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Does the Amount of Damage To a Vehicle Matter In a Personal Injury Case?

Posted on Aug 16, 2019 in Personal Injury

If you are involved in a car accident and your car sustains no major damage will it affect the outcome of your personal injury case? This is a common myth in the realm of personal injury. Damage to your vehicle and damage to your bodily person are unique factors in an accident, and you can seek legal compensation for either or both. If you were involved in an accident and your car was largely unharmed, but you suffered injuries, you can seek compensation for those injuries. If you were involved in an accident and were left unscathed, but your car was damaged, you can seek compensation for the damage to your property. If you were injured and your vehicle was damaged, you can seek compensation for both. I was involved in a fender bender a few years back. I was moving rather slow, less than 20 miles per hour, when I ran into the back of the car in front of me. The damage to the other car was almost non-existent—a dent in the bumper. However, the front of my car was totally smashed up and ended up needing thousands of dollars’ worth of repairs before it was back on the road. The point here is that all cars are built differently, and accidents may affect them differently. Additionally, every accident is unique, with any number of factors playing a part—from speed, area of impact, make and model of vehicles involved, and more. Likewise, as you might have surmised, every injury is unique as well!

Injuries and Vehicular Damage Are Not Always Immediately Obvious

Sometimes after an accident, a person might feel totally fine and unharmed. However, injuries can manifest days or even weeks after an accident. For this reason, it’s important to get checked out by a doctor whose opinion you trust even if you don’t think you were initially injured. Your health is the most important factor following an accident, and you want to make sure you’re okay. Additionally, if you do end up filing a suit down the line, the doctor’s diagnosis will be a key piece of evidence for your case. Similarly, you can’t always judge the extent of a vehicle’s damage from appearance either. Newer model cars especially are often designed to break rather than bend as a safety precaution. For example, bumps are designed to absorb and lessen the impact to passengers and vitals of the vehicle in an accident. It can mean that externally, as with my car, the vehicle may look mangled. But the passengers and engine and other important interior specs remain protected. Likewise, some accidents may appear to deal minor physical damage to a vehicle, but could result in internal or operative issues. Just like visiting the doctor, it’s recommended that you get your vehicle checked out by a professional following an accident. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Not Everyone Realizes Damages and Injuries Are Not Directly Related

As mentioned at the beginning of this post, there is a preconceived notion out there that no damage to the vehicle equals no damage to the passenger. If your case goes to trial and a jury reviews the details of your case, they may be of this mindset, and it will be up to your attorney to make the case for your injuries and turn these preconceived notions around. When dealing with an injury case, it’s important to have an experienced and capable personal injury lawyer on your side. Personal injury matters can be complicated, and so many different factors go into building a compelling case. An attorney who has handled these types of cases before will be able to gather evidence and build a compelling case to ensure you receive the full compensation you deserve for your injuries.

Have You Been Involved In an Accident?

The experienced New Orleans personal injury attorneys at Bloom Legal have been handling personal injury settlements for a decade and a half. We will handle everything from gathering evidence, to dealing with the insurance companies, to building your case and fighting for you. If the case goes to trial, we’ll be by your side through the entire process, helping you secure the compensation you are due for your injuries. Give us a call today for a free case evaluation!

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