Car crash injuries can leave you incapacitated and unable to work or handle your daily tasks. In Ohio, many of the most common car accident injuries are serious or even life-threatening.
It is important to your well-being and ability to receive compensation for your injuries that you seek medical attention and legal guidance as soon as reasonably possible.Â
Aaron L. Bensinger is an experienced car accident lawyer serving clients throughout Northwest Ohio, including Elida, Lima, Kenton, and Perry Counties. If you or a loved one sustained serious injuries, contact us today to learn whether you may be entitled to recover compensation for your medical bills, lost income, and emotional pain and suffering.
Feel free to reach out to us at (419) 455-1410 to arrange a complimentary case review.
What Are the Most Common Car Accident Injuries in Ohio?
Motor vehicle collisions can cause a variety of injuries, ranging from mild bumps and bruises to severe or life-threatening conditions.
No two accidents are the same. High-impact car accident injuries often differ from low-impact injuries. The angle and nature of the collision may also change the type of damage sustained. Common injuries in a car accident can range in severity from superficial scrapes and bruises to debilitating and life-changing injuries, such as brain damage or paralysis. Regardless of how bad your injury is, if you are the victim of a car accident, you should consider seeking both medical attention and legal guidance to minimize the accident’s future impact.
Back Injuries
Back pain is one of the most common car crash injuries, but it may not present immediately due to the adrenaline accident victims often feel in the immediate aftermath of a collision. Once inflammation sets in, back pain can be debilitating and long-lasting. Sprains and strains may heal with time, but sometimes extensive treatment in the form of surgery, physical therapy, or continual medication is required to ease discomfort.
Disc and Spinal Cord Injuries
Disc injuries and spinal cord injuries can result in life-changing complications such as full or partial paralysis or limited mobility. You need to seek both medical care and legal guidance to address any issues with disc and spinal cord injuries you may be experiencing, even if you have a pre-existing condition.
Lacerations and Bruises
The severity of lacerations can vary from the need for a bandage to full reconstructive surgery. Serious car accident injuries can cause wounds that pose a risk of blood loss and potential infections, requiring immediate medical care. Bruising can also be mild or severe. Internal bruising may go unnoticed without medical care, resulting in health complications if not treated properly.
Neck Injuries and Whiplash
Whiplash is a soft tissue injury to the neck and occurs when the body is forced in one direction, and the head and neck follow at a slower speed. The sudden change in velocity between the body and head places severe strain on the muscles and soft tissue as they pull apart and snap back with a jolt. This is one of the most common car accident injuries.
Whiplash can damage intervertebral joints, discs, ligaments, cervical muscles, and nerve roots. This type of injury often happens in rear-end collision accidents but can occur with impact from any angle. Symptoms may include headaches, shoulder and neck pain, dizziness, vision problems, ringing in the ears, and more. Symptoms may be present immediately or take days to show up.
Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) and Head Injuries
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines a traumatic brain injury (TBI) as a disruption in the normal function of the brain caused by an impact to the head. In car accidents, head injuries are usually caused by the head hitting the dashboard or side of the vehicle. Over 2.8 million Americans experience a brain injury each year.
What seems like a simple headache can sometimes be much more. Head injuries can include concussions, skull fractures, contusions, hematomas, nerve damage, and more. A TBI can be hard to diagnose. Mild cases of TBI can result in temporary symptoms of headaches, dizziness, and slowed speech, while severe cases can result in long periods of unconsciousness or coma, which can be fatal.
Broken Bones and Fractures
Broken bones are also common injuries in car accidents and depend primarily on the nature of the accident and the position of the person in the vehicle. Some broken bones heal without much difficulty, but other breaks can involve ongoing complications and require extensive treatment, like plastic surgery. It is important to diagnose and treat breaks and fractures right away to have the best chance of healing properly.
Severe Burns
Burns from car accidents can occur from contact with hot metal, steam, or other heating elements of the car. Unlike what you see in the movies, vehicles do not often catch on fire from accidents, though it can happen.
Burns are gauged by degrees—with first-degree referring to damaged skin and the fourth being deep enough to damage muscle and bones. Even first-degree burns can prove fatal if they cover over 50% of the body. Burn victims have a high probability of infection and sometimes experience permanent scarring. Depending on the severity of the burn, treatment could include extensive wound care and plastic surgery.
Mental Health Concerns
The mental health side effects of being in a car accident are arguably some of the most difficult to diagnose. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a common car accident injury that is often overlooked but can be very real, especially when the accident occurs in a particularly frightening way or when it results in fatalities. Emotional distress, pain, suffering, anxiety, and depression are also common for car accident victims and should be addressed when seeking compensation for car accidents.
Do I Need a Lawyer to Get a Car Accident Settlement?
You aren’t required to have a lawyer to pursue a car accident claim or to get a settlement. However, having one can provide many clear advantages. If you weren’t badly injured or you didn’t suffer substantial damages, you might not need an attorney to get the compensation you deserve. Before you make any decisions about your claim, however, you should at least consult with a lawyer to explore your options.
A car accident attorney can help you determine the value of your claim, gather evidence, and help ensure that you do not accept an unfair settlement offer.
To help you make the best decision for you and your future, Bensinger Legal Services offers a free consultation and case evaluation.
When Should I Hire a Car Accident Attorney?
Whether you are being treated for one of the common car accident injuries listed above or something completely different, after getting medical attention and treatment, your next move should be calling an attorney. Because most injury accident claims can be settled through the at-fault party’s insurance company, acting quickly can help resolve your case as quickly as possible.
Under the Ohio statute of limitations, you have only two years from the date of your accident to take legal action. If you don’t file a lawsuit within that time, you could relinquish your legal right to recover compensation. Talking to a lawyer can help ensure you get the compensation you deserve.
Contact Bensinger Legal Services Today for a Free Consultation
If you have an injury from a car accident, don’t talk to the insurance company or give a statement until you talk to an experienced personal injury lawyer. Anything you say in your statement can be used against you by the insurance company.
Contact us online or call (419) 455-1410 today to schedule your no-cost case review and learn more about the potential compensation value of your Ohio car accident injuries.
Aaron L. Bensinger is an Ohio attorney serving personal injury and civil litigation clients. He has extensive trial experience and makes client service is his primary focus. As a partner at Balyeat, Leahy, Daley, Miller & Bensinger, LLC, Aaron happily works in Lima, OH, and serves the entire Northwest region of the state and beyond.
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