When involved in a car accident, the resulting injuries can be of different levels. There are those that are not injured at all, those with a few bumps and bruises, those with injuries that will heal in the short term, and those that are left with long-term disabilities. The question, however, is when to pursue compensation and when not to. Another question is whether or not a person can sue if their accident injuries aren’t immediately evident.
In order to get the answers you need to your questions, you need to contact a Philadelphia car accident law firm that has the answers. At Brotherly Law, we work with clients who have been injured to different degrees make informed decisions. We do this through education and guidance.
After a car accident, emotions and adrenaline are running high. Some accident victims are able to leave their vehicles and help others that may have been hurt. They feel fine, so they decline medical treatment when paramedics arrive on the scene. They then go home, call their auto insurance company to tell them about the accident so the claims process can begin on the vehicle damage, and then they get some rest after the traumatic day they had. Unfortunately, a few days later things may not be so normal when there is sudden pain and the inability to fully move.
This pain is most likely due to a soft tissue injury because these injuries have a tendency to show up later. Whiplash, for instance, can be hidden for days, weeks, or months. Even if the accident was a low-impact collision, soft tissue injuries can result and they can be painful. Considering the body absorbs the momentum of the impact, causing the head to snap, it is no wonder why such a painful injury occurs.
Although you may have been fine at the accident scene, soft tissue injuries can last for the long-term. Surgeries may even be required to fully recover from these injuries. Even after the initial injury is healed, a person can experience a lot of pain because the nerves may have been disrupted.
Because the injury wasn’t evident in the beginning, it can be difficult to prove the soft tissue injury without the proper evidence. First, the damage to the vehicle may have been minimal. This means the defense attorney may try to say that the injury is being exaggerated and so is the pain. However, the type of damage can indicate the type of injury that could have happened.
Second, soft tissue injuries that are not visible may be able to show up in CT scans, MRIs, and X-rays. This is why it is important to go ahead and receive medical intervention at the scene of the accident. The ambulance can take you to the hospital where testing can be done.
Although there are difficulties when proving injury, that doesn’t mean that victims are not able to recover compensation from the pain that they have suffered. Yes, the burden to prove injury is on the plaintiff, but with thorough medical records and expert testimony, the defendant’s attempt to discredit the plaintiff can be fought.
There is also the fact that there is research to back up the fact that serious injury can still result from collisions where no vehicle damage may be present. The largest study of this type was the Brault Study from 1997. In the study, subjects were placed inside vehicles and 29% experienced neck injury at an impact of just 2.5 MPH and 38% experienced neck injury at just 5 MPH. There was no property damage to the vehicles
Car accident injuries aren’t always immediately evident, so you may not give pursuing the other party for anything more than property damages a second thought. Unfortunately, injuries can show up later, which is why it is important to be vigilant from the start right after an accident. At Brotherly Law, we have experience helping clients who have experienced all levels of injuries recover compensation to cover their damages. To learn more, call us at (215) 545-8500 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation.
If you have been injured due to no fault of your own, you may be able to hold the responsible party accountable for the monetary damages resulting from the accident. Fill out the form below to request a free consultation so we can evaluate your case.