Common Car Accident Injuries in Virginia Beach

Driver suffering back pain

Car accidents can occur without warning. Despite trying your best to avoid them by driving safely, you can’t prevent other drivers from making mistakes. Accidents can be destructive and turn your life upside down.

Car accident injuries are often severe and debilitating. You likely need medical treatment, and you might worry about the financial impact of the medical bills and time off work.

An experienced and dedicated Virginia Beach car accident lawyer from Ruloff, Swain, Haddad, Morecock, Talbert & Woodward, P.C. can help you seek the justice and compensation you deserve. For more than 30 years, we have successfully represented clients in insurance claims and lawsuits. You deserve to have a car accident injury attorney on your side who will advocate for your rights and fight by your side.

For a free consultation to discuss the car accident injuries you suffered and how we can help with your case, call or contact us online.

Spinal Cord Injuries and Paralysis

You could sustain various types of injuries in a car accident. One of the most severe is a spinal cord injury. According to statistics, 17,810 spinal cord injuries occur every year in the United States. Almost 39% are the result of motor vehicle accidents. The force of a collision between two cars can jolt the body forward or backward, causing the spine to bend beyond its usual range of motion. That’s enough to damage the spinal column.

The most common symptoms of a spinal cord injury are:

  • Loss of movement
  • Spasms
  • Altered or lost sensation
  • Pain or stinging sensation
  • Exaggerated reflexes
  • Trouble breathing

Paralysis is one of the more debilitating types of injuries caused by car accidents. It happens when there’s a loss of control or loss of strength in a specific muscle or group of muscles. It can happen in one area of the body or many areas, depending on the affected part of the spine and the severity of the injury. Sometimes, only one limb becomes affected, such as a leg or arm. Other times, the victim could lose total muscle control and movement below the location of the injury.

Whiplash

Whiplash may occur when the neck is rapidly jolted back and forth, resulting in a sprain or strain of the muscles in the neck, upper back, and shoulders. This is one of the most frequent types of car accident injuries in rear-end collisions.

Some of the most common symptoms of whiplash are:

  • Neck pain
  • Neck stiffness
  • Fatigue
  • Dizziness
  • Headaches
  • Lost range of motion
  • Increased pain with movement of the neck
  • Shoulder, arm, and upper back pain and tenderness
  • Numbness and tingling in the arms

Whiplash sometimes heals on its own. If you notice worsening symptoms, you should consult your doctor immediately.

Brain Injuries

A brain injury is often the result of a jolt or a blow to the head. The severity can range from mild to severe. Mild injuries cause a temporary disruption to the brain cells. A severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) can cause a lifetime of impairment.

The symptoms you might experience if you suffer a brain injury include:

  • Nausea or vomiting
  • Significant confusion
  • Temporary loss of consciousness
  • Numbness or weakness in fingers and toes
  • Loss of coordination
  • Slurred speech
  • Changes in behavior or mood
  • Convulsions or seizures
  • Chronic headache or worsening headache
  • Dilated pupils in one or both eyes

TBI is one of the catastrophic car accident injuries that could cause permanent physical and mental problems. Although motor vehicle crashes only account for 14% of brain injuries, they cause fatalities involving a TBI.

Back Injuries

The back is a large area of the body extending from the neck to the pelvis and contains muscle, tissue, and bone. The most common back injuries that occur in car crashes are:

  • Herniated discs – The spine has cushioning discs between each bone. When material inside the discs leaks out, it can irritate or pinch nearby nerves. This causes radiating pain from the lower back to the neck, arms, and legs.
  • Sprains and strains – Tearing a ligament or overstretching a muscle lead to inflammation. Spasms can immobilize back muscles and cause severe pain, preventing a person from moving.
  • Vertebrae fractures – A bone or multiple bones break, resulting in limited mobility, pain, and other problems.

