A car accident can cause internal injuries in a number of ways. The most common cause of car accident internal injuries is the seatbelt. Your body will lurch against the seatbelt, and the buckle or strap will forcefully press into your chest or abdomen. You may also be injured when the airbag forcefully deploys. Anytime your body hits a hard surface, you are at risk of internal injuries.
Horton & Mendez fights for injured victims in car accidents, whether their injuries are visible or not. Contact us to request a free consultation.
Common Internal Injuries in a Car Accident
Examples of internal injuries that you can suffer in a car accident include:
- Pierced or collapsed lungs, suffered from broken ribs
- Internal bleeding from severe trauma to your blood vessels
- Organ damage — the most common form being lacerations to the kidneys
- Ruptured spleen
- Abdominal aorta rupture, which is almost always a fatal injury
In every case, trauma is the cause of your internal injury. Most often, you suffered an injury caused by blunt force trauma in a car accident.
Internal Injuries Need Immediate Medical Treatment
The problem with internal injuries is that they will worsen if they are not treated. Internal bleeding may not stop on its own, and organ damage will not reverse itself. You need immediate medical treatment if you suspect you are suffering from internal injuries, as time is of the essence.
Signs of Internal Bodily Injuries
You may not know at first that you are in medical jeopardy. You may gradually notice signs that something is not right. By the time the symptoms intensify, you may have suffered irreversible damage. Here are some early signs that you may have suffered internal injuries:
- Pain and tenderness in your abdomen or chest
- Shortness of breath
- Dark purple skin that appears worse than an everyday bruise
- Rapid heartbeat and lightheadedness
- Blood in your urine or stool
See a Doctor After a Serious Car Accident
It is always a good idea to get medically checked out if you have been involved in a serious car accident to ensure you are OK. Even if you were treated at the scene, you should follow up with a doctor in the days after the accident because internal injuries cannot be immediately detected without advanced medical testing.
While you may not undergo comprehensive testing for a fender bender, you should get checked after a more severe car accident in which your body suffered some sort of trauma. The best result is that the doctor gives you a clean bill of health. This doctor’s visit can even save your life.
You will always need monitoring and treatment if you suffer internal injuries in a car accident. In many cases, you will need surgery to stop the bleeding or repair the internal damage caused by the trauma. You may need immediate surgical intervention to protect the heart and lungs from excess blood.
Address Your Legal Situation by Hiring a Lawyer
After any car accident, you should be concerned about both your medical and legal situations. Your medical situation is a priority since it means your long-term health and survival. You should also not lose sight of the legal process since it may begin shortly after your car accident.
You may be forced to deal with legal details, such as responding to the insurance company, at a time when you are physically injured. This time is when you are least able to handle administrative and legal details.
How to Get Financial Compensation for Your Internal Injuries
You should hire an attorney as soon as possible after the car accident to protect your legal interests. Your main legal right is to get full financial compensation when you prove that someone else was to blame for the accident. Your burden of proof is to show it was more likely than not that someone else’s negligence caused your injury.
In every car accident case, negligence is a four-part test:
- The other driver owed you a duty of care.
- The driver breached their duty of care by acting unreasonably under the circumstances.
- You suffered an injury.
- You would not have suffered an injury had it not been for the other driver’s actions.
Your attorney will help you select the best route to financial compensation after you have suffered an injury in a car accident. You have two options for seeking payment for your injuries:
- File a claim against the responsible driver’s insurance policy.
- File a lawsuit against the responsible driver in court.
Either way, the most likely outcome in a car accident case is reaching a settlement agreement. You should never take less than you deserve to get a check in your hand because you will be leaving money on the table.
An experienced attorney will stand up for you when the insurance company wants to pay you less than you are entitled to by law.
Contact a Wilmington Car Accident Lawyer Today
The attorneys at Horton Mendez are here for you if you have suffered an injury in a serious car accident. We will be both your guide to the legal process and the protector of your rights when the insurance company tries to compromise them.
All it takes is a phone call or message to get us on your case. You can reach out to us online or call us at (910) 668-8067 to schedule your free initial consultation.
Car Accident Case FAQs
Do I need to pay an attorney upfront?
No. You do not need to pay a retainer, and you will not receive hourly bills while your case is pending.
How long will my case take?
It depends on many factors that may be out of your control. What you do control is when you begin the legal process by hiring an attorney.
Can I be blamed for not getting medical treatment in time?
The insurance company may claim that you made your situation worse by delaying medical treatment and are justified in cutting your financial compensation.
