Steven A. Bagen | August 26, 2024 | Car Accidents
Sometimes, even the most simple feature in a vehicle can save your life. Many drivers do not think about how headrests can prevent an injury after a traffic crash, but headrests are important. Continue reading to learn how headrests can prevent injuries after a traffic crash.
Contact a Gainesville car accident lawyer to learn more about how to protect your legal rights after a crash. You are entitled to pursue financial compensation after an accident if you have suffered injury, property damage, or other losses related to the crash. Speak to a personal injury lawyer today to start your journey to financial compensation.
Traffic Accident Facts
Injury-causing and fatal traffic accidents are unfortunately common nationwide. Tens of thousands of people die annually in traffic accidents. According to statistics published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in 2022, 42,514 people died in motor vehicle crashes. In 2023, 40,990 people died in motor vehicle traffic accidents.
An experienced traffic accident attorney can help understand your legal right to pursue compensation after suffering injuries in a crash. Speak to an attorney immediately to protect your ability to recover financially after an accident.
How Can Headrests Help Prevent Traffic Accident Injuries?
Headrests may seem like an unimportant part of your vehicle. However, headrests are crucial to preventing injuries. Here are some of the ways that headrests help prevent traffic accident injuries.
Support Your Head
Headrests act as a cushion and limit the extent to which the driver’s head can move. Headrests also create proper head alignment. Proper head alignment ensures that your head and spine are correctly aligned in case of an injury. Proper head alignment is also critical in reducing the force of an impact after a traffic accident.
Prevent Whiplash
Headrests can help protect you from whiplash. Whiplash is a head and neck injury that is common after traffic accidents. Especially during a rear-end car crash, whiplash happens when the body is forced forward and quickly forced back. Headrests offer support for the driver’s head and neck. A headrest will help reduce the backward movement of the driver’s head and prevent whiplash.
Encourage Safe Vehicle Use
Maintaining proper driving posture may seem unimportant, but correctly positioning yourself can reduce your odds of serious injury after an accident. Headrests help drivers and passengers maintain proper posture while traveling in a vehicle. Headrests are, therefore, beneficial for overall injury prevention after an accident.
Safety Regulations
Headrests are an important safety feature. Modern vehicles are usually equipped with headrests designed to reduce the risk of driver or passenger injuries by meeting safety requirements.
Headrests are an important safety feature in vehicles. Headrests mitigate the risk of serious harm, like head and neck injuries. The purpose of the design of headrests is to help a traveler absorb the impact of the injury, support their head, maintain the alignment of their spine, and reduce movement that can cause whiplash and further exacerbate injuries. Headrests contribute to the overall improvement of occupant safety during traffic accidents.
Common Injuries After Traffic Accidents
There is a risk of suffering from various injuries after a car accident. Some of the most common types of traffic accident injuries include the following.
Facial Injuries
A driver or passenger can have facial injuries after a traffic crash. Examples of facial injuries include broken bones in the face. Facial injuries have a huge potential for permanent disfigurement.
Neck Injuries
Neck injuries are common in traffic crashes. They can reduce the victim’s range of motion and quality of life. Headrests help cushion the driver or passenger’s neck and help reduce the likelihood of a neck injury.
Paralysis
A severe traffic crash can end in a driver or passenger becoming paralyzed. Headrests can help absorb the force of the impact to reduce the possibility of paralysis.
Back Injuries
Back injuries have the potential to impact your life for many years to come. Headrests help align the spine and, therefore, help prevent back injuries.
Brain Damage
Headrests help support drivers’ and passengers’ heads in an accident by reducing the force of impact from an accident and the amount of movement of the head. Headrests can help prevent brain damage.
Internal Bleeding and Organ Damage
Internal bleeding and organ damage are serious but hidden injuries that can happen after a traffic accident. You must see a physician and get a medical examination after an accident to prevent internal injuries.
Whiplash
Whiplash is a common injury, especially after a rear-end accident. Headrests help reduce the likelihood of whiplash and prevent the violent shift forward and backward commonly caused by accidents.
What Compensation Is Available After a Traffic Accident?
There are three major categories of compensation after a traffic accident injury. Usually, traffic accident victims have losses categorized as economic, non-economic, or punitive damages.
Economic Damages
Economic damages are typically easy to identify, but working with a personal injury lawyer helps you understand your options to collect compensation for economic losses. Examples of economic damage can include the following.
- Current and future medical expenses
- Current and future lost income
- Lost earning capacity
- Property damage
- Cost of hiring domestic help for chores you can no longer complete because of your injuries
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damage is usually unseen and hard to identify. It is an intangible loss that an accident victim might suffer but be tempted to downplay. Non-economic damage includes reduced quality of life, loss of consortium, and loss of enjoyment of life. Working with an automobile accident attorney will help identify these losses and determine whether you are entitled to recover compensation for them.
