If you suffered a car accident in Tucson, Arizona, you should file a personal injury claim and receive compensation for your losses. Certain car accident injuries may manifest themselves days after your unfortunate event. In other cases, some injuries come with all sorts of complications, and you may be entitled to both economic and non-economic damages.
A car accident lawyer can help you file a claim and receive the proper compensation for your injuries, property damage, and other losses or complications. Here are some common types of injuries in car accidents that you should be aware of:
Whiplash or Neck Strains
Many people underestimate how a powerful car accident might impact their bodies. Sometimes, they don't even brace themselves for the impact, or it occurs so suddenly that victims don't have any time to react.
Due to the powerful impact force, the body is thrown against the seatbelt, in the best case, which can often cause whiplash or neck strains. In the worst cases, the strain on the neck muscles and tendons can cause long-term discomfort.
Whiplash pain and other complications to the muscles and tendons might require several physical therapy sessions, among other medical procedures.
Traumatic Brain Injuries
Traumatic brain injuries occur very often in car accidents. It happens when victims suffer a blow to the head due to the impact of the accident. Concussions, skull fractures, or other intracranial hematomas can occur, among other types of brain injuries.
However, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) often come with complications depending on the severity of the blow. In the worst cases, victims can develop personality disorders, mood swings, seizures, organ failure, and various other types of secondary effects.
It might be tempting to view personality disorders or other cognitive issues as less serious injuries than organ failure. However, we have to consider that these types of complications lead to many interpersonal relationship problems that the victim will experience, apart from being unable to live their life as they usually would have. In many instances, TBIs require long-term care and are very costly for the victim.
Spinal Cord Damage and Back Pain
Sometimes, a car accident can be so devastating it can cause victims to suffer catastrophic spinal cord injuries or herniated discs. Victims can also become partially or fully paralyzed after the incident.
Even if the spine/back injuries don't reach that level of severity, victims will require long-term care to manage to carry on with their lives. These types of injuries are also very emotionally draining for victims as they will prevent them from enjoying their day-to-day activities or work for a period of time.
Emotional Trauma
Many car accident victims need to know that emotional trauma is a good reason to ask for compensation for non-economic damage. Emotional trauma, whether it is in the form of PTSD or other mental stress issues, can prevent many car accident survivors from ever driving again due to anxiety or panic attacks. Recovering from emotional trauma after a car accident isn't easy, and it will be a long journey for most victims.