A car accident can turn your life upside down in a matter of moments. Some accidents cause minor injuries or property damage, while others have long-term or fatal results. When you experience injuries and losses from a car accident due to someone else’s negligence, you may have a legal right to receive compensation for your medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering, property damage, and more. Our experienced attorneys at Hall & Lampros at (404) 876–8100 understand that you may feel overwhelmed and unsure of your next steps. Learn how we can help you through this difficult time.
Common Car Accident Injuries
Although car accidents are all different, they often produce extensive damages as well as bodily injury to victims. Some common types of injuries that victims suffer as a result of car accidents include:
- Amputations
- Brain injuries
- Broken bones
- Death
- Disfigurement
- Internal bleeding or internal organ damage
- Nerve damage
- Polytrauma (a combination of several injuries)
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Ruptured aorta from the heart (Aortic dissection from seatbelts and airbags)
- Scarring
- Spinal cord injury (results in either temporary or permanent paralysis)
- Whiplash
What To Do After a Car Accident
If you experience a serious car accident, there are four areas to address immediately. Following these steps will help you begin a personal injury claim, which may allow you to receive compensation for your injuries.
Obtain Contact Information
Always get the contact information and insurance card information from the other driver. If there are witnesses to the accident, obtain their contact information as well. Make sure to request a copy of the official police report at some point following your car accident.
Seek Immediate Medical Attention
After a car accident, you may not feel the full extent of your injuries due to adrenaline and shock. Additionally, some injuries simply take longer to exhibit symptoms, however, they may be more serious than they first appear. Seeking immediate medical care and allowing a qualified medical professional to examine you will ensure that you are properly treated. If you have not yet seen a medical professional, you should do so immediately. Additionally, if any of your symptoms worsen, or you develop new symptoms, make sure to revisit a doctor for another evaluation.
Keep A Documentation Folder
Be sure to keep all documents, bills, lost wages from your employer (including missed bonuses, etc.), medical bills, repair receipts, and any other paperwork that is related to your car accident. Another helpful routine is to keep a journal that contains your notes about the car accident, your treatment, your injuries, your pain levels, and anything else you feel or experience as a result of the accident. Having an accessible folder of all the paperwork will make it easier for you and your attorney if you decide to make a personal injury claim.
Types of Compensation
If you have suffered injuries from a car accident, there are various types of compensation you may have the legal right to pursue. The following are commonly given to car accident victims who experienced an accident due to the negligence of another driver.
- Medical Expenses – A car accident victim may be able to claim emergency room treatment, surgeries, ambulance costs, physical therapy, medications, medical devices, doctor’s visits, medical testing, and more.
- Lost Wages / Loss of Future Earnings – When you have experienced a car accident, you have likely missed work and lost wages. By filing a personal injury claim, you may be able to be compensated for lost wages, missed bonuses, potentially missed promotions, vacation and sick leave, employee benefits, and more. If your injuries cause permanent disability and you are unable to return to work, you may be able to claim loss of future earnings as well.
- Property Damage – Damage to your vehicle, towing costs, repair bills, or the replacement of your vehicle can be included in a personal injury claim by a car accident victim.
- Pain and Suffering – Keeping a daily journal can be a valuable piece of documentation, showing the extent of your pain, suffering, and the limitations you may have suffered as a result of your car accident. Although the emotional pain and suffering may be otherwise difficult to calculate, an attorney can use documentation such as your journal to help build a strong personal injury case.
- Punitive Damages – In some situations, the other driver involved exhibited such negligent, reckless or careless behavior that the court will award punitive damages. This not only punishes the wrongdoer but discourages other parties from acting in a similar manner.
Experienced Atlanta Car Accident Attorneys
If you suffered any kind of injuries or losses related to a car accident, you may feel anxious and frustrated. Negotiating with unscrupulous and manipulative insurance companies, dealing with your physical or psychological injuries suffered from the car accident, and also navigating the fact that you have lost wages and the inability to return to work can feel overwhelming. Learn how our experienced car accident attorneys can help you through this process in order to help you get the compensation you deserve. Contact Hall & Lampros at (404) 876–8100 today for a free consultation.
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