Our personal injury lawyers pride ourselves on going the extra mile for our clients. We want you to know you do not have to go through this alone. Call for a free, no-obligation legal consultation to find out how our Bradenton personal injury attorneys can help you file a personal injury lawsuit or accident claim.
Aggressive and Unsafe Driving Can Lead to Accident Injuries
Other motorists’ negligence and reckless behavior, such as distracted driving and aggressive driving, can result in vehicle crashes. According to the American Automobile Association (AAA), aggressive driving is any risky driving behavior in which a motorist intentionally engages. Examples of erratic and unsafe driving include:
- Blocking other cars from changing lanes
- Improperly turning
- Tailgating
- Not using the appropriate signals
- Not yielding the right of way
- Weaving in and out of traffic
- Speeding
- Drunk driving
- Racing other cars
- Improperly passing
- Ignoring traffic signals
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the vast majority of car accidents are caused by significant operator error, with only a limited number of crashes occurring because of environmental factors or a vehicle defect.
If a careless driver injured you or a loved one, they should be held responsible for your damages rather than you. To learn more about your legal rights and options after an accident, speak with a Bradenton car crash attorney with a proven track record of success as soon as possible.
Common Types of Car Accident Injuries in Bradenton, FL
Car accidents are sadly all too common. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were over 400,000 Florida crashes in 2017 alone. While severe injuries can vary, the most common types of injuries reported after car accidents are:
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)
A forceful blow to the head can cause a traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBIs can occur when a driver is involved in a crash, or a passenger is ejected from the vehicle. The symptoms of a TBI include loss of consciousness, headaches, dizziness, memory problems, confusion, seizures, slurred speech, vision changes, and more.
Spinal Cord Injury (SCI)
The spinal cord is located inside the spine and connects the brain to the rest of the body. Spinal cord damage during a car accident can cause paralysis, numbness, tingling, impaired bodily functions, weakness, and other serious conditions. SCIs can also lead to permanent damage to the nerves and muscles below the level of the injury.
Neck Injuries
The neck is one of the most vulnerable parts of the human anatomy. It comprises several bones and ligaments connecting the skull to the back of the body. Neck injuries can range from minor sprains to broken necks.
Common types of neck injuries include:
- Whiplash: This occurs when the head jerks forward suddenly.
- Compression fractures: This can happen when the vertebrae collapse under pressure.
- Cervical spondylosis: This condition occurs when the discs between the vertebrae become worn down.
Broken Bones
When a bone breaks, it becomes displaced from its normal position. This can cause severe pain and limit movement. Broken bones can directly result from a car accident, or they can develop later due to complications such as infection.
Soft Tissue Injuries
In addition to broken bones, soft tissue injuries can occur after a car accident. These injuries affect the skin, muscles, tendons, ligaments, cartilage, and fascia. Common soft tissue injuries include strains, sprains, contusions, lacerations, and abrasions. They usually heal quickly without any long-term effects. However, some people suffer from chronic pain following a car accident.
Severe Trauma
Some car accidents involve high speeds, heavy vehicles, or collisions with large objects. Such accidents can cause life-threatening injuries, including internal bleeding, organ failure, and death.
Whether you have minor or catastrophic injuries, take precautions and seek immediate medical attention after being involved in a car accident.
Who Is Responsible for my Bradenton Automobile Accident Injury?
If you’re involved in a car accident caused by another driver, it’s important to know whether you can hold them legally responsible. Under Florida law, several factors determine liability. These include:
- Who broke the law? If the other driver breaks the law by breaking a traffic signal, running a stop sign, or violating traffic rules, they are usually considered negligent.
- Was the violation the cause of the crash? If the other driver causes the accident because they ran a red light or failed to obey a stop sign, they are more likely to be held accountable.
- What was the contributing factor to the accident? If the other driver sped up behind you and forced you into a collision, then the speed increase was probably a contributing factor.
- Did you contribute to the accident in some way? You might be considered the at-fault driver if you were distracted by your phone and didn’t notice the red light.
- Were you injured? If you suffered injuries in the accident, you’d want to ensure that you receive substantial compensation for those losses.
Recovering Damages Following Your Car Accident
If you are the victim in a car accident caused by someone else’s negligent behavior, you could be entitled to financial compensation to recover economic and non-economic damages.
Economic damages refer to money spent on medical care, lost wages, and property damage. Non-economic damages include pain and suffering, mental anguish, emotional distress, inconvenience, disfigurement, and scarring.
- Medical care: The medical attention you may need following a collision is expensive and adds up quickly. You should not hesitate to get treatment for your injuries immediately. If you do not receive prompt medical attention, your condition will worsen, and you could face additional expenses.
- Future care: Some injuries take a long time to heal, and others could be with a victim for the rest of their life. If your injuries prevent you from working, you will likely need future medical treatment.
- Lost wages: If you cannot return to work following an accident, you could recover damages for lost wages, benefits, and advancement opportunities. Lost wages are an important part of recovering damages because they help compensate you for the time you were unable to work. If you cannot return to work right away, you may be able to collect temporary disability benefits.
- Property damage: You could receive compensation for property damage resulting from your car accident.
- Wrongful death: If a loved one dies because of another driver’s negligence, you could be eligible to file a wrongful death claim against the at-fault party.
- Pain and suffering: Pain and suffering refer to physical and emotional discomfort that results from an injury. It includes headaches, backaches, soreness, stiffness, and other symptoms.
- Mental anguish: Mental anguish occurs when you experience intense emotions such as fear, anxiety, anger, depression, or grief.
- Emotional distress: Emotional distress involves experiencing strong feelings of sadness, frustration, disappointment, embarrassment, shame, or guilt.
- Inconvenience: Inconvenience means anything that makes your daily life more difficult. Examples include missed work days, extra travel costs, and increased stress levels.
- Disfigurement: Disfigurement refers to any change in appearance due to an injury. Scarring is also considered disfigurement.
- Loss of consortium: Loss of consortium refers to the loss of companionship, love, affection, society, solace, sexual relations, comfort, support, advice, aid, moral guidance, protection, and security. This harm can occur if a spouse or child suffers serious injury or death.
- Wrongful Death: Wrongful death refers to the death of someone who was killed by another person’s negligent act or omission.
- Medical Malpractice: Medical malpractice refers to negligence committed by healthcare providers during treatment. The most common types of medical malpractice are failure to diagnose or treat disease, failure to obtain informed consent before performing surgery, failure to properly sterilize surgical instruments, improper prescribing of medication, and failure to monitor patients after they have been released from the hospital.
There are other accident-related damages you could also recover. Talk to an experienced lawyer in Bradenton to learn more.
Working with a Bradenton Car Accident Lawyer
If you or your family member has suffered an injury in a car accident, the Law Offices of Anidjar & Levine is here to offer you a free, no-risk consultation to evaluate your claim. We will review all aspects of your case, including liability issues, insurance coverage, and available compensation options.
Our goal is to provide you with quality legal representation and compassionate service. Contact us today by completing our online form before the statute of limitations under Florida §95.11 expires. You worry about getting better. We take care of everything else.
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