal injury law firm to stand by you every step of the way:
Comprehensive Legal Support
From the moment you engage our services, we handle everything on your behalf. We communicate with the insurance companies, conduct extensive investigations, gather relevant evidence to build a strong case, and negotiate tirelessly to get a full and fair settlement. We also prepare from the start to take the case to trial, even if we believe it will settle before it gets to the courtroom.
Extensive Experience Representing Injured Victims
The attorneys at our law firm have a combined experience of over 100 years. We utilize this legal prowess by using legal precedents and tactics from cases similar to yours to demand a fair settlement figure.
Compassionate and Client-Focused Approach
At Jacobs and Jacobs Injury Law Group, we know that what you have been through is painful and stressful. Your future may seem uncertain, and our goal is to provide a level of stability to help you see brighter days ahead. We are always available to answer your questions and responsive when you reach out to ease your mind throughout this process.
Aggressive Advocacy on Your Behalf
When injured victims are left with mountains of debt caused by the negligence of another, we won’t rest until we fight for what is fair. Let us support you and protect your legal rights to recover the compensation you deserve to cover all of your damages.
Our legal representation allows you to take the weight off your shoulders. Let us do the heavy lifting while you stay focused on your health and well-being. To recover from your injuries, you will need to follow your doctor’s orders. This may include a variety of doctors’ appointments, surgeries, physical therapy, and other treatments. It is impossible to focus on healing when you’re trying to find your way through the legal process.
At Jacobs and Jacobs Injury Law Group, it is our mission to tailor our services to meet your needs and work toward a favorable outcome. Contact us today at (253) 845-0577 to schedule your free case review with one of our attorneys.