Of the 6 million car accidents that the National Safety Council report occur every year, about 2.5 million of those involve a rear-end collision. If you've been involved in an accident in which the rear-end impact was considered minor, can you still experience serious injuries that can affect your ability to work or even impact your quality of health for the rest of your life?
The answer is yes, you can sustain major injuries even though a rear-ender is judged to be minor. Just because there was low impact to your vehicle doesn't mean you haven't sustained an injury and don't have a personal injury claim to pursue. Many insurance companies may argue that because the property damage to your automobile wasn't very significant, no personal injury could have taken place, but that attitude couldn't be more wrong.
Common Injuries From Minor Rear-Enders
Pain and stiffness in the neck and shoulders, a condition known as whiplash is a common injury sustained even when a minor rear-end crash occurs. Even a low-speed impact can result in back injuries that cause compression in the spinal cord and damage to the disks located in the lower back area.
At speeds of 20 mph or less, your airbags will not deploy in your vehicle, causing facial and head injuries caused by your coming into contact with the steering wheel and dashboard. Broken noses, jawbone and cheekbone fractures, and even retina detachment affecting your vision can occur. In addition, you might sustain lacerations, abrasions, and contusions to your face and scalp.
The force of a minor rear-end collision can also result in injuries to your wrists, fingers, arms, and hands. Being restrained by a seatbelt keeps you seated in your car, but may result in bruises and lacerations to your torso, hips and chest area.
Negligence Causes Minor Rear-End Accidents
Negligence plays a significant role in causing minor rear-end accidents that can cause serious injuries. The other driver may tailgate your car, following closer than staying the recommended 10 cars lengths behind your vehicle. The other driver may be intoxicated or taking drugs or other medication that slows their reaction time. Drivers may become distracted by their cell phone and other devices in the car. Defects in road conditions and weather conditions that include snow, ice or heavy rain also contribute to another vehicle rear-ending your car at a slow speed that can still create major injuries to you and your passengers.
Get Experienced Personal Injury Advice
Before agreeing to any insurance company settlement following what seems to be a minor rear-end accident, you owe it yourself to discuss your right to file a personal injury claim with an experienced auto accident attorney in Tampa for anyone in the southwestern region of Florida. Otherwise, use review enabled websites to find the best fit. A lawyer who specializes in personal injury accident cases can help you determine whether filing a claim to compensate you for the negligent actions of others that caused a rear-ender is the best course of action for your financial, physical and emotional benefit.
The answer is yes, you can sustain major injuries even though a rear-ender is judged to be minor. Just because there was low impact to your vehicle doesn't mean you haven't sustained an injury and don't have a personal injury claim to pursue. Many insurance companies may argue that because the property damage to your automobile wasn't very significant, no personal injury could have taken place, but that attitude couldn't be more wrong.
Common Injuries From Minor Rear-Enders
Pain and stiffness in the neck and shoulders, a condition known as whiplash is a common injury sustained even when a minor rear-end crash occurs. Even a low-speed impact can result in back injuries that cause compression in the spinal cord and damage to the disks located in the lower back area.
At speeds of 20 mph or less, your airbags will not deploy in your vehicle, causing facial and head injuries caused by your coming into contact with the steering wheel and dashboard. Broken noses, jawbone and cheekbone fractures, and even retina detachment affecting your vision can occur. In addition, you might sustain lacerations, abrasions, and contusions to your face and scalp.
The force of a minor rear-end collision can also result in injuries to your wrists, fingers, arms, and hands. Being restrained by a seatbelt keeps you seated in your car, but may result in bruises and lacerations to your torso, hips and chest area.
Negligence Causes Minor Rear-End Accidents
Negligence plays a significant role in causing minor rear-end accidents that can cause serious injuries. The other driver may tailgate your car, following closer than staying the recommended 10 cars lengths behind your vehicle. The other driver may be intoxicated or taking drugs or other medication that slows their reaction time. Drivers may become distracted by their cell phone and other devices in the car. Defects in road conditions and weather conditions that include snow, ice or heavy rain also contribute to another vehicle rear-ending your car at a slow speed that can still create major injuries to you and your passengers.
Get Experienced Personal Injury Advice
Before agreeing to any insurance company settlement following what seems to be a minor rear-end accident, you owe it yourself to discuss your right to file a personal injury claim with an experienced auto accident attorney in Tampa for anyone in the southwestern region of Florida. Otherwise, use review enabled websites to find the best fit. A lawyer who specializes in personal injury accident cases can help you determine whether filing a claim to compensate you for the negligent actions of others that caused a rear-ender is the best course of action for your financial, physical and emotional benefit.