Joint Injuries

Car accidents can cause injuries to any joint in the body. The most commonly injured joints include the shoulders, knees, elbows, wrists, and ankles. Bones can break, or damage can occur to the ligaments, tendons, and other surrounding structures.

Common types of car accident injuries involving the joints are:

  • Torn rotator cuff
  • Dislocated or separated shoulder
  • Fractured elbow
  • ACL tear

Burns

Burn injuries can occur during a motor vehicle crash if the skin is exposed to a hot liquid or steam, a hot surface, a corrosive chemical such as battery acid, or you come in direct contact with flames. Burns range in severity and fall under three classifications:

First-degree burn – Minimal damage occurs to the outer layer of the skin. Symptoms could include:

  • Pain
  • Redness
  • Dry and peeling skin
  • Swelling
  • Minor inflammation

Using an antibiotic ointment or aloe vera can soothe the affected area. First-degree burns will typically heal without professional medical intervention within seven to 10 days and usually don’t cause any scarring.

Second-degree burn – The damage is a little more severe than a first-degree burn, extending beneath the outermost layer of the skin. Blistering, soreness, and redness are likely. Antibiotic creams and over-the-counter pain medication effectively treat blisters and manage pain. However, a skin graft might be necessary for extensive damage.

Third-degree burn – This is the most severe type of burn. The damage extends to every layer of skin and even into the muscle and bone. The appearance can range in colors and textures, such as:

  • Charred
  • Black
  • Dark brown color
  • Raised and leathery texture
  • White and waxy color

Third-degree burns are one of the most debilitating and traumatic types of injuries caused by car accidents. It often leads to permanent scarring, disfigurement, infection, and medical complications.

Fractures and Broken Bones

Bone breaks and fractures are interchangeable terms used to describe a bone that breaks or shatters due to a significant force. During a car accident, damage to other structures around the bone could also occur, such as organ damage, nerve damage, and skin lacerations.

The symptoms you should look out for that could indicate a fractured bone include:

  • Bleeding
  • Swelling
  • Numbness
  • Bruising
  • Visible bone through an open wound

Disfigurement

Many types of car accident injuries will heal with medical treatment. However, some are permanent and lead to discolorations of the skin, scars, and other damage. Severe disfigurement is more than just aesthetic. It can also affect how you function. For example, loss of limb or amputation injury can affect your physical mobility and self-esteem.

Can I Get Compensation for My Injuries?

You likely deserve financial compensation from the at-fault party for the injuries you suffered. However, the amount of compensation you may receive will depend on the circumstances of the accident, the amount of insurance coverage available, and other factors. You should hire a car accident lawyer in Virginia Beach to represent you and take on the legal aspects of your case.

The monetary value of your case should cover the losses you suffered in the crash, such as:

  • Medical bills
  • Inconvenience
  • Lost wages
  • Lost earning capacity
  • Pain and suffering
  • Disfigurement
  • Property damage
  • Mental anguish

A car accident injury attorney from Ruloff, Swain, Haddad, Morecock, Talbert & Woodward, P.C. can perform a thorough investigation of the crash once you retain our services. We can determine the true cause, review your medical records, calculate the full extent of your losses, and negotiate for a settlement with the insurance company. If they deny the claim or refuse to settle for a fair amount, we will be prepared to represent you skillfully and vigorously in court.

Contact a Virginia Beach Car Accident Lawyer Today

At Ruloff, Swain, Haddad, Morecock, Talbert & Woodward, P.C., we believe in providing attentive customer service to every person who calls us. You deserve personalized attention from start to finish of your case. You won’t have the stress of completing paperwork, meeting filing deadlines, or communicating with the opposing parties. We can handle all of that on your behalf so you can focus on getting better.

If another person’s careless actions caused your injuries in a car accident, contact us immediately for a free consultation. A knowledgeable and compassionate Virginia Beach car accident lawyer can review the details of your case and determine the right legal strategy to achieve your goals and seek the maximum compensation you need and deserve.