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What Qualifies as a Serious Injury After a Car Crash?

Posted on behalf of Arnold Law Firm in

man-in-wheelchair-staringIf you or a loved one was injured in a car accident, you may be wondering if your injury is serious enough to qualify for compensation.

Often, injuries are much more severe than victims realize, and assuming an injury is insignificant is a common misconception. If the injury resulted from another’s negligence, you should strongly consider discussing the situation with a licensed attorney. Learn more about common misconceptions of auto accident victims.

Call the Arnold Law Firm if you or a loved one was injured in a car crash. Our firm has decades of combined legal experience helping injury victims in California. We know how to thoroughly investigate car accident claims and pursue the compensation injured victims need to cover medical costs, lost wages, pain and suffering, and other damages.

What is the Definition of a Serious Injury?

Although there is no official definition of a serious car crash injury, relevant indicators include how long the victim suffers from the effects of the injury, how it has altered his or her lifestyle, and whether it causes you to miss work for an extended period of time.

Seeking immediate medical treatment is important, because your injuries could be much more severe than you realize. A minor fender bender can cause severe injuries, while a crash with greater vehicular damage may cause only a few cuts and scratches. Sometimes, such as with whiplash injuries, victims may walk away from an accident without any symptoms until a few days or weeks after the accident.

When an injury slowly becomes more severe, the value of a claim is often much greater than the initial settlement offer from the insurance company. Discuss your situation with an experienced Sacramento car accident attorney to learn more about how much your claim could be worth.

Types of Crashes Known to Cause Severe Injuries

There are many ways a severe injury could be sustained when two or more vehicles collide. However, some types of accidents have a higher probability of resulting in severe injuries, such as:

  • Side-impact crashes – Also known as T-bone crashes, these types of car accidents occur when one vehicle impacts the side of another vehicle where the doors are located. These crashes pose a serious risk to drivers and passengers because the sides of most vehicles are not built to withstand impact the way the front and back are.
  • Rollover accidents – These types of accidents usually occur with SUV’s, which have a higher center of gravity compared to smaller sedans. Because they involve the vehicle rolling over on its side, sometimes multiple times, these crashes can cause many severe injuries, such as broken bones, spinal cord injuries and internal organ damage.
  • Head-on collisions – These collisions occur when the front ends of two vehicles crash into each other, often because one car is going the wrong way. They are exceptionally dangerous for front-seat drivers and pose a high risk for fatality for anyone in either vehicle.

If you were involved in any of the above accidents or something similar, contact the Arnold Law Firm for a no-cost case evaluation. We charge zero fees upfront and you will not be billed for our services unless we obtain compensation for you.

Examples of Serious Car Accident Injuries

While there are myriad ways someone could get injured in a car crash, some of the most common serious injuries often include:

  • Severe whiplash
  • Lacerations
  • Broken/fractured bones
  • Soft tissue injuries
  • Traumatic brain injuries
  • Spinal cord damages
  • Permanent scarring
  • Paralysis
  • Loss of limbs/amputations
  • Death

Contact an Experienced Attorney to Pursue Maximum Compensation

When you seek legal representation for your car accident claim, it is important to hire an experienced lawyer who has a proven track record of recovering compensation for car crash victims.

The attorneys at the Arnold Law Firm understand the financial difficulties individuals and families experience after a serious car crash. We have a proven record of obtaining compensation, including a $3.5 million settlement for a car accident victim who suffered a permanent brain injury along with other injuries.

Remember, we charge you nothing unless we recover compensation for your claim.

Call us at (916) 777-7777 anytime to set up your free case evaluation.

Settlement - $3,767,000

Truck Accident

A 20-year-old man who had been married for just 12 days left home on his way to work. He was driving on Pleasant Grove Road in Sutter County in the early morning when he came upon a slow-moving truck. As he pulled out to pass the truck, the truck driver turned left in front of him. The young man attempted to steer back into his lane but his vehicle struck an un-flagged piece of metal extending from the back of the truck. He died in the resulting crash.

Expert witnesses brought in by the Arnold Law Firm proved that the truck, owned and operated by a hauling firm, should never have been on the highway that morning. Specifically, the rear and side turn signals did not work and the rear-view mirror was in a poor state of adjustment at the time of the collision. As a result, the driver, who had failed to properly inspect the vehicle before setting out that morning, couldn’t see the young man’s vehicle as it attempted to pass.

The poor condition of the truck, its lack of maintenance and the manner in which it was operated were found to be substantial factors in causing the collision that killed the young man. The testimony also established that the man had been making a lawful pass at the lawful speed limit and acted reasonably when he attempted to avoid the collision.

The man’s 20-year-old widow was awarded $3,767,000.77, his parents were awarded $185,131 and the family was reimbursed $11,899 in funeral expenses. Though money is a poor substitute for a young man’s life, this verdict demonstrates that drivers who endanger the lives of others will be held accountable for their actions.