Car accidents in Atlanta can result in many different types of injuries, and it is important for anyone who has suffered one of these kinds of injuries to know that they may be eligible to seek financial compensation. Most of the following types of injuries occur in both single-vehicle and multi-vehicle collisions. Whether your injuries are minor or severe, you may be able to hold an at-fault motorist accountable, or you may be able to file a claim against another party who is responsible for the crash or for the severity of your injuries. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly 41,000 people were killed in motor vehicle collisions in 2020, and nonfatal injuries resulted in more than 2.1 million emergency department visits. Costs associated with motor vehicle accident fatalities alone totaled about $430 billion in 2020, and that number does not account for the immense losses suffered by car accident victims who sustained nonfatal injuries in a crash.
Our Atlanta car accident attorneys want to provide you with more information about some of the most common types of motor vehicle collision injuries and to provide you with more details about holding other parties accountable and seeking compensation for your losses.
Traumatic Brain Injuries and Head Trauma
Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) can vary significantly in terms of their severity, but they almost always result from “a violent blow or jolt to the head or body,” according to the Mayo Clinic. Even concussions, or mild TBIs, can have long-lasting consequences, and multiple concussions can have debilitating consequences for you in the future. Indeed, if you previously sustained a concussion and later suffer another concussion in a car crash, you could potentially be at risk for degenerative diseases such as chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). Moderate and severe TBIs can be debilitating and life-altering, and a severe TBI can result in death.
Soft Tissue Injuries
Car accidents in the Atlanta area commonly result in soft tissue injuries, and similar to TBIs, these types of injuries can range widely in terms of their severity. According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, soft tissue injuries are injuries that affect a person’s muscles, ligaments, or tendons. They frequently have symptoms that include pain, swelling, or bruising. Soft tissue injuries can include contusions (another word for bruises), sprains, and strains. In car accidents, contusions might not sound like they would be serious, but large bruises caused by blunt force can be extremely painful and can be linked to internal bleeding and more serious injuries, as well.
Lacerations, Cuts, and Puncture Wounds
In Atlanta car accidents, lacerations and cuts, as well as puncture wounds, can result in significant cuts that cause skin wounds. These types of injuries are usually caused by sharp objects like pieces of glass from car windshields that are smashed in collisions or other motor vehicle parts that can impale a vehicle occupants. As Johns Hopkins Medicine explains, lacerations and cuts that are deep will require medical treatment, and they can cause significant disfigurement or scarring depending upon their severity and where on the body they occur. Facial lacerations in car crashes can be particularly life-altering if they cause significant scarring. Puncture wounds can also cause extensive bleeding and may involve organ damage that requires immediate medical attention.
Broken Bones or Fractures
Fractures (or broken bones) are common car crash injuries. As the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) explains, bones can break in many different ways, and the type of fracture can significantly impact the severity of the break. Any bone in the body could break in a car crash, depending upon the specific facts of the accident.
Traumatic Amputation Injuries
In particularly serious crashes, traumatic amputation injuries can occur. Vehicle occupants and motorcyclists can lose arms, legs, and other body parts due to the impact of the collision.
What Determines the Severity of an Injury?
Many different factors can play a role in determining the severity of a car accident injury, including but not limited to the following:
- Speed at which the collision occurred;
- Where the collision point was (i.e., whether the collision was a head-on crash, a T-bone or side-impact collision, a rear-end collision, or a side-swipe accident);
- Whether the vehicle occupants were wearing seatbelts at the time of the crash;
- Whether airbags deployed and whether they were effective;
- Size and position of the vehicle occupant; and
- Type of vehicle involved in the crash, including safety features on the vehicle.
How Can I Seek Compensation After a Car Accident Injury?
In order to seek financial compensation after a car accident injury in Atlanta, you will typically be able to consider an auto insurance claim and, under many circumstances, to consider a personal injury lawsuit. It will be important to work with an Atlanta car accident lawyer to determine who is liable for your injuries. If another motorist’s negligence caused the crash, you may be able to file a third-party insurance claim through that at-fault driver’s auto insurance policy. If you cannot obtain enough compensation to cover all of your losses, you may be eligible to file a lawsuit against that motorist and any other at-fault parties.
Determining liability in a Georgia car crash can be complicated, so it is important to work with an attorney who can help. In addition to a negligent motorist, other parties who could be liable include, for example, a negligent motorist’s employer, the designer or manufacturer of a vehicle involved in the crash, or the owner of the premises where the crash happened.
Contact an Atlanta Car Accident Lawyer
Do you need assistance seeking compensation after a car accident injury? We routinely assist clients with many different types of injury claims arising out of motor vehicle crashes in the Atlanta area. Whether you have sustained relatively minor injuries from which you expect to recover fully, or you have suffered debilitating and life-threatening injuries that could leave you permanently disabled, an experienced Atlanta car accident lawyer at our firm can speak with you today about your options for filing a claim. Contact Stewart Miller Simmons Trial Attorneys online or call our office at (404) 529-3476 to find out more about how we can assist you.