Car accidents can result in significant injuries and legal damages. While your insurance can help cover some of your damages, filing a lawsuit is the best way to get the compensation you are entitled to.
Our lawyers can explain how a lawsuit can cover your economic and non-economic losses and how to get over the limitations that no-fault insurance rules place on injury victims. Many NJ drivers elect a basic policy without realizing they cannot sue unless they suffer “serious” injuries. However, NJ law identifies several categories of injuries that it considers serious. For example, death is certainly a serious injury, but broken bones will also qualify. The challenging step will be proving that your injuries are serious. Our team will collect your medical reports to substantiate our claims and work with medical experts to explain why your injuries meet the law’s definition of serious.
For a free case assessment with our car accident lawyers, call Agrapidis & Maroules, P.C. at (201) 777-1111.
Common Injuries Victims Suffer in Car Accidents in Linden, NJ
Certain car accident injuries are common but deeply devastating for victims. Some injuries do not sound as serious when compared to others, like suffering broken bones as opposed to a traumatic head injury. However, N.J.S.A. § 39:6A-8(a) includes several classes of injuries that are considered “serious” for legal purposes. Unless victims have a “no limitation on lawsuit” policy, classifying their injuries as serious is the only way they can file a lawsuit. Our car accident attorneys can gather the evidence that shows your injuries are serious so you can recover all the compensation you are entitled to. The following are common serious injuries we help victims file lawsuits over.
Head Injuries
Head injuries are some of the most common car accident victims suffer. These injuries can range from mild concussions to life-altering brain injuries. For instance, you might suffer a concussion from the crash itself or from your airbags violently deploying. You will still need medical care, like diagnostic testing and possibly hospitalization, to ensure the concussion does not lead to worse damage, like slipping into a coma.
Other head injuries can cause long-term or even permanent damage. In a concussion injury, the brain hits the inside of the skull. If the force is strong enough, it can lead to traumatic brain injuries that affect motor functioning. Victims with these injuries often need extensive ongoing medical and occupational care, as well as modifications to their homes. These expenses can quickly skyrocket, overwhelming individuals trying to recover. Our team can assess the range of your damages so that any expense stemming from the defendant’s negligence is accounted for.
Fractures
It does not take much force to break bones, so even a minor fender-bender can cause fractures. Car crash victims who suffered “displaced” fractures can file a lawsuit for pain and suffering regardless of the insurance policy they have. After all, broken bones are some of the most painful injuries you can suffer.
A displaced fracture occurs when the broken bone is out of alignment and must be reset by a doctor. Some fractures, such as hairline and linear fractures, heal relatively quickly with the right medical care and physical therapy. Others, like spiral and segmental breaks, might need surgery to correct, followed by an extended period of physical therapy to strengthen the bone. The more severe the fracture, the more likely you will incur significant damages for which you should be compensated.
Spinal Cord and Back Injuries
Fewer injuries are as painful and potentially long-lasting as neck and back injuries. Many car accident victims suffer whiplash, in which the spine snaps back from the force of the impact. If you were hit out of nowhere and could not brace yourself, whiplash can cause extensive nerve and spinal cord damage.
Treating these injuries is no easy task either. People often need to see chiropractors and physical therapists long after the accident to heal fully. Others require expensive and successive surgeries to repair the nerve damage. In the most severe cases, victims are partially or fully paralyzed, necessitating overwhelmingly expensive changes in their lives, not to mention the psychological and emotional fallout. Our team will argue that the extensive impact on your quality of life entitles you to significant non-economic damages in addition to the economic compensation you deserve.
Scarring and Disfigurement
You can also file a lawsuit if you sustained significant scarring or disfigurement from the accident. For example, shattered glass or hot metal from the wreckage can easily cause severe soft tissue damage that might require surgery and skin grafts to repair. Victims will also be left with a visible reminder of the accident, which can cause embarrassment, humiliation, and depression with the changes in physical appearance. Our team will ensure that these non-economic damages are assessed accurately and included in your claim.
Dismemberment is arguably the most severe form of disfigurement. It is hard to overstate how devastating losing any body part can be since it will impact nearly every aspect of a person’s life. For instance, you might not be able to work permanently because of a lost limb or need to get a new job that is within your current ability to perform but is lower paying. We will help determine the extent of your lost future earning potential and personal impact on you and your family life.
Death and Miscarriage
Many other car accident injuries besides the above list are considered serious, but death is the most serious injury that can occur in a car accident. If you lost a loved one to a negligent driver, we can help you file a wrongful death claim to recover compensation for your losses, as well as the damages the deceased would have been entitled to in a lawsuit had they survived. This includes helping those who lost a fetus as a result of the crash.
Call Our Linden, NJ Car Accident Attorneys Now for Help
Call Agrapidis & Maroules, P.C. today at (201) 777-1111 for a free review of your case with our car accident lawyers.