Auto Accident Injuries

Let a Waldorf Car Crash Law Firm Pursue Your Compensation

When an automobile accident occurs, drivers and passengers can receive multiple injuries. Whether it’s being cut from broken glass or metal, hit by unsecured items inside the car, or being ejected from the vehicle during a rollover, the fact is numerous types of injuries can occur. Our Walfdorf auto accident attorney understands the pain you may be feeling and wants to help you recover damages. 

The Most Common Injuries After a Maryland Motor Vehicle Accident 

Unfortunately, victims sustaining auto accident injuries often find themselves facing not only physical pain, but also large medical bills, lost wages, and even emotional issues such as depression. Here are some details regarding the 10 most common car accident injuries.

1. BRAIN INJURIES

Some of the most serious car accident injuries, brain injuries can run the gamut from mild concussions that heal after a few weeks to traumatic brain injuries that are irreversible and impair a person’s speech, memory, vision, or even their ability to control their emotions.

2. ADDITIONAL HEAD INJURIES

Because a person’s head is so vulnerable in an automobile accident, a variety of other injuries can occur in addition to brain injuries. These can include eye injuries that may result in blindness, dental injuries that result in lost teeth or jaw fractures, and ear injuries that lead to hearing loss.

3. NECK INJURIES

In most car accidents, a person’s neck stretches and quickly whips back into place, damaging ligaments and even the spinal cord. Commonly known as whiplash, it can cause chronic pain and greatly impact one’s quality of life. In addition to whiplash, more severe neck injuries can occur, such as a crushed larynx or trachea, or even a broken neck, which can result in immediate death.

4. BACK INJURIES

Potentially some of the most devastating car accident injuries, back injuries can lead to chronic pain and in severe cases paralysis. With these injuries, damage can occur to a person’s vertebrae, ligaments, disks, or the spinal cord.

5. CHEST INJURIES

If a person is not wearing a seat belt, chest injuries often occur. With these injuries, broken ribs and a broken sternum are the most common injuries, along with other fractures and damage to vital organs such as the heart. However, as airbag technology has improved, these injuries have been greatly reduced in recent years.

6. RUPTURED DIAPHRAGM

When a person’s trunk or lower chest is damaged by blunt or penetrating trauma, a ruptured diaphragm may result. A muscle tear across the bottom of the rib cage, it can severely impact a person’s ability to breathe, and must be treated as soon as possible.

7. ABDOMINAL INJURIES

In front and side-impact collisions, abdominal injuries such as hip fractures and injuries to vital organs such as the liver, kidneys, and spleen can occur. Since much internal bleeding can occur with a ruptured spleen or damaged liver, immediate medical help will be necessary.

8. LEG AND KNEE INJURIES

When the impact of a crash leads to a person’s legs or knees hitting against the car’s steering wheel or other interior areas, leg and knee injuries can occur. Common injuries of these body parts can include contusions, fractures, or ligament damage to knees, such as meniscus tears to ligaments if knees are awkwardly twisted or bent.

9. FOOT INJURIES

Very vulnerable to injuries, drivers and passengers can find themselves suffering from sprains, strains, or fractures of their ankles, feet, and toes, since it’s natural to attempt to lessen the impact by bracing themselves with their feet.

10. SEVERED LIMBS

In the most serious car accidents, victims can suffer from severed limbs if they are hit by flying glass or sharp metal. However, while this can occur in car accident victims, these injuries are more commonly seen in victims of motorcycle accidents.

Understand What Can Complicate Your Auto Accident Claim

Even when it is obvious that the other party was at fault in causing your accident, you still have to prove your case. As part of this process, the other party has the opportunity to raise legal defenses to your claim. This can sometimes come as a shock to accident victims, especially when those defenses could prohibit them from receiving any compensation whatsoever. If you’ve been injured in a car accident, a lawyer can evaluate your case and determine whether you may be able to pursue a claim. 

Contributory Negligence

Contributory negligence refers to when the plaintiff’s own negligence contributed in some way to causing the accident. Here are some examples of cases that may include contributory negligence: 

• One driver ran a red light and collides with a motorcycle, but the motorcyclist was speeding. 
• A bus driver makes an illegal lane change and crashes into another car, but the other driver could have avoided the accident if they weren’t driving while texting. 
• A truck driver falls asleep behind the wheel and gets into a head-on collision with another driver, but the other driver was intoxicated.  

Each of these cases involves negligence on both sides of the accident. In the state of Maryland, contributory negligence is an absolute bar to recovery. In other words, you will not be able to recover any compensation if your own negligence somehow contributed to the accident. This rule applies no matter how minimally your actions contributed to the accident – one of the reasons why most states no longer follow this rule. That said, a Waldorf auto accident law firm may be able to help you overcome this defense.

Assumption of Risk

When a person is aware of a specific hazard and understands the potential risks, they are said to have assumed the risk of injury if they proceed despite the danger. Similar to contributory negligence, the assumption of risk doctrine bars victims from recovering compensation if the other party can prove that they were aware of and appreciated the risk inherent in the situation. 

Statute of Limitations

In the state of Maryland, you have three years from the date of your accident to file a lawsuit. If you fail to file by that time, you will lose all of your rights to compensation, no matter how strong your claim may be. Three years may seem like a long time, but it passes by faster than you think. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to prove your case. This is why we recommend that you contact a lawyer as soon as possible following your accident. 

Contact Our Waldorf Car Crash Attorneys Today

If you’ve been injured in a car accident, you need a lawyer who knows how to get you the compensation you need to rebuild your life. Thomas E. Pyles has been helping accident victims across the state of Maryland for over 25 years. To schedule a free consultation, call us at 301-705-5006 or contact us online to discuss your case today.