Car accidents can be stressful, devastating, and sometimes life-changing. But a collision can damage more than just vehicles—a crash can harm you and your car passengers. If you or someone you know has been involved in an accident, be sure to seek medical help right away. A healthcare provider will be able to identify any injuries and treat them appropriately. Below we will discuss the most common car accident injuries that crash victims experience.
Common Injuries
The severity of injuries resulting from a Las Vegas car accident varies depending on several factors including the circumstances of the crash. But even a seemingly minor car accident can result in physical harm to those involved. Below are some common car accident injuries:
- Bruises and Cuts: A crash victim’s body can suffer cuts and bruises from the crash impact due to the seatbelt, windows breaking, or colliding with parts of the vehicle. Bruises may go away on their own in due time, while cuts may require stitches or other medical treatment.
- Whiplash: When the neck experiences forceful, quick, back-and-forth movement, the soft tissues extend beyond their typical range. These injuries typically happen with rear-end collisions.
- Fractures: This injury occurs when the bone breaks partially or entirely, typically as a result of the crash victim’s body coming into sudden contact with parts of the car. Fractures can be open—when the broken bone goes through the skin—or closed—when the skin remains intact despite the break.
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD): Accidents can impact victims mentally, such as PTSD, which can develop in individuals who experience a dangerous, scary, or shocking event. Symptoms of PTSD can be disabling, depending on their severity.
- Spinal Cord Injuries: Car accidents are the leading cause of this injury, accounting for almost half of new spinal cord injuries, according to the Mayo Clinic. This injury is the result of damage to the spinal cord, which can cause temporary or permanent dysfunction.
- Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs): The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) report that car accidents are the leading cause of TBIs. TBIs occur after a violent jolt or blow to the head or body, and the symptoms can vary from mild to severe.
Damages Available
A victim of a Las Vegas accident is entitled to monetary compensation for harm suffered even if they were partially at fault for the accident that caused their injuries. Compensatory damages—which consist of economic and non-economic damages—are meant to provide money to a plaintiff for past and future losses. Economic damages can be easily put into a dollar amount, such as medical bills, lost earning capacity, lost past wages, and property damage. Non-economic damages, on the other hand, are those that cannot easily be put into a dollar amount, such as emotional distress, pain and suffering, disfigurement, inconvenience, loss of enjoyment of life, and physical impairment, among others. In most situations, there is no limit to the amount of monetary compensation an injured plaintiff may recover in damages under Nevada law.
Nevada law also allows for punitive damages, which are meant to punish wrongdoers who acted especially egregiously and put others on notice, that can result in an amount significantly higher than a compensatory damage award.
Contact Our Attorneys
You do not have to handle the aftermath of a Nevada car accident alone. The Las Vegas personal injury attorneys at H&P Law will fight for your right to the most monetary compensation available to you under the law. Contact us today for your initial case evaluation.
