Can You Claim a Serious Injury from a Fender Bender in Pennsylvania?

Everyone imagines serious injuries resulting only from catastrophic car accidents.  Clearly, if the Jaws of Life need to be used, or an occupant is thrown from the vehicle, severe injuries and death are likely.  However, even low-speed crashes can cause surprisingly severe injuries.

Any car accident is a prime opportunity for whiplash injuries and other injuries to the neck, head, and back.  Even things like scrapes, cuts, and seatbelt injuries can occur with less-severe crashes.  If you’ve been injured in a car accident, even a fender bender, take your case to an experienced car accident attorney.  The lawyers at The Reiff Law Firm have been helping personal injury victims get compensation for their injures for decades in Philadelphia, and may be able to help you too.

Low-Speed Accident Injuries

Even low-speed car crashes can cause injury.  It is important after any car crash, no matter how serious, to get all of the information you can.  This includes getting the name, address, phone number, and insurance info from the other driver.  At the scene of the accident, make sure to take pictures, report the accident to police, and seek medical attention.

It is not always obvious right after a car accident that you have an injury.  The adrenaline of the car accident can easily mask pain and symptoms.  On top of that, many injuries may take time to “set-in,” and are not immediately noticeable.  Even if you are not feeling hurt until days after a car accident, it is very important to see a doctor.

One of the most common injuries in any car accident is whiplash, especially in rear-end collisions.  When your body is suddenly moved or stopped by a car crash, seatbelts, airbags, and headrests do their best to restrain your movement – assuming you do not have defective airbags or defective seatbelts.  When your head gets rocked back and forth quickly, though, injuries can occur.

Whiplash injuries damage the muscles and tendons in your neck.  The greater part or the injury may actually occur when your head snaps back to a normal position, since the tendons and muscles contract violently to put get you back into shape.  Even in low-speed crashes, whiplash is very common.  Unfortunately for many whiplash victims, they continue to feel pain and discomfort for the rest of their lives.  Even if they don’t, whiplash can still take a long time to heal and may keep you from returning to work in the meantime.

Other injuries to the spine, neck, back, and head can also occur in low-speed crashes.  The muscles, bones, and nerves in your spinal column are surprising fragile, and as you age, they only become more problematic.  It is no surprise that the majority of American adults face some sort of back pain problems.  More surprisingly though, many of those back pains come from injuries that were never properly cared for.  Whether they were sustained in work injuries, from heavy lifting, from bad posture, or from car accidents, back and neck injuries can leave you suffering on a daily basis.

Additionally, injuries from broken glass, airbags, and sudden jolts can be surprisingly severe.  When airbags go off, the sudden impact can break glasses or injure your face.  Suddenly being pushed against the steering wheel can injure your wrists, arms, chest, or face.  If your windshield or window breaks, the broken glass can certainly cause cuts.

Car Accident Damages

Even for less severe injuries, you can still seek compensation.  Things like whiplash are actually much more severe than people think, and can often result in surprising damages from a court or insurance company.

Any pain and suffering you receive from a car accident should be compensated with the help of an attorney.  Each person is different, and their experience of pain and suffering is different.  Do not be afraid to take your case to a Allentown personal injury attorney because you think you are sensitive.  A victim’s sensitivities are often protected under the law, and the party who harmed you is responsible for whatever injury they cause – even if you already suffer from preexisting injuries or handicaps.

You may also be entitled to receive compensation for money you pay because of a car accident.  This means you can be reimbursed for hospital bills you paid or especially for wages you lost.  If you had to miss work because of your injuries, you may be entitled to compensation for the paychecks you missed because of your car accident injuries.

Philadelphia Car Accident Attorneys

If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident, contact a nerve damage attorney.  Even low-speed fender benders can cause surprisingly severe injuries.  Never be worried that your injury is too small to be compensated – if you were injured in a car accident, you may still be entitled to compensation.  The attorneys at The Reiff Law Firm offer free consultations on car accident injury cases.  Call today at (215) 709-6940.