Internal Injuries from Car Accidents
In the wake of a serious vehicle accident, a number of injuries might be visible to the human eye, including compound fractures, deep cuts, or large bruises. While these injuries typically receive immediate medical attention due to their visibility, there is another form of injury that is just as dangerous.
Organ damage in a motorcycle accident can’t always be detected upon first look. Even victims themselves might not be aware of their injuries due in part to the shock stemming from an accident. Shock can mean that victim’s injuries are not felt until later when the shock wears off.
At times, adrenaline may spike to help the accident victim overcome the immediate obstacles they are facing. This surge of adrenaline can also mask the pain that would typically come with a serious injury. Failure to spot internal organ damage from a car accident can lead to serious health complications or even death.
Why Choose Tucker Lawyers PC
- Our practice is driven by a desire to serve our clients. Because of this commitment, we have successfully resolved past cases for our valued clients. The results we have garnered in the past are the best way to evaluate our potential for future success.
- To sum up, you should not just take our word for the work we do through skillful negotiations and tenacious litigation. Listen to what our former clients have to say. Their success is our success.
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How We Can Help if You Have Suffered an Internal Injury from a Car Accident
If you have suffered an injury from a car accident that has left you with internal damage, we are here to help. Dealing with insurance companies can be particularly challenging for those without legal experience.
- We will gather and review evidence to present to the insurance companies to ensure the best possible outcome in negotiations or to plead in court if litigation is the best alternative to receiving the maximum possible benefits.
- Our team will work on a strategy that we can confidently construct to prove that someone else’s negligence caused your internal injuries and that you should be compensated for them.
- We will provide you with open communication so that your questions are answered, your rights are protected, and your options are always made clear to you.
How Internal Organ Injuries After a Car Accident Occur
Organ damage and internal injuries from a car accident can be the result of blunt trauma sustained during the vehicle collision. While these injuries happen to victims in many different types of accidents, they frequently occur when a pedestrian, a bicyclist, or a motorcyclist is struck by another vehicle. These injuries are often life-threatening since organs that have sustained significant damage tend to shut down.
Internal damage can be challenging for the injury victim to overcome. If there is an impact to the brain, internal bleeding can ensue. Or if a lung is punctured, it can make breathing impossible without medical intervention.
Despite the seriousness of an internal injury, the lawyers on the side of the insurance companies will often try to downplay the injuries so they have less financial responsibility. Having a car accident lawyer who understands the injuries you sustained and is committed to fighting for you is imperative.
Common Forms of Internal Injuries
There are a number of internal injuries that can result from a vehicle accident. Any vital organ injuries after a car accident can have serious consequences for an injured person. However, there are a few internal injuries that are more common than others.
Possible Internal Organ Damage from a Car Accident
- Punctured or collapsed lungs can cause respiratory failure due to a blunt force injury.
- Kidney damage most often affects children in car accidents. Acute kidney injury (AKI) can be caused by blunt trauma or penetration of the kidneys in a car accident. The kidneys filter and keep your blood clean, so kidney damage can allow waste to accumulate in the victim’s bloodstream.
- If chest trauma occurs, often the spleen is damaged and must be removed.
- Liver damage is possible from a car accident. The organ can be lacerated or ruptured, requiring surgical intervention.
- The pancreas can suffer damage from a car accident. This can end catastrophically, depending on the severity and the care received.
- Organ damage: Blunt trauma can result in severe damage to internal organs, including kidney, lung, spleen, bowel, liver, and pancreas damage.
- Intestinal rupture: Gastrointestinal perforations mean the piercing of the gastrointestinal wall that lines organs like the stomach.
- Fractured ribs: Broken ribs can penetrate major organs, such as the lungs.
- Abdominal aortic aneurysm: These injuries can cause severe bleeding and are often fatal.
- Brain injuries: Severe brain injuries, also known as traumatic brain injuries (TBI), can be some of the most dangerous of all injuries, resulting in permanent disability or death. They include concussions and brain bleeds.
- Internal bleeding is the leading cause of death globally in injuries associated with blunt trauma. Slow bleeds can last as long as two weeks without noticeable symptoms, another critical reason to seek medical attention after an accident.
Symptoms of Organ Damage
If you’re not sure whether or not you might have internal damage following a vehicle accident, you should seek medical attention immediately. If you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, it could be a sign of internal damage:
- Bruising due to internal bleeding
- Accelerated breathing and heart rate
- Excessive sweating
- Mental confusion
- Swollen abdomen
- Headaches
- Coughing up blood
- Nausea or vomiting
- Confusion
- Lightheadedness
- Feeling cold
- Pain
- Low blood pressure
- Rapid pulse
- Bloody stool
- Chest pains.
Diagnosing Organ Damage After a Driving Accident in New York
While organ damage can be challenging to identify, medical professionals are trained to recognize symptoms and act accordingly. If you’re experiencing pain, unusual bruising, or any of the above symptoms, it’s imperative to notify a medical professional immediately. The sooner an injury can be treated, the better. If a medical professional ignores or dismisses your symptoms, they might be held responsible for any further harm.
Treating Organ Damage and Internal Bleeding
Organ damage and internal bleeding can range from mild to fatal. Treatments will vary depending on the amount of trauma and where it occurred. Some treatments that might be necessary are as follows:
- To treat internal bleeding that is relatively minor, a doctor may simply observe the injured party rather than immediately putting them through surgery.
- Internal bleeding could require blood transfusions if there is significant blood loss.
- If the injury from a blunt force trauma has caused penetrating injuries, the medical professionals taking care of the patient may determine that surgery is a necessary route to take.
- Surgery may be required to control substantial bleeding or to repair damaged organs.
- Sometimes, trauma is significant enough to warrant the removal of a damaged organ.
- Hollow organs with substantial damage may have to have leaks repaired in order to limit the threat of infection or peritonitis.
- Accident victims who have experienced organ damage will be closely monitored for signs of organ failure.
- In the best-case scenario, damaged organs regain full functionality.
- When it becomes evident that an organ will not regain appropriate function or is too damaged, an organ transplant may be the only option.
Filing a Wrongful Death Claim After Organ Damage
When a loved one dies as the result of internal damage in a car accident, surviving family members can seek justice in the form of a wrongful death claim. Wrongful death claims are typically filed against the negligent party to help pay for funeral costs, medical bills, and loss of income incurred from the death of a loved one.
Damages Due to Organ Damage Caused by an Automobile
You may be entitled to recover compensation for the damages you sustained in an automobile accident. Compensatory damages would cover the medical expenses associated with your injury, as well as the other monetary and non-economic damages incurred.
These may include the medical care you have received and will receive in the form of follow-up or long-term care. Your career may have been affected, and you may have missed work or may not be able to return, in which case your lost wages should also be recovered.
Pain and suffering, emotional trauma and anguish, and the loss of enjoyment of life are all considered non-economic damages. These are also recoverable as compensatory damages if you have experienced skilled NY car accident organ damage attorneys advocating on your behalf.
If you or a loved one has suffered organ damage due to a negligent driver, you could be entitled to compensation for the damages you have suffered. The New York car accident organ damage lawyers at Tucker Lawyers PC have helped many victims in their fight to secure payment for their suffering.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you: (516) 399-2364.
Managing Attorney John. J. Tucker, Esq.
John has personally handled thousands of clients who were victims of another’s negligence and fights relentlessly for their rights. John enjoys bringing closure to a client’s matter so that the injured party can move forward with their life. His background enables him to evaluate complex liability related claims and bring resolution to claims in a record time frame. [ Attorney Bio ]