Each of us has seen a car accident on the highway with an ambulance nearby, indicating someone may have been severely injured. The impact of a collision can cause traumatic injuries and incapacitating injuries.
Our car accident attorneys at Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC typically assist accident victims who have sustained serious injuries, such as traumatic brain injury (TBI), spinal cord injuries and paralysis, or internal injuries that have caused debilitating complications. These injuries are the costliest in terms of medical expenses and ongoing care needs, as well as the victim’s loss of income, pain and suffering.
If someone else caused your injuries, then their insurance should be responsible for the costs of your medical bills. Yet, these very expensive car accident injuries are the kinds of injuries where we find that insurance companies are most reluctant to do the right thing. These are the fights that the attorneys at Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC take on for Indiana accident victims. We also help Indiana families who have lost a loved one in a fatal car accident pursue wrongful death claims.
Indiana Car Accident Injuries in the Emergency Room
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention looked at the diagnoses that doctors make once car accident victims are examined in the emergency room. The CDC said that the leading primary diagnoses for car accident victims are:
- Sprains and strains of the neck and back (23.6 percent)
- Bruises with intact skin surface (15.2 percent)
- Spinal disorders (8 percent)
- Sprains or strains other than the neck or back (6.5 percent)
- Fractures, i.e., broken bones (6.1 percent)
- Open wounds (3.7 percent).
The CDC says that for every one person killed in a car accident, eight people are hospitalized and 100 are treated in the emergency room and released.
Car Accident Injuries that Require Surgery
Tens of thousands of people are injured in some way in car accidents in Indiana each year. Most are treated and sent home. Over the last decade, approximately 3,500 people a year sustained incapacitating injuries such as severe lacerations, broken limbs, skull fractures, a crushed chest, or internal injuries that prevented them from driving or continuing normal activities, according to the annual Indiana Traffic Safety Report.
Let’s take a closer look at the types of car accident injuries commonly identified, and what they can mean to Indiana crash victims:
Skull fracture & Brain Injuries
A blow to the head that breaks the skull will cause some level of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Most people recover from a concussion, which is a mild traumatic brain injury. But a hard blow that breaks and/or penetrates the skull and brain will cause a serious TBI. This is a potentially serious life-long injury, resulting in loss of cognitive function (attention and memory), motor function (coordination and balance), sensation and/or emotional control.
Spinal Injury & Spinal Cord Injuries
Damage to the spine (backbone or vertebrae) can cause problems ranging from chronic back pain — a common medical issue that is a leading cause of lost work and productivity — to paralysis if the spinal cord is damaged. There is no way to repair a damaged spinal cord. Physical therapy may help some, but paralysis, the loss of movement and function, is a permanent injury that requires the spinal injury survivor to adapt to a new life.
Crushed chest
An injury that crushes the chest can break the sternum (chest bone) and ribs, which protect such vital organs as the heart, lungs and liver. Crushed sternum injuries are common in high speed crashes in which the driver is not wearing a seat belt. Broken pieces of bone may cause additional internal organ damage.
Internal injuries
Nonfatal injuries to vital organs, such as heart, liver, stomach, or bowels can cause bleeding that leads to a state of shock or infection, either of which can be fatal if not treated quickly. Such internal injuries require emergency surgery.
Open wounds / severe lacerations
Deep cuts or open wounds can include damage to multiple layers of skin, muscle and even organs. Significant bleeding from open wounds can cause an accident victim to go into shock, which can quickly lead to death. Treatment requires surgery, including potentially multiple rounds of cosmetic surgery to repair disfigurement.
Broken bones
In many cases a simple fracture can be easily set to heal over several weeks. As we age, bones do not heal as quickly. More significant fractures, like compound fractures or shattered bones, require surgery and may confine the victim to bed for several weeks.
Sprains and strains | Soft Tissue Injuries
Sprains, strains and tears — known as soft tissue injuries — may require lengthy recuperation that causes missed work and loss of income. When strains and sprains cause significant damage to muscles, ligaments or tendons, the victim may need several weeks of physical rehabilitation therapy and/or surgery to recover use of injured limbs, feet or hands.
Contusions
(bruises, hematoma): Like serious lacerations, deep bruises can damage muscle and organs. In severe cases, swelling and bleeding beneath the skin may cause shock. Bruising to the abdomen may damage internal organs. A large hematoma may be surgically drained to speed healing.
How Indiana Car Accident Lawyers Treat Your Car Accident Injuries
Any of these common car accident injuries will require medical treatment that is expensive and will cause you or your loved one pain and physical and emotional suffering and lost income from missed work.
If you were injured in a car accident caused by someone else’s negligence, you are entitled to claim compensation for your injuries. Your medical bills and other losses can quickly amount to hundreds of thousands of dollars after a serious accident. You may be entitled to compensation for the cost of medical treatment, loss of income during recovery, and compensation for pain, suffering, emotional trauma, loss of enjoyment of life, and more.
Contact Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC Today!
Craig, Kelley & Faultless LLC helps people who are struggling with serious injuries in a car accident in Indiana that was someone else’s fault. Our knowledgeable attorneys can provide guidance about your legal options during a free consultation. Understanding your options allows you to make a well-informed decision. Personal injury and wrongful death claims are complex, and Indiana’s statute of limitations prohibit filing a claim after two years from the date of injury in most cases. It is important to act quickly after a car accident. Call today to schedule a free consultation.
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