Do I Have a Case if I Only Have Minor Injuries from my Accident?
Car accidents sometimes cause only minor injuries that may not seem significant enough to warrant filing an insurance claim; however, even small injuries can be worse than you think and can become more serious over time, especially if they go untreated.
There are also instances where injuries may be delayed and do not appear until several months after a car accident. No matter your injuries, it is important to talk to an experienced personal injury lawyer after a car accident to better understand your legal rights and options. The injury attorneys at Contigo Centro Legal offer free consultations, which means we will evaluate your potential car accident claim and no upfront cost to you and help you better understand whether you have a viable claim.
Common Car Accident Injuries
There are many types of injuries caused by car accidents. Some injuries may be more serious than others, depending on the severity of the crash. While many common injuries can be minor, it is important your injuries do not go untreated because a minor injury could be the sign of a bigger problem or serious medical issue.
If you are injured in a car accident, it is important to understand what caused the injuries. Often, the accident is the sole cause of your injuries; but, there can be other instances where a vehicle defect or car seat defect caused your injuries or caused them to be worse than they should have been.
Do not just assume the car accident is the only cause of your injuries. The experienced car accident attorneys at Contigo Centro Legal will evaluate your case at no cost to you to determine the cause of your injuries and the compensation you are entitled to receive.
Common car accident injuries include:
Concussions or traumatic brain injuries. It may not be obvious if you suffer a concussion or a traumatic brain injury if you did not lose consciousness during the accident, or if you suffered a bump, blow or jolt to the head. If you experience headaches after the car accident, or notice changes, such as headaches, memory loss, mood swings and lack of ability to concentrate, you will want to be evaluated for a potential brain injury. If you sustain a brain injury in car crash, you may be at risk for future concussions and related complications. In some cases, you may suffer permanent impairments. A traumatic brain injury may not be immediately apparent and symptoms may change and appear over time. The attorneys at Contigo Centro Legal can help direct you to the proper medical experts to have you evaluated for a traumatic brain injury. If treatment is needed, then you will want to file a claim with your insurance company or the negligent driver’s insurance company so that you receive the compensation needed to cover the expenses for your medical treatment.
Seatbelt injuries. Injuries from defective seatbelts can you to suffer severe abdominal injuries, spinal cord injuries and paralysis. If this happens, it is possible that the seatbelt did not function properly. There can be instances where a seatbelt fails to latch properly or the force of the crash causes the seatbelt to unlatch. Sometimes seatbelts “spool out,” which means the tension required to restrain the child is released, leaving you unrestrained during the crash. There are many possible seatbelt defects that cause them to fail during car accidents. The attorneys at Contigo Centro Legal have experience evaluating seatbelts for potential defects that cause injuries to vehicle occupants. If you sustain serious injuries from a seatbelt, it is important to contact an attorney as soon as possible after your accident. Your vehicle will need to be preserved so that the seatbelt can be examined.
Airbag injuries. Common injuries from defective airbags include broken facial bones or neck injuries, particularly if the airbag does not deploy properly. Faulty airbags can explode with excessive force or fail to deploy, severely injuring vehicle occupants in the front or back seat. Defective airbags can also shoot metal shrapnel throughout the vehicle compartment and cause serious injuries to the head, neck or eyes. If you suspect an airbag defect caused your injuries during a car accident, contact the attorneys at Contigo Centro Legal. We have the knowledge and experience necessary to evaluate car accident cases for potential airbag defects.
Fractures and broken bones are common injuries in car accidents. While many fractures and broken bones can heal with a cast, some injuries may require surgery and physical therapy for you to completely heal.
Cuts and lacerations from broken glass can cause scarring and disfigurement. When these types of injuries occur, you may be entitled to more compensation than the insurance company will offer. Often, scaring and disfigurement will require surgery, particularly for children.
Why You Should Still File a Claim, Even If Your Injuries Appear to be Minor
Even if you suffer minor injuries during a car accident, you should seek medical attention. Injuries and medical treatment are essential to a successful claim for a car accident. You need to seek medical attention right after the at an emergency room, from your family doctor, chiropractor or walk-in clinic. The value of your case will depend on whether you followed your doctors’ treatment recommendations.
The experienced car accident attorneys at Contigo Centro Legal will evaluate your case at no upfront cost to you to determine what compensation you may be entitled to receiving. If you are injured in a car accident, there are certain type of damages you may receive payment for:
Medical bills. You can generally recover the amounts of expenses for the medical treatment you received. These expenses can include emergency room visits, doctors appointments, chiropractor treatment, physical therapy, and anything you may need such as crutches or braces. The total amount of your medical bills can often be the biggest part of the damages in your case. Sometimes these amounts may be lower if they have been paid by Medicaid or other insurers.
Emotional distress and pain and suffering. Physical injuries are not the only damage that occurs to you if you have been in an accident. You may have mental pain and suffering as a result of the injuries when they occurred and lasting pain after the accident. A traumatic event such as a car accident can also lead to anxiety and fear of being in a car again and possibly being in another accident. You also could be emotionally scarred if you have been disfigured in some physical way due to the accident.
Lost income. If your injuries were serious, you may have been unable to go to work for a short or even a long period of time. If the injury is permanent, you may not be able to work again or return to the same job or line of work you once performed. You should be able to recover for the time you had to take off from work because of your injury. You also should be able to recover if you have permanent or disabling injuries that is going to result in you earning less income over time.
Property damage. When your car is damaged it must be repaired. In some cases, the damage to your car may be able to be repaired by a body shop. But even in those cases, the overall value of your car may be less because it was damaged. In other cases, the damage to your car may be so bad that you should be entitled to the full value of the car because it cannot be repaired.
Contact Contigo Centro Legal for a Free Consultation
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, contact Contigo Centro Legal for a free consultation. The law requires that you bring your claim within a certain time period or you are prevented from getting any recovery.
In Missouri, you could have five years to file a lawsuit if you have been hit in a car wreck. But that time limit could be only three years if someone was killed in the wreck. In Kansas, you could be limited to two years to file a lawsuit. It is important to contact an attorney as soon as possible after your accident. Contact Contigo Centro Legal today at 816-800-8000 or contigolaw.com.