The five most common injuries from a rear-end accident include whiplash, traumatic brain injuries (TBI), spinal cord injuries, facial damage, and broken bones. If you or a loved one was injured in a rear-end collision, a local car accident lawyer can help you pursue compensation.
They will be familiar with state and local law, so they can help you effectively navigate the personal injury system. Your lawyer will investigate your accident, document your injuries and their ongoing treatment costs, and demand compensation for expenses related to your injuries, including lost wages, pain and suffering, and more.
How Rear-End Accidents Lead to Life-Changing Injuries
A rear-end accident occurs when another car crashes into the back of your car. Commonly reported causes of rear-end impact accidents include:
- Drowsy driving
- Distracted driving
- Running a red light
- Improper lane changes
- Disregarding a stop sign
- Speeding or recklessness
When a personal injury lawyer accepts your case, they will collect evidence that demonstrates the cause of your accident. In doing so, they can prove the legal elements of negligence that entitle you to pursue compensation—duty of care, breach of duty, causation, and damages.
Whiplash Is the Most Common Rear-End Collision Injury
According to Mayo Clinic, rear-end car accidents are the leading cause of whiplash. The jarring motion of the car can cause your head to whip forcefully back and forth and damage that spreads across the ligaments, muscles, and nerves of your neck.
Symptoms of whiplash include pain that worsens with movement, decreased range of motion, headaches, numbness, fatigue, and dizziness. It usually heals through prolonged periods of rest, pain control, foam collars, and physical therapy.
Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) From a Rear-End Accident Could Change Your Life
If you suffer a TBI in a rear-end collision, you could face long-lasting, potentially permanent changes to your physical abilities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cites the following signs of TBI:
- Slurred speech
- Sensitivity to light
- Impaired memory
- Dizziness or fatigue
- Chronic headaches
- Visual disturbances
- Changes in behavior
- Nausea and vomiting
- Restlessness or irritability
- Seizures and convulsions
Treatment can require various forms of therapy—physical, occupational, speech, and behavioral, as well as in-home and institutional long-term care and a lifetime of managing with coping skills.
Rear-End Accidents Can Lead to Back and Spinal Cord Injuries
Chronic back pain can follow a rear-end car accident, as can spinal cord injuries of varying severity. When your back bears the brunt of a collision, you could suffer:
- Complete spinal cord injury, resulting in total loss of feeling at and below the injury
- Incomplete spinal cord injury, resulting in limited motor and sensory function at and below the injury
According to the Cleveland Clinic, complications and side effects of spinal damage can include loss of bladder and bowel control, bed sores, impaired respiratory system, pain, and depression.
A doctor may have you undergo treatments like long-term medications, traction, collars, and braces, in addition to surgeries, in-home medical support, and rehabilitation.
Airbags and Steering Wheels Can Cause Facial, Eye, Nose, and Dental Damage
Being hit from the back while in the driver’s seat of your car can force you into the steering wheel and column or the deployed airbag. If you were the passenger in the accident, it could force you into the dashboard or windshield.
Resulting injuries can include cuts from broken and flying glass coming from all directions. A broken or dislocated nose, eye injuries, and tooth damage or loss are also common injuries. In addition, the force of the airbag deploying can cause serious burns and abrasions.
A Rear-End Accident Can Cause Broken Bones and Fractures
Cut or dislocated knees and broken or fractured bones can also result from a rear-end collision, especially when your legs sustain impact. Grabbing the steering wheel, attempting to shield your face, and other actions that you might take to brace yourself during the crash can lead to upper limb (arm and wrist) damage.
Treating these injuries can be costly and include bone setting, casting, stabilizing pins and screws, and surgical procedures. The at-fault driver can be compelled to cover these costs.
For a free legal consultation, call 404-214-2001
A Car Accident Lawyer Can Demand Compensation for Your Injuries
You can recover the cost of treating the injuries you sustain in a rear-end accident from the at-fault driver and their insurance company. A car accident lawyer will collect evidence that proves the cause and costs of your injuries, including:
- Emergency room treatment
- Hospital admissions
- Required medications
- Treatment-related travel
You can recover the costs of short-term and long-term rehabilitation, therapy, and in-home medical and domestic support, as well as the costs of assistive medical devices, such as braces, canes, crutches, collars, and wheelchairs.
Additional Damages You Can Recover After a Rear-End Accident
A rear-end car accident can leave you with more than medical bills. The lawyer who represents you may demand compensation for damages related to your injuries, including:
- Current and future lost income
- Loss of future earning capacity
- Property damage or total loss
- Diminished property value
- Disability or disfigurement
- Physical pain and suffering
- Mental and emotional anguish
- Loss of enjoyment of life
Where applicable, your family can recover a range of wrongful death damages for the loss of a loved one in a rear-end collision. Wrongful death damages can include funeral and burial costs, loss of your loved one’s income, and loss of consortium, companionship, and comfort.
Get a Free Evaluation of Your Rear-End Car Accident Today
If you or a loved one suffered one or more of the five most common injuries from a rear-end accident, our team at Kaine Law can help. With multiple decades of collective experience in personal injury law, our law firm will demand compensation for the costs of treating your injuries.
Contact us today to learn more about the types of compensation we fight to recover for you.
Call or text 404-214-2001 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
