In recent years, the annual number of car accident victims in Orange County, CA, ranged from around 13,000 to 20,000. Injuries from car accidents can be minor and temporary or severe and long-lasting — and determining the full extent of damage may pose a challenge in the first hours and days after the crash. Let’s list a few common types of car accident injuries and their long-term impact.
Frequently Occurring Auto Accident Injuries in California
Common auto accident injuries include:
- Whiplash: damage to the neck muscles because of a sharp back and forward movement
- Head and brain damage: skull fractures, hematomas, intracranial bleeding, concussion, and traumatic brain injuries
- Penetrating injuries: soft tissue damage from flying glass shards and other sharp debris
- Spine injuries and fractures
- Hand, wrist, and shoulder injuries: fractures, dislocations, and sprains
- Leg, foot, ankle, and knee injuries: ligament and tendon damage, severe knee strain, broken bones, and lacerations
- Other fractures like broken ribs
- Damage to internal organs like the liver, kidneys, or lungs, often with internal bleeding
- Skin damage: road rash from sliding across asphalt or burns from a car that catches fire
All these injuries can be serious or even fatal. Victims may require hospitalization, surgery, and various procedures to deal with the physical impact of the accident — and that’s before you consider the mental trauma, anxiety, PTSD, and other psychological symptoms survivors often suffer.
How to Protect Yourself Against Injuries or Minimize Injury Impact
While no one is immune to injuries from car accidents, you can take several steps to reduce the chances of sustaining injuries and mitigate health damage if you suffer a vehicle crash:
- Observe speed limits and other traffic regulations. A slower vehicle is always easier to control.
- Drive carefully during bad weather or in problematic road conditions.
- Always wear a seatbelt, even during short drives. Insist on all your passengers buckling up as well.
- Keep your vehicle in proper working order, including the engine, brakes, lights, and the electrical system.
- Pay attention to other motorists’ behavior on the road and stay away from reckless or aggressive drivers.
- If you are injured in a car accident, seek medical treatment immediately and follow your healthcare provider’s instructions.
Why You Should Seek Medical Attention Immediately After Your Accident
Injuries from car accidents may seem trivial at first but develop into extremely serious or even life-threatening conditions without timely treatment. The shock and adrenaline rush you experience in the wake of an accident may mask severe injuries like internal organ, head, brain, and spinal cord damage. At the very least, visit a physician for a thorough medical check-up after an accident.
Pay extra attention to symptoms like headaches, back pain, abdominal swelling, numbness, dizziness, and memory loss. If you experience any of these after an accident, go in for another examination, even if you already saw a doctor.
Seeking prompt medical attention also plays a vital role in your car accident claim. Save every medical record, including hospital reports, logs of doctor’s visits, and drug prescriptions. These documents may help you and your lawyer prove the extent of health damage you suffered.
The Long-Term Effect of Car Accident Injuries
Some injuries from car accidents lead to long-term or permanent damage, including restricted mobility, paralysis, limb loss, scarring or disfigurement, reduced memory function, and impaired cognitive ability. Survivors may also experience mental health issues like flashbacks, PTSD, insomnia, anxiety, and depression.
Your accident may leave you unable to work or pursue your previous line of work. Driving may trigger traumatic emotions, so you may experience reduced confidence on the road. You may lose your ability to enjoy activities that are important to you, like sports or traveling. Your family life may suffer, and you may need to modify your home or move to a more accessible residence to accommodate disabilities.
Claiming Compensation for Future Damages
It’s simple enough to document medical treatment you have already completed and accident-related costs you have already covered. But how do you calculate the worth of future medical bills, like potential future surgeries or equipment you may need down the road? How do you evaluate future lost income or put a price tag on long-term pain and suffering?
An insurance adjuster may offer a settlement that looks generous but doesn’t account for all the potential expenses you may shoulder during your lifetime after the car accident. An experienced car accident attorney can seek professional evaluations and rely on information from past similar cases to prepare a lifelong medical care plan, an occupational analysis, an estimate of pain and suffering damages, and other documents that corroborate your future long-term losses.
Armed with this evidence, you can seek a settlement from the insurance company that accounts for your future costs.
Why You Need a Skilled Car Accident Lawyer
As an accident victim, you may count on the at-fault driver’s insurance to cover your medical costs, lost wages, and other accident-related expenses. However, insurance companies may try to minimize your payout by using deceptive tactics like disputing the extent of your injuries or trying to trick you into statements that could hurt your claim.
You’ll have a better chance of winning an adequate settlement with an experienced, assertive car accident lawyer advocating for your rights. Your attorney can:
- Evaluate your case and give you a reliable estimate of your claim’s worth
- Help you source and present compelling evidence to support your claim
- Guide you through filing a claim, handle all legal paperwork, and communicate with insurers
- Take stress and hassle out of the claim process
- Represent you at court if preliminary settlement negotiations fall through
Khalil Law Group: Fighting for the Rights of Car Accident Victims in Orange County, CA
Injuries from car accidents may lead to long-term health damage, mental trauma, lost income, and staggering expenses. At Khalil Law Group, we’re here to provide relentless, dedicated legal support from the moment you call our law firm until your claim’s resolution.
Call (714) 617-7870 24/7 or fill out our contact form for a free consultation with an experienced car accident attorney in Newport Beach, CA.