While many car crash victims will eventually recover from their injuries, serious accidents may cause permanent effects that will remain with you for your entire life. These permanent injuries often have a bigger impact than just physical pain or disability and can result in truly astronomical medical bills over time. After any serious car crash, you should consult an attorney to help recover the entire amount you are owed in compensation—whether from insurance, a settlement, or a court judgment against the at-fault driver.
Common Types of Permanent Injuries From Philadelphia Car Wrecks
While drunk drivers on the highway are usually the first type of serious car crash you may think of when it comes to permanent injuries, you could also suffer long-term effects from a SEPTA bus accident or even a multi-vehicle collision on any Philadelphia street. These types of crashes bring major changes to your daily routine, as well as having a drastic impact on your loved ones as they care for you.
Permanent injuries from vehicle collisions may include:
- Amputation. In serious accidents involving rollovers or totaled vehicles, victims may fully lose fingers, toes, or limbs.
- Broken bones. While these wounds usually heal over time, they may involve complications leading to lifelong pain or disability, with full mobility never completely regained.
- Disfigurement. Scarring, burn injuries, and other permanent changes to your physical appearance after a major crash may result in a loss in quality of life.
- Psychological effects. PTSD is common after a violent car crash, while emotional outbursts and difficulty regulating emotional response are particularly prevalent in brain injuries from vehicle collisions.
- Spinal cord injuries. Fractures to the spinal cord or spinal nerve damage can cause partial or total paralysis that requires extremely expensive long-term treatments and around-the-clock care.
- Traumatic brain injuries. If your head strikes an object, you may suffer a brain laceration or “coup-contrecoup” injury when the brain hits the side of the skull. These injuries have an extremely wide range of long term and even permanent repercussions from headaches and nausea to cognitive difficulties, speech impairment, and personality changes.
- Vision loss. Damage to the eyes or a traumatic brain injury may cause vision difficulty or even complete blindness in some cases.
These effects may not always show up on the day of the accident. Permanent pain flare-ups and loss of full mobility may not appear until days, weeks, or even months later, which is why every car accident victim needs to see a doctor immediately. Even if the crash doesn’t seem major and you aren’t visibly injured, always get a full checkup as soon as possible in case you have suffered internal injuries.
Why an Attorney Is Needed After a Permanent Injury
In addition to the physical and emotional toll, major injuries from a car accident are often financially devastating. You may not be able to effectively return to work while acclimating to your new normal, but your bills don’t stop arriving just because you’ve been hurt. Thankfully, you have the legal right to recover damages associated with your accident, including:
- Initial medical bills from the ambulance ride, emergency room visit, and any treatment required during your initial hospital stay.
- Loss of wages if you are unable to work full time or need to learn an entirely new skill if you can’t physically complete the duties of your previous employment.
- Long-term hospitalization, a stay at a care facility, or in-home care.
- Ongoing surgeries, therapies, and treatments dealing with the injury.
- Pain and suffering, loss of quality of life, and impact on personal relationships like your marriage.
- Various out-of-pocket costs while recovering or visiting specialists.
While loss of limbs or major facial scarring are obvious to an insurance adjuster or jury, many permanent effects aren’t visible to the naked eye. That’s why you need an attorney to help you prove your case and explain any potential future economic impacts from the injury, from medical bills to employment issues.
Consult a Skilled Accident Attorney to Discuss Next Steps
Have you or a close loved one suffered permanent effects from a vehicle crash caused by a negligent driver? Fill out our online contact form so we can learn more. We can help determine what your best course of action will be depending on the circumstances of the accident.
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