Some of the most common injuries accident victims suffer following a car accident in Fort Lauderdale include whiplash, broken bones, and lacerations. In more extreme cases, victims may suffer internal injuries, such as organ damage.
If a negligent driver has injured you, you have the right to seek compensation for your medical care and lost income. In some cases, you can also seek compensation for your pain and suffering. AFort Lauderdale car accident attorney can help you build an accident claim and seek maximum compensation for your losses.
What Happens to Your Body After a Car Accident
Immediately after a collision, you will experience a sudden jolt. Internally, your organs will continue to move even though the rest of you has stopped. The physical effects of the car accident and abrupt stopping will likely cause bruises and injuries.
Airbags and seat belts will minimize your injuries. However, they can cause soft tissue injuries after a car accident to your face, chest, ribs, and hips.
Types of Injuries Following a Car Accident in Fort Lauderdale
Due to the massive weights and forces at work, the severity of the car crash will greatly influence the severity of injuries the victim could suffer. The following are the most common injuries that a car accident victim may experience:
- Neck injuries: Whiplash is common in rear-end collisions. The head is violently thrown back and forth, causing injuries to the neck muscles and cervical discs. Victims experience pain, stiffness, headaches, and dizziness. Additionally, victims may have delayed injury symptoms after a crash, sometimes days after.
- Head injuries: Impacts to the head could lead to minor concussions or more severe traumatic brain injuries (TBI). Victims may have such symptoms as headaches, cognitive issues, or worse.
- Back injuries: Victims may experience bruised back muscles to more severe spinal injuries from car accidents, leading to partial or full paralysis.
- Broken bones: Fractures can occur in the face, arms, legs, ribs, and pelvis.
- Internal injuries: Without proper diagnosis, victims could suffer various types of internal injuries and organ damage. Injuries to the lungs, spleen, liver, and other internal organs could prove fatal if not treated.
- Bruises and cuts: Though cuts and bruises are very common and often superficial, bruising could also be a sign of a deeper injury and should be examined by a doctor.
- Joint injuries: From hyperextensions to dislocations, joint injuries are common injuries in car crashes.
- Emotional distress: Presenting as anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), these psychological injuries are equally important as any physical injuries.
Victims may also suffer from burns due to fires or other sources of heat.
Seek Immediate Medical Attention After a Car Crash in Fort Lauderdale
What happens to your body in a car crash requires immediate medical attention. You do not want to make any assumptions about your health, especially with internal injuries. Some injuries may not present symptoms until days later, and waiting could prove fatal.
Protect Your Health and Your Rights
Following any accident, you should go to the emergency room or see your primary care doctor as soon as possible. They can run tests and conduct imaging to properly diagnose your condition. Once they know the nature of your injuries, they can begin you on a medical treatment program for your recovery.
There are also legal reasons for prompt medical action.
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) Deadline
First, you must see a doctor within 14 days of the car accident if you wish to use yourpersonal injury protection (PIP) policy. All drivers must carry a $10,000 PIP policy and seek compensation for their medical bills and lost wages through it first.
Meeting the Serious Injury Threshold
If you suffer from severe injuries that exceed your policy limits, you will need a doctor’s medical evidence to meet theserious injury threshold. This will allow you to step outside of Florida’s no-fault system to sue the liable party.
Insurers Are Not on Your Side
Whether you pursue a PIP claim or a personal injury lawsuit, the insurance companies will look for any excuse to devalue or deny a claim. Delays in seeing a doctor after the accident or any deviations in your treatment program could be used by the insurance company against you. They could argue that your injuries were not as severe as you claimed or were caused by something other than the car accident.
However, a car accident lawyer knows these common excuses and could protect you from these and other questionable tactics.
Call a Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Law Firm Today
At the Law Offices of Wolf & Pravato,our legal team has been helping injury victims obtain the fair compensation they deserve for over two decades. We offer free case consultations where you can discuss the injuries you have suffered and what you hope to recover. We can explain your legal options and how ourFort Lauderdale personal injury lawyers can help. Plus, we work on a contingency fee basis, so there are no upfront fees.
Call (844) 643-7200 today.