Midland Car Accident Lawyers

The Consequences of a Car Wreck 

When you’re in a collision, the physical injuries are often the most obvious consequences. Unfortunately, that’s not where the negative effects stop. Victims are also likely to suffer emotionally and financially. Let’s take a closer look at the outcomes of a wreck.

Physical Injuries

The type and degree of injury after a car wreck depends upon a number of factors, including the type of crash, the speed at which it happened, and the age and health status of those involved. The only way to recover fully from car accident injuries is to seek medical attention as soon as possible, so an official diagnosis and treatment plan can start. Seeing a doctor also improves your chances of maximizing your compensation because you’ll have an accurate record of your injuries.

The most common car accident injuries we see include:

• Head and Brain Injuries. This includes concussions, lacerations, skull fractures, internal bleeding, and traumatic brain injuries. Depending on the injury, surgery may be required. Any time the brain sustains an injury, there’s the risk of cognitive or motor skill changes.
• Broken Bones. While minor breaks are often treated with a cast and rest, more severely broken bones may require surgery for reconstructive purposes. Physical therapy will likely be needed to recover full use of the broken bone—especially if it’s a limb.
• Soft Tissue Injuries. Sprains, strains, and tears happen when muscles, ligaments, or tendons are stretched or torn. These injuries can linger and be painful.
• Neck and Back Injuries. Whiplash and herniated discs are common injuries to the neck and back. Injuries like this are often painful and can inhibit a person’s ability to move.
• Spinal Cord Injuries. The structures that make up the spinal cord are delicate. Even a minor injury can result in nerve damage and pain. The more serious the injury, the higher the chances are for paralysis.
• Burns. In the event a car ignites after a collision and the victim is trapped inside, their burn injuries may be severe. All burns are painful—even minor ones; however, severe burns may require surgeries, skin grafts, and months in the hospital.

Emotional Trauma

While physical injuries are handled first after a crash, you may realize you’re suffering emotionally as well. It’s not uncommon for car accident victims to deal with anger, guilt, fear, and sadness. As time passes, however, those feelings should go away. When they don’t, the person could be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

PTSD manifests in different ways for different people. Some of the more common signs and symptoms include an ongoing feeling of uneasiness, anxiety about driving or riding in vehicles, irritability or excessive anger, nightmares or trouble sleeping, and ongoing, uncontrollable memories of the accident.

Emotional trauma is treatable. Suffers should seek help from a trained counselor, psychologist, or psychiatrist. A primary care provider can help decide who to see. Treatments may involve therapy or medications.

Financial Losses

Auto accidents are expensive. Even when a crash doesn’t result in injury, there’s still the matter of property damage to deal with. If your car can be fixed, it’s likely repairs will cost thousands of dollars. If you did sustain injuries, medical bills add up quickly. Even with health insurance, emergency room trips can be thousands of dollars, if not more, and the total cost goes up if you need surgery, inpatient care, or future care.

In addition to the costs of repairing your vehicle and treating your injuries, there’s the possibility of needing to take time off work and losing wages as a result. For families with only one source of income or little savings, the loss of one paycheck can cause serious financial stress.

When you file claim with the help of a Midland car accident lawyer, they’ll be able to determine what the accident cost you, so you can seek compensation that helps you recover as fully as possible. In addition to the economic expenses like hospital bills, they’ll also take into consideration what the accident cost you emotionally, which is referred to as pain and suffering.

Auto Accident Laws in Texas

After a traffic accident in Midland, it’s important to understand your rights and responsibilities. There are a number of Texas state laws that could impact the outcome of your claim. Your lawyer will explain any applicable laws to you, so you have a comprehensive understanding of what’s going on with your case.

Reporting a Crash

Under Texas Transportation Code 550.026, drivers are required to report an accident to law enforcement if the vehicle cannot be safely driven from the scene or the crash resulted in the injury or death of any person. The collision must be immediately reported to either the local police department or the local sheriff’s office.

Once the crash has been reported, an officer will arrive and investigate the scene. They are required to make a written report if injury, death, or more than $1,000 in damage occurred. The report will be filed electronically no later than ten days after the wreck.

Your car accident lawyer will be able to access the report and use details in it to support your case. It’s likely the report will contain information like the time, date, and weather conditions when the crash occurred, the vehicles and drivers involved, and witness statements.

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