Minneapolis Car Accident Lawyers

Catastrophic Injuries in Car Accidents

While some people walk away from a crash without any incurring any injuries, others have their lives irrevocably altered. The following are examples of severe car accident injuries:

Amputations

Removal of a limb can be devastating. In wrecks involving rollovers, losing control at a high speed, and collisions with big trucks, an arm or leg may be severed as a result of debris or due to the impact with a part of the vehicle. If a bone is crushed or shattered, doctors may be unable to repair the damage, making amputation necessary.

Multiple Bone Fractures

Fractures occur when the amount of force exerted on the bone is more than it can absorb. In crashes at highway speeds, bones often have multiple fractures. When the bone comes through the skin, shatters, or segments, surgery, and physical therapy can help you regain mobility. However, it can take months or years to recover. Discomfort and limited range of motion could be permanent as a result.

Internal Injuries

Internal damage is a common type of car accident injury. These are among the most severe injuries, as they can often go unnoticed. If not treated immediately, serious complications or death can result. Broken ribs, punctured lungs, internal organ injury, ruptured spleen, and internal bleeding generally require surgery to repair.

Severe Burns

If a car or truck catches fire, or if an individual is thrown from the vehicle and skids across the road at high speed, the burns can damage every layer of skin, muscle, tissue, and bone. Amputation, scarring, and permanent impairment are often the results of severe burns. Even with months or years of treatment, the physical and emotional effects can prevent victims from regaining their pre-accident life.

Spinal Cord Injuries

The spinal cord is the communication hub between the brain and the rest of the body. When communications are disrupted as a result of damage, it affects various areas of the body, from the neck and shoulders to the arms and legs. Paralysis, loss of sensory abilities, and issues with breathing, the digestive system, lungs, and bodily functions can be permanent and require lifelong care.

Traumatic Brain Injuries

Brain tissue is delicate and can be damaged when it hits against the skull. Direct trauma to the head is one of the most common causes of TBI. Damage can occur on both sides of the brain regardless of where the trauma occurred. Injuries can also happen if there is severe intracranial pressure or bleeding on the brain.

Top Causes of Severe Car Crashes

While a wide range of circumstances can lead to a car accident, some are more common than others. These are the top causes of car accidents:

• Speeding: Speeding is a form of reckless driving and contributes to thousands of automobile accidents every year. Driving faster than the posted limits under any conditions is dangerous, but when the conditions are poor, the driver could be guilty of negligence if it causes a crash.
• Driving while intoxicated: Driving while intoxicated or otherwise impaired affects an individual’s reasoning abilities and response time. Drunk driving represents a serious hazard on the road, and the recklessness often ends in a fatality-involved crash.
• Poor weather conditions: Poor weather conditions are not unusual. Slick roads, high winds, snow, sleet, and ice make the roadways treacherous. While bad weather results in dangerous conditions when drivers are negligent or car parts malfunction, the consequences can be catastrophic.
• Unsafe driving practices: Unsafe driving practices go beyond speeding. Passing on curves and in areas where there are double yellow lines, failing to yield, over correcting, and tailgating are among the top contributing factors to deadly car crashes.
• Distracted driving: Distracted driving occurs when the driver’s attention is on something other than the road. Whether texting, setting the navigation system, or selecting music, looking away from the road for even a moment can have disastrous results.

Compensation for Catastrophic Injuries

If the car accident was not your fault, you will need an attorney to assist you in your claims against your insurance company, so you receive all of the benefits to which you are entitled. You also need an attorney to pursue your claims against the at-fault driver and his insurance company.

They offer a low settlement, refuse coverage, or fight the claim and an attorney can help you. We investigate and analyze the scene to establish liability for the accident by taking steps that include preserving evidence and interviewing witnesses. We also deal directly with the insurance companies so you don’t have to.

You can seek compensation for losses you sustain, including:

• Lost wages and earning potential if you cannot return to your job or work at all
• Costs related to emergency medical treatment, surgery, physical therapy, medications, and ongoing care
• Expenses associated with the emotional trauma of the accident and consequences of the injuries
• Loss of the relationships with your family, spouse, and friends
• Emotional anguish, pain, and suffering

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