How Long Should You Be Sore After a Car Accident?
Following a severe car crash, accident victims often experience soreness and pain throughout their bodies. The amount of soreness that an accident victim feels and the length of time it lasts depends on the type of car accident and the accident victim’s injuries.
One of the best ways to combat persistent soreness after a motor vehicle accident is to seek follow-up medical care at a local urgent care facility or hospital emergency room in your area.
The medical provider on duty there can provide you with hot and cold packs or prescribe you medication for your pain. In addition, the responding medical provider can prescribe an ongoing medical treatment regimen for you, depending on the severity of your injuries.
In addition to seeking the medical care you need after a car accident, you should talk to a skilled car crash lawyer near you as quickly as possible. While you recover from your injuries, your
car accident lawyer can begin gathering medical treatment records and other documentation necessary to prove the legal aspects of your case.
Throughout the process, your attorney can also assist you during settlement negotiations with insurance company adjusters, help you resolve your case out of court, or file a lawsuit and litigate your case in the court system. Whatever you decide, your lawyer will be by your side each step of the way, aggressively advocating for your legal interests and pursuing the full monetary recovery you deserve for your accident-related losses.
Common Reasons Why Car Accidents Happen in the First Place
In most situations, car accidents are the direct result of driver error and negligence. When drivers violate
traffic regulations and make other mistakes, they may cause an accident that leaves other drivers and their passengers with severe injuries and pain.
First, some motor vehicle accidents are the result of
road rage, such as when a driver engages in aggressive driving maneuvers to try and get around slower-moving vehicles. Those maneuvers may include cutting other cars off in traffic, tailgating those vehicles, or failing to signal when executing turns or switching lanes of travel.
Next, some car accidents result from violations of various road rules, including speed limits and right-of-way laws – especially at busy traffic intersections. When drivers violate these traffic regulations, their chances of causing a motor vehicle or pedestrian crash increase dramatically.
Moreover, some car accidents occur when drivers fail to use their mirrors and backup cameras in parking lots and parking garages. A driver who fails to use these devices may inadvertently back into another vehicle or pedestrian traveling behind their car, causing severe injuries.
In addition, some car crashes result from
intoxicated driving, where an individual chooses to drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Drivers with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08 percent or higher are intoxicated by law.
These drivers often have difficulty concentrating and maneuvering their vehicles without swerving on the road. Intoxicated drivers also tend to experience blurred vision, delayed reflexes, and delayed reaction time. Therefore, if they see another vehicle, they may be unable to stop in time to avoid a crash.
Finally, some traffic accidents occur when drivers do not pay attention to the road but instead look at their cellular devices, GPS navigation systems, or stereo systems while driving.
Drivers may also become distracted when they roughhouse with vehicle passengers in the front seat or backseat. Drivers who do not watch the road attentively may inadvertently cause a crash that leads to debilitating injuries and damages.
If you suffered painful injuries and soreness in a motor vehicle crash that occurred because of another driver's negligence on the road, you should take legal action right away. A knowledgeable car accident attorney in your area can help you file the appropriate claim with the at-fault driver's insurance company and pursue the total monetary recovery you need for your accident-related injuries.
Types of Car Accidents Related to Driver Negligence
Negligent drivers may cause different types of car crashes that can lead to various injuries. The location and roadway setup may also affect the type of accident that ultimately occurs.
Some common traffic accidents that result from driver error include:
- Overturn accidents, where a driver speeds and ultimately loses control of their vehicle, causing it to overturn, subsequently bringing about collisions with oncoming vehicles
- Sideswipe accidents, where the sides of two vehicles strike one another while traveling in different lanes that proceed in the same direction
- Head-on collisions, where the front of one vehicle hits the front of another car, usually because the at-fault driver negligently crosses a double center line or concrete median strip
- Rear-end accidents, where the front of one vehicle hits the back of another vehicle
- T-bone or broadside accidents, where one vehicle hits the side or another car, usually at a traffic intersection equipped with a stop sign or traffic signal
Common Car Accident Injuries and Recovery Times
When drivers are inattentive and
drive carelessly and recklessly, accidents that lead to severe injuries may occur. Every car accident scenario is different, and not all accident victims will suffer the same injuries in a car crash. Moreover, the recovery times that accident victims experience will vary from case to case, often depending upon their overall health and medical condition at the time of their accident.
Factors that influence the types of injuries that car crash victims suffer include:
- The type of car accident that happens.
- The speeds of the vehicles involved in the crash.
- The number of vehicles involved.
- The number of collisions.
- The force of those collisions.
Typical car crash injuries include:
The time it takes to recover from any of these injuries may vary considerably from accident victim to accident victim. Generally speaking, open cuts and bruises heal fully in approximately two weeks, after which any pain or soreness should subside. However, a permanent scar may remain if the open wound requires stitches.
