Broken bones, whiplash, and back injuries are among the most common types of car accident injuries, costing millions of dollars in short- and long-term medical expenses. If a liable party caused your car accident in Kentucky, you may recover compensation for injuries and other damages sustained due to negligence.
For help with a car accident claim or lawsuit, call the car accident attorneys at Young, Reverman & Bolotin. Call us today at (513) 400-0000 for a free consultation with one of our lawyers.
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Types of Car Accident Injuries in Kentucky
According to the most recent data from the Kentucky Transportation Center, there were 130,042 traffic collisions in the state in 2022, 723 of which were fatal. Many of these accidents involved injuries ranging from mild to deadly.
The following are the most common car accident injuries that victims sustain:
Broken and Fractured Bones
One common car accident injury is a fractured or broken bone. These injuries result when different parts of the body make sudden impact with the vehicle’s interior or other surfaces, resulting in breaks.
For instance, facial bones could break when making impact with windows or the steering wheel, while bones in the arms or legs might break from impact with the vehicle’s side or a crushed front.
Whiplash
Many car accident victims experience whiplash from the impact, which occurs when a vehicle comes to a sudden stop, but the head continues moving forward due to momentum before snapping back.
Symptoms of minor whiplash may be subtle, but more severe cases could involve symptoms that make the injury harder to identify. For instance, you might experience headaches or nausea in addition to or in place of neck pain and weakness.
Strains and Sprains
These injuries result when the ligaments, tendons, or muscles experience severe stretching or tearing. As the body contorts and makes impact with a vehicle, these injuries develop. Depending on the severity of strains and sprains, accident victims could struggle to return to their daily life in the immediate aftermath of the crash.
Back Injuries
More serious car accident injuries include back injuries, which often occur due to the unnatural movements of the body during a collision. Back muscles and bones could twist and strain or break, depending on the severity of the accident.
There are a few types of back injuries that could occur, such as damaged and dislocated discs resulting in hernias or compression injuries. Other injuries involve vertebrae breaks and muscle strains.
While injuries like muscle strains may be short-term and heal on their own or with physical therapy, damaged discs and other severe injuries could lead to lifelong disabilities.
Brain Injuries
Some of the most serious and life-altering injuries involve head injuries resulting in brain damage. While brain injuries could be mild, such as a concussion, many injuries to the brain result in permanent damage and long-term disabilities.
Specifically, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) can result from the rapid movement of the brain within the body during a collision as it hits the inside of the skull, or they can develop from physical penetration of the brain from bone fragments or external objects.
Hypoxia can also cause brain damage if a person experiences oxygen deprivation in an accident due to stopped breathing or brain hemorrhaging.
Spinal Cord Injuries
Another of the most serious injuries involves the spinal cord. Although some spinal cord injuries can result in minor damage and symptoms, such as slight numbness or pain, serious injuries can sever the spinal cord and lead to permanent partial or total paralysis.
Types of Car Accidents
The type of injury you sustain will largely depend on the type of accident experienced. There are multiple types of car accidents that can occur based on the orientation of the vehicles and the nature of the collision.
The following are common car accident types:
Rear-End Collisions
These accidents result when one vehicle crashes into the back of another. Even at low speeds, these accidents can cause whiplash injuries as the vehicle in front jerks forward, causing occupants to jerk forward and backward.
T-Bone Accidents
Another common type of accident involves one vehicle’s front hitting another’s side, usually in the middle of an intersection when one vehicle fails to give the other the right of way.
People hit from the side in these accidents can suffer many types of injuries, ranging from muscle strains and broken bones to spinal cord injuries and extensive soft tissue injuries.
Sideswipe Accidents
These accidents might result in similar injuries compared to T-bone accidents, as these collisions involve one vehicle swiping the side of another. However, these accidents tend to be more minor than T-bone collisions.
Despite the primary sideswipe accident likely being minor, sometimes sideswipe accidents can cause the hit driver to lose control of his or her vehicle, leading to swerving and secondary collisions that result in a more serious impact and injuries.
Head-on Collisions
A head-on accident involves two vehicles colliding at the front while traveling in opposite directions. The speed and force of impact in these accidents can lead to some of the most serious injuries, including broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, and spinal cord injuries.
Types of Compensation After an Accident
Following a car accident, you may recover various types of compensation, depending on the types of car accident injuries sustained and the resulting damages.
So, how are car accident settlements calculated? The primary recoverable damages in car accident cases include:
Economic Damages
The main type of damage you may be able to recover in a car accident case is economic, meaning it applies to the financial losses resulting from an accident.
There are many economic damages available in these cases, such as:
- Medical expenses for immediate and ongoing care
- Disability costs
- Lost income and loss of future earnings
- Adjustments made to the home or another property to accommodate disabilities
- Repairs or replacements for damaged property
Non-Economic Damages
You may also recover non-economic damages, including pain and suffering experienced because of an accident, psychological distress, disfigurement, and loss of companionship or consortium.
These damages may be more difficult to prove and calculate than the defined financial losses associated with a case, but it’s possible to do so with the right approach. As such, be sure to document your car accident injuries in a pain journal, as well as with photos and videos to prove the extent of your injuries and your experience with them.
Punitive Damages
If a liable party engaged in acts considered grossly negligent or malicious in nature, the courts may award punitive damage on top of the above economic and non-economic damages. However, most car accidents won’t involve these damages, as they’re reserved for cases in which judges or juries want to make an example of the defendant for egregious behavior, with the goal of preventing similar acts in the future.
How a Car Accident Lawyer Can Help You Recover
When pursuing a car accident case, you can benefit from working with an experienced car accident lawyer in Kentucky. The right attorney can help develop a case in several ways, whether you pursue a claim or lawsuit.
For example, an attorney will:
Identify All Damages
When meeting with an attorney in a free consultation, he or she can review the details of your case to determine what options you have to seek compensation. If he or she decides to take on your case, the attorney will then identify and calculate all damages involved to determine the total settlement amount. This step is crucial when negotiating with insurers, as insurance adjusters often try to get claimants to accept initial offers that are considerably lower than the true value of the case.
Collect Sufficient Evidence
Another way an attorney can help with your case is by gathering and organizing all relevant evidence.
For example, medical records and police reports are among the most importance evidence needed in a car accident case, but you may not be able to easily obtain these or other documents to prove the nature of the accident or your injuries.
An attorney will have the connections necessary to collect everything from medical documentation to witness statements and expert witness testimony. Additionally, an attorney could take your case to trial if it doesn’t settle during the claims process, seeking punitive damages in the process.
For help from a reputable Kentucky car accident lawyer, turn to Young, Reverman & Bolotin. To learn more about what we can do for you, contact us online today to schedule a free consultation.
