Getting into a car accident can be extremely upsetting to anyone involved, and while you may think of the obvious effects like damage to your vehicle and injuries to your body, there are many other effects that might not seem obvious. Generally, most people do not need to go around every day thinking of the impacts of a car accident, unless they work in car accident law or have recently been involved in one. We have listed some of the major effects of a car accident below, as well as provided some brief explanations to each, but there is no way to predict the impacts on an individual since each accident is so unique.
Emotional Effects of a Car Accident
A car accident can cause serious mental and emotional strain on a victim, resulting from the trauma of the experience, the pain of their injuries, the impacts on their lives, and the stress of the personal injury case that may follow. Each of these factors can play a different role in the type of emotional effects that the victim may suffer, including things like anxiety, depression, mood swings, anger, or fear.
Many people may not realize that these effects play an important role in their settlement amount if someone else caused the accident, and insurance companies do not like to advertise that information freely.
Physical Effects of a Car Accident
The physical effects of a car accident can be a lot more obvious than the emotional effects because physical injuries are more visually apparent. There are many different types of physical injuries that someone can suffer in a car accident, but the type and the severity depend on many specific factors in the crash.
As noted by the accident lawyers at DuBois Law Group common physical injuries include fractures, traumatic brain injuries, bruising, whiplash, or internal bleeding, but there are many more injuries that someone can suffer during a crash.
Financial Effects of a Car Accident
The financial effects of a car accident include both the cost of the property damages, but also include many different economic impacts to the victim including their medical bills, any wages that they are unable to earn because of their injuries, and any long-term impacts to their income that the accident (or injuries from the accident) may have on their lives.
In addition to these obvious financial effects, there are other costs and expenses such as services that a victim may need to pay for after the accident that they could perform themselves before, such as laundry, shopping, driving, or house cleaning.
Lifestyle Effects of a Car Accident
The impacts on someone’s lifestyle that a car accident can have are wide-ranging and extremely specific to the nature of the crash, the extent of the injuries, and many particulars about the victim themselves. Serious, permanent, or debilitating injuries can limit a victim’s ability to pursue previous hobbies, play sports, perform meaningful work, and more.
Whether a victim suffers long-term or short-term lifestyle effects, it is important that they are compensated for this type of suffering just the same as the financial and physical injuries that they endure. An attorney will be able to help them through this process, but the insurance company responsible for the liability coverage will rarely, if ever, volunteer compensation for these less-obvious effects.
What To Do After An Accident
With how significant the effects of a car accident can be, you’ll obviously want to take care of yourself. Getting medical attention, if needed, is obvious here, but it’s not the only thing you’ll need to do. Get the proper documentation of everyone involved in the accident so you can file an insurance claim later on.
You might also need to contact a car accident attorney to help you in some cases. Since insurance claims can be complicated and involve a lot of back and forth, as well as even some court appearances. It’s worth having a legal professional by your side for this.
Photo by Dominika Kwiatkowska from Pexels.
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