The purveyors of clickbait are skilled in remixing reports about the most horrific car accidents. The tales of wrong-way crashes at speeds above 100 miles per hour are enough to make anyone cagey about motor vehicles, but these are less common than the news headlines would have you believe. You probably know someone, though, who suffers from lingering pain as a result of a car accident that happened years ago. Even if you recover from your injuries to where you can continue working at the same job you held before the accident, you might be left with a lifetime of knee problems. The insurance settlement pays for the acute treatment of your injury and a few follow-up appointments, but it does not pay for all the bike rides you missed out on over the years or the knee replacement surgery you had decades later. Before you decide to accept an insurance settlement, you should discuss the long-term cost of your accident-related injuries with a Santa Fe motor vehicle accidents and car accidents lawyer.
Common Injuries Arising From Car Accidents
These are some injuries commonly cited in car accident claims and how much insurance companies usually pay toward their treatment:
- Whiplash injury – Whiplash injury is a traumatic injury to the soft tissues of the neck and upper back; its most common cause is car accidents. It requires supportive treatment and physical therapy, but its symptoms can last for months or even years. The average insurance payment ranges from $5,000 to $20,000.
- Concussion – If a concussion falls short of the diagnostic criteria of moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI), treatment is mostly supportive, and symptoms eventually resolve. Despite this, the MRIs and CT scans involved in diagnosis are costly, and the symptoms, such as headaches and dizziness, interfere substantially with your daily activities. The average insurance payment ranges from $20,000 to $30,000.
- Knee and shoulder injuries – These are among the most common injuries, but they vary in terms of severity and required treatments. The average insurance payment ranges from $30,000 to $100,000.
What if the Insurance Settlement is Not Enough?
Insurance companies care more about their own bottom line than they do about your long-term health; therefore, the settlements they offer tend to cover only the acute treatment of injuries that they cannot possibly attribute to causes other than the accident. Many car accident injuries continue to cause symptoms long after the treatment reimbursed by the insurance company has finished. The trouble is that once you accept the insurance settlement, you may no longer file any other claims or lawsuits related to the accident. Therefore, it is important to discuss your injuries and their treatment in detail with a personal injury lawyer before you accept a settlement offer from the at-fault driver’s insurance company.
Contact Slate Stern About Car Accident Lawsuits
Slate Stern is a personal injury lawyer who represents plaintiffs injured in motor vehicle accidents. Contact Slate Stern in Santa Fe, New Mexico, or call (505)814-1517 to discuss your case.
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