A car crash can happen in the blink of an eye. It can cause lifelong trauma to anyone involved in the accident. Victims of car accidents may suffer nerve damage or other accident injuries. This nerve damage can be mild or severe, depending on the severity of the accident. Based on the type of nerve damage a person gets, it could cause pricey medical expenses and severe pain and suffering damages. When you get involved in a road accident, always contact your insurance company or lawyer to get a free consultation.
It is also possible for a person to be involved in a car accident that causes serious injuries that go unnoticed by the victim. Beyond nerve damage, a car accident can also result in chronic back pain and neck injuries. A rear-end collision might cause a person to end up with a herniated disc. Neglected accident injuries may later develop into chronic or more serious injuries.
Luckily, auto accident laws protect a person who experiences injuries that pose emotional and physical distress. The law states that the injured person should receive reasonable compensation from the faulty driver's insurance company.
Back and Neck Injuries to Expect After a Car Accident
Neck Strains and Sprains
A victim of car accidents might suffer from neck strains and sprains, also called by many as "whiplash."
Neck sprains occur when the neck ligaments are damaged or over-stretched. When your neck muscles are torn or stretched, a neck strain is also possible. Despite their differences, both can cause the victim to experience discomfort and chronic pain, as well as headaches.
Pinched Nerve
Pinched nerves, or cervical radiculopathy, is another injury you may experience after a car accident. Pinched nerves can cause a widespread amount of pain in your body, especially if you experience a herniated disc after an accident. That is due to the fragments, or bone spurs from your herniated disc, which pinch your nerves. Memory loss and burning pain are a couple symptoms of a pinched nerve. The insurance company also covers settlements for pinched nerves. A person who experiences a pinched nerve from an accident might require physical therapy or even surgeries depending on the severity.
Causes of Nerve Damage After an Auto Accident
As mentioned earlier, an auto accident is one common cause of nerve damage. Almost all body parts can be affected by vehicle collisions.
These types of injuries might happen when too much force is exerted on their body. A victim's body might get thrust through the car's door, dashboard, or steering wheel during an accident. When this happens, the victim might suffer from damaged nerves or crushing injuries.
Crash-related accidents can also cause a victim to feel nerve damage in their face, hands, shoulders, arms, feet, legs, as well as other body parts. Listed below are some car crash injuries that can often cause pinched nerves.
Nerve Damage Caused by Avulsions and Lacerations
After traumatic damage, it is common for the victim to experience avulsions and lacerations. Lacerations occur when the victim's soft tissue and skin are damaged or torn apart. A laceration is a jagged and irregular type of injury. When the skin is torn or cut deeply, the nerves in that area are damaged.
On the other hand, an avulsion is one of the injuries that might happen when the victim's body structure has been damaged. This incident occurs when the bone connected to the ligaments or tendons is pulled apart. Serious nerve injuries are expected when the bones are disconnected from the tendons or ligaments.
Nerve Damage Caused by Blunt-Force Trauma
An automobile accident causes a forceful impact resulting in a person experiencing blunt-force injuries and pinched nerves. This is one of the injuries that may happen if the victim's body bumped into the vehicle door, dashboard, or any hard surface. Also, this injury might occur after the victim or the driver is removed from their car.
When the victim's legs, arms, or head have slammed against a solid surface, it can compress or damage the victim's nerves in these body parts. For instance, a traumatic brain injury — a type of head injury, can result in the cranial nerves in the person's head squeezing together.
What Will Be The Value of Nerve Damage In Settling A Car Accident Injuries?
Since nerve damage injuries come in several types and difference of severity, there will be a slight difference in the value of different car accident settlements. Different factors will be taken into consideration when going through pinched nerve car accident settlements. These factors include the degree of fault and how severe the injury was.
There are several considerations to remember when determining the cost for settling nerve damage injuries caused by a car accident.
How Severe Was the Injury?
One important factor to consider for determining settlement value is the seriousness of the laceration. The severity may range from mild, moderate, to severe. You can determine the seriousness of the injury by looking at the amount of damage, physical pain, and medical care the victim will suffer. Not only that, but it also covers how the victim's life has changed after the incident. The following are some essential things an attorney or car accident lawyer will consider to know how serious the laceration was.
