Internal Injuries from Car Accidents
Internal injuries following a North Carolina car accident are not always apparent. Even minor collisions can cause life-altering internal injuries. What can you do to protect your physical and mental well-being? The first step is to enlist the help of an experienced North Carolina car accident attorney.
At Hardison & Cochran, our car accident injury attorneys understand how internal injuries from car accidents can impact a victim’s physical, mental, and financial health. Our dedicated legal team wants to help you seek meaningful compensation for internal injuries and other financial losses for your injuries due to someone else’s wrongdoing on the road.
Contact our office now to request a free legal consultation with an NC car accident lawyer.
Hidden Dangers of Car Accidents
Why is the first piece of advice following a North Carolina car accident always to seek medical attention? Because accidents are traumatic and violent events, and internal injuries can be more severe than you might think. Many significant internal injuries can go unnoticed and undiagnosed for hours, sometimes even days.
While you go about daily life, filing an accident claim and taking care of your family, an internal injury could silently wreak havoc on your body. Without immediate medical intervention, you can face dire medical consequences and potentially death.
Common Internal Injuries Caused in Car Accidents
Internal injuries are usually invisible and hard to detect. Unlike lacerations or significantly broken bones, you can’t see internal injuries. Because internal injuries aren’t apparent, it takes trained medical practitioners and specialized diagnostic tools to uncover the depth and severity of these types of injuries.
Some of the most common internal injuries caused by North Carolina car accidents include:
- Internal bleeding
- Traumatic head injuries
- Damaged or ruptured internal organs
- Pneumothorax (a collection of air outside the lung, though within the pleural cavity)
- Aortic rupture
- Broken ribs
- Abdominal injuries
After an accident, even a minor fender-bender, always seek medical attention immediately.
Why Internal Injuries Are Often Missed or Delayed
Sometimes, internal injuries are overlooked or their diagnosis is delayed. If these injuries are so significant, shouldn’t an injured individual immediately know something is wrong and experience painful symptoms? Not necessarily.
Car accidents are frightening. In response to a traumatic event, the body produces a hormone called adrenaline, which helps prepare our body to respond to danger through the “flight-or-fight” response. An adrenaline rush increases your heart and breathing rate, slows digestion and other “non-essential” bodily functions, and makes you extremely alert. It can also dull a person’s perception of pain. People might miss or delay treatment for an internal injury because, in the immediate aftermath of a car accident, they may not feel the symptoms of an internal injury.
Unfortunately, it can sometimes take hours or even days for the signs of internal injuries like concussions and internal bleeding to manifest. In the meantime, someone who’s been in an accident could lose blood and harm the brain, internal organs, and bodily systems significantly. Immediate medical intervention is vital to improve an individual’s prognosis and reduce the amount of damage done to brain tissue, organs, and surrounding soft tissues.
North Carolina Law and Internal Injury Claims
North Carolina subscribes to a doctrine called contributory negligence. The contributory negligence system is binding for all personal injury lawsuits and influences how an insurance adjuster may value your car accident claim.
The contributory negligence regulation stipulates that if you file a personal injury case seeking compensation for your injuries, you cannot recover money for your losses if your actions played any role in causing the crash. Even if a judge or jury found the at-fault driver 99 percent responsible for causing the collision, the 1 percent liability you bear is enough to prevent you from recovering compensation.
Even though this rule only binds court decisions, insurance adjusters use the contributory negligence statute to help assess the value of an accident claim. They can base their decisions on the likely outcome of a court case and use that information to aggressively negotiate or intimidate an individual into settling for less than the actual value of the claim.
Before you accept anything from an insurance company, it is always in your best interest to consult an experienced North Carolina car accident lawyer. A lawyer can evaluate your situation, tenaciously negotiate for fair compensation, and manage strict legal deadlines if a personal injury lawsuit is the best option for recovering fair compensation in your case.
North Carolina gives accident victims three years from the accident date to file a personal injury lawsuit. However, the sooner you have legal representation, the better. Your lawyer can protect your rights and make sure all legal deadlines are met.
What to Do After a Crash in North Carolina
Immediately after a North Carolina car accident, pull over and contact authorities and emergency services. Exchange information with the other driver, document the scene with photos and videos and ask witnesses for their contact information.
Did you know that your actions in the days and weeks after the car accident are vital for protecting your legal rights and building a solid claim? Here’s what you should do:
- Seek Medical Attention Immediately – Even if you feel fine after an accident, you must seek medical attention immediately. Quick intervention can mean the difference between life and death in the case of significant internal injuries.
- Contact an Attorney – Contact an experienced North Carolina car accident attorney who can manage the claim process for you and pursue compensation for your internal injuries.
- Document Everything – Keep detailed records following the collision. Keep a file for medical expenses, repair receipts, and out-of-pocket costs associated with the crash. Also, document time off work and lost wages due to your injuries. These documents can help your attorney calculate the fair value of your claim.
- Follow Medical Advice – One hospital visit is generally insufficient to address severe internal injuries. Keep all follow-up medical appointments and take medication as prescribed. Your medical records are crucial evidence in a car accident claim.
Don’t Wait to Get Help
The complications from internal injuries can change your life dramatically, so it’s important not to delay getting the legal help you need. The legal team at Hardison & Cochran can help you seek the compensation you deserve for internal injuries from car accidents.
Contact our office now and arrange a free, no-obligation strategy session with a seasoned North Carolina car accident attorney from our law firm.