Generally speaking,
fractured bones require more time to recover than soft tissue injuries, such as whiplash. This is especially true if the accident victim must undergo a medical procedure, such as surgery, to heal the broken bone.
On average, symptoms of soft tissue injuries – including soreness – may last four to eight weeks after an accident. However, in some cases, these soft tissue injuries may be permanent, resulting in ongoing pain and suffering for many years.
The most severe injuries that car crash victims may experience include traumatic head and brain damage, spinal cord injuries, and paralysis injuries. Traumatic head injuries, typically concussions, may remain symptomatic for several weeks. However, in more severe cases, the accident victim may experience post-concussive migraine symptoms for many months – or even permanently. The same is true if the accident victim falls into a coma or permanent vegetative state.
Similarly, accident victims who suffer spinal cord damage or complete/partial paralysis in their accident usually live with permanent symptoms. In this situation, accident victims may be eligible to recover monetary compensation for their permanent disability, loss of life enjoyment, or inability to use one or more body parts.
While you seek the medical treatment that you need for your post-car accident symptoms, a car accident attorney can start preparing a settlement demand package on your behalf. Once you complete your medical treatment, your lawyer can submit this demand package to the insurance company adjuster and start fielding settlement offers in your case.
Potential Monetary Recovery for Car Accident Injuries
There is no disputing that car accident injuries can lead to ongoing medical treatment, pain, and other symptoms. Fortunately, car accident victims who can fully satisfy their legal burden of proof are eligible to recover various monetary damages for their accident-related losses.
Every personal injury case is different, and the total monetary award that you receive will depend upon several circumstances, including the full nature and extent of your injuries, the medical treatment that you underwent, the cost of your medical treatment, the amount of pain and suffering that you endured, and the likelihood that you will experience pain and other symptoms going forward.
First, accident victims may recover monetary damages for all their accident-related medical costs, including the costs associated with doctor visits, hospitalizations, physical therapy, and medical procedures, including surgical procedures.
Next, car crash victims can recover monetary compensation for their lost earnings if they have to miss time from work after their accident. If the accident victim can no longer perform specific job duties and has to take a lower-paying job, they may be eligible to bring a claim for loss of earning capacity.
Next, accident victims can recover monetary compensation for their intangible losses, including damages for their past and future pain and suffering. Past
pain and suffering damages compensate accident victims for the symptoms they endured between their accident date and the present time.
If a medical provider determines, to a reasonable degree of medical certainty, that the accident victim suffered a permanent injury or impairment, the accident victim may be eligible to receive monetary damages for their anticipated pain, suffering, and inconvenience going forward.
Injured car accident victims can also receive monetary damages for their:
- Mental anguish and emotional distress
- Loss of the ability to use a specific body part
- Loss of life enjoyment due to their injuries
A skilled car accident attorney advocating for you can help determine which monetary damages you may be eligible to receive as part of your car accident claim or lawsuit. Your attorney can then set about recovering the monetary damages you deserve in your personal injury case.
Proving Your Eligibility for Monetary Damages Following a Car Crash
For accident victims to prove that they are eligible for monetary recovery, they have to satisfy the legal burden of proof in their case. In the context of a car accident, the accident victim must clearly demonstrate that another driver breached their duty of care, such as by committing one or more traffic violations.
Next, the accident victim must show that as a result of this breach, the subject car crash occurred – and that they suffered one or more bodily injuries as a result.
To establish the causal connection between a car crash and bodily injuries, you must often have a medical expert on board in your case. A medical doctor can also prove that your injury or injuries are permanent in nature.
An experienced car accident lawyer can help you satisfy your legal burden of proof by retaining necessary experts in your case and preparing you to testify at a deposition, civil jury trial, or binding arbitration hearing.
Talk with a Car Accident Lawyer for a No-Cost Evaluation Right Away
Generally, victims of car crashes only have five years from the date of their accident to file a personal injury claim or lawsuit that seeks monetary recovery. This statute of limitations is a hard-and-fast rule.
Therefore, absent exceptional circumstances, an accident victim who files their lawsuit belatedly will not recover any monetary recovery for their injuries, pain, suffering, or inconvenience. Given the time constraints, you should reach out to experienced legal counsel as quickly as possible after your car crash.
A skilled car accident attorney can explain all of your legal options to you in clear and concise terms. Your lawyer can also address all of your legal concerns and help you make intelligent and informed decisions at every stage of your case.
Specifically, your
personal injury attorney in St.Louis can help you decide whether you should accept a particular settlement offer from the insurance company versus file a lawsuit and litigate your case in the court system. Whatever you decide, your attorney will aggressively fight for your legal rights to recover the monetary compensation you need.
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