How frequently does the nerve injury cause pain?
The effectiveness of medical care in alleviating or eliminating the pain and symptoms caused by the nerve injury.
How the nerve injury has changed the capability of the victim to work or do their hobbies and daily functionalities.
As mentioned, there are several types of nerve damages, as well as a difference in severity of pain. With that in mind, a thorough evaluation of all car accident cases must be performed.
How Much Were the Medical Expenses?
The expenses for medical treatment must be considered for any injury claim. These also cover the medical costs needed after being hospitalized. This is notable for those car accident victims who suffered from severe nerve injury since they are more susceptible to experiencing lifelong damages. An injury claim covers the following forms of medical treatment:
Home care
Ambulance costs
Doctor's and medical bills
Necessary medical imaging, including x-rays
Medicines need to take
Surgeries (if any)
Suffering and Pain Experienced by the Victim
Suffering and pain describe the distress brought by the injury to the emotional and physical health of the victim. Suffering and pain include mental distress, physical pain and aches, which reduces the ability for a person to enjoy their life.
Yes, even if you have the money to pay for the medical expenses, you will still have non-economic injuries, including suffering and pain. An example of this is when a victim suffers from the disfiguring of any body parts or permanent paralysis. The medical bills of the victim do not cover the pain and suffering. However, they can claim a set amount of money under suffering and pain in their personal injury claim.
Consult with your attorney to determine the right amount of money to claim from your pain and suffering injuries.
Average Car Accident Settlement or Insurance Claim for Pinched Nerve
An average settlement amount or insurance claim can change drastically. Also, it will vary depending on the case.
An injured person who suffered from mild to moderate pain and suffering from a car crash can receive an insurance claim or car accident settlement amounting anywhere from 15,000 US Dollars to 75,000 US Dollars. On the other hand, the car accident settlement for victims who experienced severe personal injury can receive more than 150,000 US Dollars. Contact an experienced lawyer to get a free consultation about it.
To give you a slight overview of the auto accident settlement, the amounts you can get from the vehicle insurance company are listed below. You may talk to a Des Moines injury lawyer, especially if the car crash affects your quality of life.
1,850,000 US Dollars for Nerve Damage Auto Accident Settlement
As a 50-year-old woman was driving, she saw a red light and stopped behind another vehicle. The vehicle in front of her started backing up and hit the front bumper of her vehicle. This resulted in her experiencing nerve damage in her neck.
According to the woman, it would take her months before returning to work because of the accident. After going through a case evaluation with her attorney, the accident was settled with a 1,850,000 US Dollars award for suffering, pain, and other expenses.
Nerve Damage Lawsuit Settlement or Insurance Claim Amounting up to 9,263,326 US Dollars
When an injured person experiences serious pain and suffering because of severe nerve damage after an auto accident collision, they may request even more. For example, if you have damaged or pinched nerves because of a disc herniation or neck injuries that cannot be treated by physical therapy, the settlement cost you can get could be around 9,263,326 US Dollars.
Hiring an Injury Lawyer from a Trusted Law Firm to Help You with a Nerve Damage Accident Settlement
When you have gotten into an accident and experience back pain, neck injuries, personal injury, or nerve damage that affects your quality of life, hiring a personal injury attorney is always recommended. There are lots of law firms that offer you a free consultation.
Your personal injury attorney will consider all factors mentioned above when calculating a nerve damage settlement. Beyond personal injury, you can also ask for settlement when the accident caused property damage.
Conclusion
Car accident injuries can cause a person to suffer from physical and emotional distress, severe pain either in the injured person’s neck or back, and pinched nerves. When someone is found at fault in an accident, their insurance company will pay the settlement. Remember, the party who is at fault will cover the expenses the injured person has to pay as a result of the accident.
Injury lawyers must evaluate different aspects of the case and previous cases to know the insurance company's typical settlement amounts. You can settle your personal injury case by talking to your attorney or lawyer and getting a free consultation.