Recovery can be slow after a serious car accident, and you may be wondering if your life will ever get back to normal. A basic understanding of common car accident injuries can guide you in seeking medical care after a car accident and help you build a strong personal injury claim.
Harsh winter conditions and wildlife populations in Atlantic Canada’s wilderness environment contribute to many accidents, especially rear-endings, loss of control, and high-impact frontal collisions. These accidents can cause whiplash, head injuries, and other serious injuries that may leave you with lifelong pain, disability, and financial uncertainty.
Our experienced car accident lawyers in Halifax, Nova Scotia are here to guide you, support you, and fight for the compensation you deserve. Continue reading for an overview of common car accident injuries in Atlantic Canada.
- Recognizing common car accident injuries can help you get the right medical care quickly and protect your injury claim.
- Common car accident injuries in Atlantic Canada include soft tissue injuries, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, broken bones, internal injuries, fractures, and psychological injuries.
- Delaying medical treatment or legal advice could harm both your health and your injury claim.
Why Do I Need To Know About Common Car Accident Injuries?
Knowing about car accident injuries can protect your health and personal injury claim.
Your Health
After a crash, it’s not always easy to know which symptoms point to serious injuries. Pain can be widespread, and adrenaline may mask early warning signs. Understanding common accident injuries can help you:
- Prioritize the most important information for your health team
- Recognize symptoms that point to emergencies
- Make informed decisions about your care
- Remember that seeking immediate medical attention is the most important step to take after a car accident, even if you feel okay
Even if you feel okay, seeking medical attention right away is critical. Some injuries are not immediately obvious but can become life-threatening if ignored.
Better Results in Your Personal Injury Claim
Insurance companies often downplay injuries or argue that they stem from pre-existing conditions. Knowing the common signs and long-term impact of accident injuries can help you connect them directly to the crash.
Knowing about car accident injuries can also help you understand their severity and long-term impacts, so all of your losses are included in your claim value. At Valent Legal, we understand the long-term toll of serious injuries. We will work with medical experts to account for every loss and fight for the compensation you deserve..
Common Injuries Resulting From Car Accidents
The injuries below are the most common car accident injuries we see throughout Atlantic Canada.
Strains and Sprains
A sprain is a torn or overstretched ligament, while a strain is a torn or overstretched muscle or tendon. Sprains and strains can cause pain, swelling, and weakness, most frequently in the back and joints.
Insurance companies often minimize strains and sprains, but they can be serious enough to require surgery or cause long-term pain and limitations.
Whiplash
Whiplash is a strain or sprain in the neck caused by the rapid and forceful movement of the head forward and backward from the impact of a crash, particularly rear-end collisions.
Whiplash symptoms after a car accident include neck pain, stiffness, and a limited range of motion in the neck, with symptoms sometimes appearing hours or days after the accident. In severe cases, whiplash can affect the shoulders and upper spine and cause permanent nerve damage.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Traumatic brain injuries are damage to the brain caused by a jolt or blow to the head. Mild traumatic brain injuries, also known as concussions, can cause dizziness, headaches, and difficulty with some thinking tasks, but usually clear up within a couple of weeks.
Moderate and severe traumatic brain injuries from a car crash cause more serious damage that may be permanent and can affect memory, cognitive abilities, personality, mood, and motor skills.
Spinal Cord and Back Injuries
Herniated discs, broken vertebrae, pinched nerves, and spine injuries from an auto accident can cause pain, numbness, and weakness. While some of these injuries are treatable with surgery or rehabilitation, spinal cord injuries can cause permanent paralysis from the point of injury down.
If you’ve been involved in a car accident, it’s crucial to understand your rights. Valent Legal is here to guide you through the process and help you secure the compensation you deserve.
Fractures
A fracture is a bone that has been cracked, broken, crushed, or shattered. The most common broken bones we have seen in our car accident clients are broken arms, wrists, collarbones, legs, ribs, and pelvic bones. Broken bones often require surgery and may heal after several weeks or months in a cast, but some broken bones cause permanent nerve damage.
Internal Injuries
Internal injuries are dangerous injuries that may appear minor at the scene but can quickly become life-threatening without immediate treatment. They included punctured lungs, damaged organs, intestinal injuries, and internal bleeding. Symptoms may include abdominal bruising, pain at the injury site, or shortness of breath.
Psychological Injuries
The emotional trauma of a car accident can lead to depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, and post-traumatic stress disorder, any of which can disrupt your functionality and impact your long-term earning potential. You may be able to recover with treatment, but for some, treatment can take a long time.
To receive compensation for psychological injuries, you will need a diagnosis connecting the disorder to the accident, with strong evidence of the debilitating effects.
Cuts, Scrapes, and Bruises
The forces of an accident will almost inevitably cause bruising from the seatbelt, the airbag, loose items in the car, and the impact itself. Shattered glass and debris can cause deep cuts and scrapes, which could become infected or leave permanent scars. If you make contact with the ground, you could also suffer from road rash, a serious abrasion that can cause blisters, swelling, and open wounds.
Joint Injuries
Joints contain a combination of bone, cartilage, ligaments, and other soft tissues that can easily be stretched, broken, dislocated, or torn from the forces of a car accident. Common joint injuries in car accidents include ACL and MCL tears in the knees, torn rotator cuffs in the shoulders, broken wrists, and sprained fingers. These injuries may require surgery and can cause chronic pain and physical limitations.
Burns
In rare cases, a car accident can lead to severe or widespread burns from fire, chemical exposure, and airbag explosions. Burn injuries can cause permanent scarring and lifelong health complications. Reconstructive surgery may be necessary to improve functionality.
How Valent Legal Supports Car Accident Victims
We are a client-focused injury law firm with deep roots in Atlantic Canada, dedicated to helping clients find a comprehensive resolution after a traumatic car accident. We will do all of the following so you can focus on rest and recovery without the stress of dealing with the insurance company:
- Investigate the accident
- Collect forensic evidence
- Interview eyewitnesses
- Review your medical records
- Retain expert witnesses
- Handle the insurance company
- Calculate your damages
- Negotiate a settlement
- Represent you in court if necessary
Our lawyers have decades of combined legal experience with hundreds of five-star client testimonials. We know how devastating a car accident can be, and that is why every case is personal for us. Our down-to-earth team will be accessible to you through every stage of the process. We charge no fees until you get a settlement or win a judgment in court.
Protect Your Rights — Contact Our Car Accident Lawyers Today
A car accident can leave you with serious injuries that never heal. You deserve compensation for your physical, emotional, and financial injuries. Medical attention is your top priority after a car accident. Delaying treatment can harm your health and give an insurance company room to assume your injuries are minor.
Your next priority is to contact a trusted, client-focused car accident law firm like Valent Legal before the most important evidence disappears. You have rights, and we work hard to protect them. Call (902) 443-4488 today or contact us online for a free consultation.