Why a Fender Bender Could Be Much Worse Than You First Think

Even at slower speeds, car crashes can cause significant injuries. We often think that the injuries are not going to be that bad if the vehicles involved did not suffer significant damage. However, this is often not the case. Crash victims may even downplay the severity of vehicle damage, not realizing how easy it is to total a car.

Even if you consider the crash you were involved in to be a fender bender, you should get checked out by a licensed medical professional. You may also want to contact an experienced law firm, because if you need significant compensation, the insurance company is going to try to underpay your claim.

At Peter T. Nicholl Law Offices, the initial legal consultation is free and comes with no obligation to hire our Maryland auto accident lawyers. We also do not get paid unless we obtain compensation for crash victims.

Give us a call to discuss your accident: 410-401-9979.

How Can a Fender Bender Cause a Serious Injury?

Your body is not built to withstand the trauma from some car accidents. That is why vehicles have seat belts and airbags and why they are tested to ensure they can withstand a certain amount of force in a collision.

Despite safety features, your body could get violently jostled around, resulting in a variety of injuries. Certain body parts are more vulnerable to injury in a car crash than others, such as your neck, back and even your brain.

If you get rear-ended your head and neck could get whipped forward in such a way that you suffer whiplash. Sometimes this injury may only affect you for a few days. Other times whiplash could affect you for weeks or months, causing pain in your neck and back and even pain that radiates down to your arms and legs.

Another factor to consider is that you are likely to tense up when the crash occurs. That could cause the damage from the crash to be much worse.

If the airbag deploys, you could injure your face. Your back could also get damaged on impact. The soft tissues in the back are particularly susceptible to injury in a collision.

Drivers wrongly assume they cannot suffer a concussion unless they lose consciousness. However, some concussions do not cause even a momentary loss of consciousness.

If you hit your head during the crash, you could have bleeding in the brain. You should not ignore bleeding in the brain as it could get worse and even turn life-threatening.

It is important to remember that a traumatic event like a car accident can cause your body to release hormones like adrenaline. Your body does this to help ensure you have the energy to survive the crash. Adrenaline helps to mask pain and other injury symptoms.

That means in the moments after the crash you may feel a little sore and think you will be OK. However, swelling and other injury symptoms could develop in the hours and days that follow.

Other symptoms that could indicate a potentially serious injury include:

Each crash is unique and while some fender benders may cause lasting injuries, others may not. Each crash needs to be evaluated on its own.

Can I Recover Compensation for Minor Aches and Pains?

The short answer is: yes, of course you can. If you were injured in a crash caused by the negligence of another driver, you have the right to seek compensation from that driver’s liability insurance. You can seek compensation for things like medical expenses, damage to your vehicle, lost wages and potentially other damages you suffered.

It is important to note that if you truly have a minor injury, you may be able to recover the compensation you need on your own without the need for a lawyer. However, as mentioned before, you should not determine the scope of your injury on your own. Your injury could be much worse than you realize. Make sure to get to the hospital right away and inform the doctor about all your injury symptoms. If symptoms get worse or new symptoms develop, make sure to inform your doctors at follow-up appointments.

If you are unsure about your claim or think you may need help, you do not need to hesitate to contact our firm to discuss potential legal options.

It is possible the first doctor you see will say that you are fine, and you should heal relatively quickly. However, if you are unsure, you can seek a second opinion. The first doctor may have missed something and it is possible your injuries are affecting you worse than they would affect another person.

Contact Peter T. Nicholl Law Offices Today

Sometimes a fender bender is exactly that. Other times a fender bender is much more serious. Victims should not assume their crash is no big deal. Your injuries may get worse in the days and weeks ahead, and if you do not act soon, it may be much more difficult to obtain compensation from the at-fault driver’s insurance company.

Our services come with no upfront fees or legal obligations. Our lawyers do not get paid unless you get paid.

We are ready to take your call: 410-401-9979.