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Car accidents may be daily occurrences nationwide, but they are not a common occurrence for an individual. An average person experiences about 3 car accidents in a lifetime, but that total includes minor fender-benders. A serious car accident is most often a once-per-lifetime event, and many individuals have the good fortune to never experience a serious car accident. However, when a serious car accident does occur to an individual, the injury victim experiences significant physical and economic consequences—known as “damages” in a car accident claim in New Haven. A successful claim for damages from a car accident recovers compensation for medical expenses, lost income, diminished earning capacity, pain and suffering, and sometimes emotional damages as well. Car accident injuries are serious and car accident victims deserve serious legal representation so they can recover ample compensation.
Seatbelts significantly increase the likelihood of survival in a car accident, but it doesn’t prevent all injuries. The crash force of an accident turns a 100-pound person into a 3,000-pound force at only 30 MPH. The destructive crash force increases with the individual’s body weight and the speed of the vehicle upon impact. When an accident causes severe or catastrophic injuries it can cause life-altering damages to the victim including disability, impairment, and a lowered ability to earn a living. Examples of serious and catastrophic car accident injuries include:
The above injuries not only require expensive emergency medical treatment but also long-term medical care, rehabilitation, adaptive equipment, and home health care. It also causes diminished future earning capacity and emotional distress associated with a dramatic change in ability and/or mobility. Many victims of catastrophic injuries recover compensation for loss of enjoyment of life. If someone else’s carelessness, recklessness, or wrongdoing caused the accident, they are responsible for damages, typically paid through their auto insurance up to its limits.
The worst car accident injuries result in death. In these cases, close family members of the deceased individual can recover damages like medical costs, funeral expenses, and the loss of income and benefits for the remainder of working years the victim would have had remaining to them had they survived.
Fortunately, not all car accident injuries are severe or life-altering. Many injuries are completely recoverable. However, even less serious injuries can quickly cause financial hardship with one or two expensive medical bills and a week of missed wages. Examples of less severe injuries that still cause economic damages and pain and suffering include the following:
Even relatively minor injuries with a prognosis for complete recovery such as a knee injury like a torn meniscus or ACL can cause temporary immobility and pain and suffering. When someone else’s actions caused the injury, the injury victim shouldn’t be left responsible for the damages. Often, it takes a skilled attorney to help a car accident victim to recover all of the compensation they’re entitled to after an accident because insurance companies protect their profits at the injury victim’s expense.