Car accidents are the primary cause of hundreds of injuries and deaths every year. The injuries caused due to an auto accident can be loosely categorized into two categories – physical and psychological. Most injuries like burns, scrapes, cuts, scratches, anxiety, and shock develop almost instantly, and the symptoms are immediately visible.
However, several injuries may remain invisible to us in the immediate aftermath of an accident. These include headaches, whiplash, abdominal pain, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Symptoms of these injuries sometimes take a while to be visible, and in this time, it is possible that as a victim of a car accident, you have already filed for damages based on your existing injuries. In this regard, you can contact a jersey city personal injury lawyer to know more about how late-appearing injuries can be grounds for claiming compensation.
Compensation for late-appearing injuries
Injuries due to a traumatic event like a car accident can develop over a long period. The adrenaline rush that your body produces if you are in an accident masks much of the injury and pain for a significant time. Further, internal injuries are harder to see or diagnose quickly and may take a while to manifest.
Since late-appearing injuries are also a cause of pain and discomfort, you have the right to claim compensation for the damages you suffer from the driver who was at fault for the accident. There are a few points you must remember in this process:
- You must not sign a “release of liability” form prepared by the defendant’s insurance company to settle claims. Your signature on this settlement ends any current lawsuit and all future claims against the defendant’s insurance company. If you sign such a document in a hurry, you may be unable to ascertain some injuries which may have yet to appear.
- In the aftermath of a car accident, you must get a total medical evaluation to understand your injuries’ exact nature and extent. If your healthcare worker states that you have reached a level of “maximum medical improvement” (MMI), you can expect a full recovery from that stage onwards. Here, you can be at ease to sign a release of liability form to settle your claims.
- Insurance companies might attempt to offer you a settlement immediately after the accident. You must refrain from accepting such offers to ensure that you receive compensation for all your injuries.
Experiencing late-appearing injuries can be an uncomfortable process. You have the right to compensation for all your injuries, mainly because you suffered pain for no fault of your own. Consult an attorney at the earliest to understand more about how you can claim damages.
