What Are the Most Common Types of Injuries Sustained in Auto Accidents?
Auto accidents can lead to all sorts of injuries, ranging from minor to catastrophic. Common injuries sustained in auto accidents include cuts, bruises, broken bones, spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, and internal bleeding. Regardless of the nature of your injuries, if someone else was to blame for the accident, an experienced attorney could help you recover compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, pain, suffering, and more.
If you were injured in a car accident at little to no fault of your own, the first thing to do is seek medical attention. The second is to consult with an experienced attorney to make sure you understand your right to legal compensation from the at-fault party. R. Alan Cleveland, LLC, is here to help. Read on to learn more about common injuries sustained in auto accidents. Contact us today to have your questions and concerns addressed by a skilled attorney in a free, no-obligation consultation.
Are All Auto Accidents the Same?
Contents
Not at all. Though they may share certain features, each auto accident is legally and factually unique. To ensure the best results, each collision should be handled by an attorney on a case-by-case basis. At R. Alan Cleveland, LLC, we strive to provide each of our clients with the individualized attention they deserve. We have extensive experience handling a wide variety of auto accidents, including:
- Bicycle accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Motorcycle accidents
- Truck accidents
- Hit-and-run accidents
- Rear-end accidents
- Head-on accidents
- T-bone accidents
- Uber/Lyft/Rideshare accidents
What Are the Most Common Injuries Sustained in Auto Accidents?
The body is extremely complex, making it difficult to generalize about the long list of injuries you could sustain through an auto accident. That said, the precise nature of your injuries will be a determinative factor when calculating the compensation you are entitled to from the at-fault party. We are ready to listen to your story and carefully work through your medical records to make sure no stones are left unturned. Common injuries we see in cases we handle include:
- Soft-tissue injuries – The body’s soft tissues include things like skin, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and other connective tissues. A torn muscle, ligament, or tendon can prevent you from moving or using certain body parts as usual. They can also be extremely painful.
- Broken bones – It is common for people to break bones in their hands, arms, feet, legs, and torso in car accidents. Collisions sometimes also lead to broken facial bones, as well as dental trauma, when the impact causes victims to hit their steering wheel or dashboard. No matter where it is located, a broken bone is also extremely painful, and injured vehicle occupants could be left permanently impacted when it does not heal correctly.
- Back and neck injuries – Whiplash, herniated discs, stress fractures, torn muscles, and other injuries to the back and neck can cause severe pain and prevent people from engaging in their regular day-to-day activities. Direct injuries to the spine can be particularly devastating. Among other things, they can lead to full or partial paralysis below the injury site. According to the National Spinal Cord Injury Statistical Center (NSCISC), car accidents caused 42 percent of all spinal cord injuries in a recent year.
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) – Ranging from minor, temporary concussions to long-term comas, these can be some of the most debilitating injuries alongside injuries to the spine. Long-term side effects may include things like seizures, memory loss, difficulty speaking, mood swings, and paralysis. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that motor-vehicle accidents caused about 17 percent of all brain injury-related deaths in a recent year.
- Organ damage and internal bleeding – A car crash can do serious damage to organs and blood vessels within the body. Though the results are not always immediately obvious from the outside, failure to seek immediate medical attention can lead to permanent damage and death.
- Psychological trauma – The psychological impact a serious car accident can have should not be underestimated. Collisions can be terrifying experiences, especially for children and other vulnerable occupants. Fearing for your life, watching others sustain fatal injuries, undergoing invasive medical treatments, and handling long-term side effects can all seriously impact the emotional well-being of car accident victims.
What Compensation Can I Recover for Injuries Sustained in an Auto Accident?
If you successfully prove the at-fault driver’s responsibility for an accident, a court will order them to pay you monetary compensation, which should reflect both the financial and nonfinancial impact your injuries have on your life. The legal team at R. Alan Cleveland, LLC, can help you secure compensation for things like:
- Medical and rehabilitation expenses related to the crash
- Lost wages from time missed at work
- Reduced future earnings if you are left with a long-term disability
- Physical pain and suffering
- Psychological trauma
- Lowered quality of life
- Repair or replacement costs of damaged personal property
How Long Do I Have to File a Lawsuit After an Auto Accident?
All states set a deadline for filing personal injury lawsuits after an accident. The deadline is set by a law known as the statute of limitations. In Georgia, the deadline is set at two years from the date of the accident. Though a few narrow exceptions exist to this strictly enforced rule, it is best to consult with an attorney before relying on them. If you get the date wrong, your case will most likely be dismissed in court, destroying your right to seek compensation from the at-fault party.
Most car accident cases never actually end up being argued in court. Instead, they are normally resolved in out-of-court settlement negotiations with the at-fault party and their insurers. However, it is essential that your case be prepared as if it will be triedl, as this will serve as your primary leverage during settlement talks. If you miss the deadline to file a lawsuit, the defendant in your case will have no incentive to negotiate with you fairly.
Contact a Georgia Car Accident Lawyer Today
If you were injured in a car accident you did not cause, do not wait to seek help from an experienced attorney. The legal team at R. Alan Cleveland, LLC, is ready to make sure you know your rights and that you do not miss out on any compensation you are entitled to. Let us put our decades of experience to work for you. Contact us today to schedule a free consultation with a skilled Georgia car accident lawyer. You pay nothing unless we win your case.
An Athens resident Alan Cleveland grew up in Rockdale County. As a founding partner of the personal injury law firm of R. Alan Cleveland, LLC he proudly serves his community and provides skilled representation to injury victims and their families all around Georgia. Alan earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia and went on to graduate, summa cum laude, from Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School. He is also a graduate of Gerry Spence’s renowned Trial Lawyers College (TLC) in Wyoming. In his free time, Alan frequently speaks at continuing legal education seminars. He also volunteered as a youth baseball coach and assists with Georgia’s high school moot court competition held annually. Alan serves as a Trustee of Historic Athens and is a member of the Development Authority of the Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County.