Punitive Damages
Punitive damages are not always available. Punitive damages are not compensable, meaning they are not meant to repay the victim for their losses. Courts award punitive damages to help deter similar behavior from the defendant in the future. Speak to a personal injury attorney to learn if punitive damages are available in your case.
How Much Is My Traffic Accident Claim Worth?
The value of your traffic accident claim varies based on the facts surrounding the crash. No two traffic accidents are the same, so there is no proper way to guarantee what compensation you will take home at the end of a case. Some factors that influence the value of a case include the following.
Severity of Injuries
The severity of your injuries correlates with the cost of treatment. Typically, the more severe the injury, the more time treatment takes, and the cost of care is driven up. It is vital to share your medical bills with your attorney so they can evaluate the overall cost of care. The cost of care influences what is considered a fair settlement.
Liability
The liable party is responsible for paying for the victim’s losses. Therefore, determining liability is an integral part of a traffic accident case. Insurance companies do not want to accept liability because that means the company loses money. However, working with an experienced injury attorney means you have an advocate to investigate your case and help determine liability.
Insurance Coverage
Insurance policy limits are usually the source of compensation in traffic accident cases. Your car accident attorney will help review the available amount of coverage to ensure your losses are covered after an accident.
Lost Earnings
Some injuries are so severe that the victim misses work. Missing work and high medical expenses can put anyone in a financial bind. An attorney can help advocate for a settlement that includes your lost earnings.
What Should I Do After a Traffic Accident?
What you do after a traffic accident is vital to the success of your accident claim. Traffic accident victims should consider taking the following steps to protect their legal rights after a traffic accident.
Get Medical Attention
Your health and safety are the priority after an accident. After getting into a traffic accident, seek medical care immediately. Seeing a doctor right after an accident is essential to your physical well-being and legal claim. Avoiding a doctor can give the insurance company the ammunition to argue against paying you a full and fair settlement. Make sure that you complete your doctor’s treatment plan and share your medical records and bills with your lawyer.
Notify Your Insurance Company
Depending on the terms of your insurance policy, you are likely required to report an accident to avoid cancellation of your policy. However, it may be best to speak with an attorney before contacting the insurance company. An attorney can communicate with your insurance company to help protect you from any negative interaction you might have with an insurance adjuster.
Contact An Attorney
Call a skilled personal injury attorney as soon as possible after a traffic accident. A conversation with an experienced traffic accident lawyer can help you understand your rights and options for compensation after an accident. Contact a personal injury lawyer for a consultation to discuss the accident details and learn the best next step to take for your claim.
How Can An Attorney Help Me After a Traffic Accident?
An attorney is a valuable resource for support as you try to get the financial recovery you need after an accident. Here are some of the most important ways a lawyer can help assist you after suffering injuries in a traffic accident.
Identify and Calculate Damages
A car accident attorney will help by evaluating your case’s facts and damages. It is common for accident victims to not identify all of their losses. For example, some accident victims do not know that they might be entitled to recover compensation for their emotional trauma after a crash. Sitting down with an attorney is the best way to know that you have identified your losses.
File Claims, Lawsuit, and Meet Deadlines
The legal process after an accident can go in many directions. An attorney can help at all stages. Whether you need assistance with filing an insurance claim or a personal injury lawsuit, having counsel can help you know that you are following every rule and meeting each deadline.
Investigate and Gather Evidence
You need proof to win your accident case. A Gainesville car accident lawyer will help gather necessary evidence, such as medical records, traffic camera footage, police reports, and witness statements, which can be difficult to gather on your own, among other types of proof.
Negotiate With Insurance Companies
Settlement negotiation is an important part of your accident claim. Insurance companies are laser-focused on protecting their profit margins, even if it means that you are not paid what you deserve. Having an attorney is the best way to protect you from bad faith tactics often used by insurance companies.
Offer Legal Advice
An attorney will use their knowledge and experience to help understand your rights and options after an accident. Speaking with an attorney will help you know the next best step after an injury-causing accident.
Represent You In Court
Sometimes, settlement negotiations fail; when that happens, your Gainesville car accident lawyer may file a lawsuit to help get the financial recovery you deserve. Fighting your case in court can feel intimidating and overwhelming. An attorney will help by presenting your case to a judge or jury and advocating for you in court.
Contact a Traffic Accident Attorney Today!
It is crucial to get legal advice after an accident. Facing large insurance companies after a crash can be difficult. Insurance companies have one goal in mind: to protect the company’s profit margins. Protecting the company’s profits often means you will feel the pressure to take a lowball settlement offer. It is just one battle you will face when getting compensation after an accident. An experienced lawyer is the best way to ensure your right to receive fair compensation.
Don’t leave your car accident claim to chance. Reach out to a knowledgeable Gainesville car accident lawyer near you today for the help and guidance you need to navigate the complexities of the legal process. Remember, you don’t have to face this challenging time alone. Seek legal representation to ensure your rights are protected and maximize your chances of receiving the compensation you deserve.