Car Accidents

The head-on collision caused by a drunk driver drastically changed your life. Months of treatment and recovery are expected, however, it still will not assure that you will get your old life back after suffering debilitating injuries.

The negligence of the other driver has led you and your family to take legal action. But what kind of compensation can you recover after a serious car accident? You can seek compensation for a variety of different damages, including medical costs, lost wages, pain and suffering, and loss of companionship.

Medical costs, lost wages

Here is a breakdown of the types of damages an injured person and his or her family may seek after a motor vehicle collision:

• Pain and suffering: Your injuries may be serious and life-changing. You and your family have been through a great amount of pain and suffering physically and mentally. The tension, stress, mental anguish and sorrow felt after a crash likely lingers, and, in some cases, you may have lost your enjoyment of life. In proving pain and suffering, you must provide supporting evidence such as medical records, photos, the accident report, medical bills and witness testimonials.
• Medical costs: Health care workers may have worked around the clock to save your life. The initial treatment, possible surgeries, follow-up visits, physical therapy and even in-home care add up to exorbitant costs.
• Lost wages: Your injuries may lead you to be unable to work temporarily or permanently. The financial hit on you and your family may last for months and even years. By reviewing your past earnings, you will prove that the serious injuries weakened your ability to earn a living.
• Loss of companionship and affection: An injury may deny a married couple the capability of showing affection. Only the uninjured spouse may seek such damages. However, these damages cannot be recovered if damages are not recovered for the crash-related injuries.

A skilled personal injury attorney will provide you with insight, direction and hope.

A necessary financial cushion

The actions of a reckless and negligent driver have led to an abundance of challenges and heartache for you and your family. Compensation likely will not help you regain previous joys and aspects of your life. However, it can soften some of the sting and provide a financial cushion that will help you get through the initial phases.

Getting behind the wheel while being behind on a few hours of sleep is not an uncommon situation.

However, drowsy driving can lead to a serious car accident when the person rams into another vehicle on the road.

Swerving on the road

According to the United States Department of Transportation, many tired drivers tend to not have a solid grip on the steering wheel or may even take their hands off it. This happens more frequently when drowsy drivers begin to fall asleep, which often leads to the car swerving and braking erratically.

Drifting even a little bit out of your lane can cause a severe crash. You may notice someone nearing your back bumper or the sides of your car as he or she speeds up and slows down.

Sudden stops and turns

Drivers that are half-asleep can make hasty decisions because they miss a turn or exit while on the road. Once they realize the error, they may attempt to stop suddenly or change lanes without warning.

These drivers may also accidentally hit the gas or brake pedal as they accidentally drift off to sleep, which can cause their cars to enter your lane or hit you from behind. Sudden stops can also lead to an injury if you are driving behind this vehicle.

Lack of reaction

An aware driver can quickly react to people or debris on the road, but a drowsy one may crash into pedestrians or other cars without warning. Leaving reaction time in order to properly stop or turn away is important. Being drowsy while driving can endanger everyone, including others on the road.

Cars, trucks and SUVs are considerably larger and travel much faster than walkers, joggers and runners. Consequently, motorists must exercise additional caution when driving near pedestrians. If they do not, pedestrians are vulnerable to catastrophic and life-changing injuries.

According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, more than 6,000 pedestrians died in motor vehicle collisions in 2020 alone. To keep pedestrians safe, California law generally gives them the right of way. This means drivers must yield to pedestrians. There are some technicalities to this rule that all motorists should know, however.

Sidewalks

Sidewalks are for pedestrians and not for motorists. Still, when turning into shopping centers or driveways, motorists often must cross the sidewalk. Pedestrians always have the right of way when they are on the sidewalk. Therefore, before crossing a sidewalk, drivers must look for pedestrians. If pedestrians are present, motorists must wait until they are gone before crossing the sidewalk.

Streets

Pedestrians frequently must cross streets. Unlike sidewalks, streets are mostly for drivers and not for walkers. When crossing streets, pedestrians have the right of way when they are in a crosswalk, provided they comply with the walk and do not walk signs.

If the walk sign has a countdown, pedestrians may enter the intersection as long as they have enough time to cross the street before the countdown reaches zero. If there is no countdown, pedestrians should not enter the intersection when the do not walk sign is flashing.

While pedestrians and drivers must obey the rules of the road, pedestrians are at a disadvantage. Ultimately, if someone injures a pedestrian by failing to yield, the injured walker may have legal options for pursuing financial compensation.

Umbrella insurance works as personal liability insurance, covering any claim over auto or watercraft policy owners, or homeowners. This type of insurance serves a crucial purpose in protecting individuals from unique situations, such as losing a lawsuit for a greater cost than what their insurance pays.

It is important to understand how umbrella insurance works to better protect yourself, especially in situations such as car accidents which can wrack up a hellacious bill in no time at all.

What does umbrella insurance cover?

Investopedia discusses how umbrella insurance works. First, what does it cover? It essentially helps out in situations where a claim would cost more than what your insurance would pay for. Without umbrella insurance, you could get caught paying out of pocket for tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars, depending on the claim you face.

A scenario in which umbrella insurance comes in handy includes causing an accident involving numerous cars. Getting into a crash with just one other person is often excruciatingly expensive, but what if you are on the hook for the medical bills of four, five or more people?

What are the primary benefits?

A benefit of umbrella insurance is that it covers members of your household, too. This means that even if your child is not the best driver, you can rest at ease knowing the umbrella insurance will cover them as well. Not only that, but umbrella insurance will cover you worldwide, too.

Generally speaking, everyone could benefit from umbrella insurance. But you should assess your risk factors specifically regarding whether or not you may get sued, and decide from there.

While your teenager may triumphantly celebrate the chance to start driving, you may have concerns about safety and inexperience. Expressing your feelings and setting clear expectations can encourage responsibility from your teenager.

A driving contract between you and your child provides a place for you to define ground rules. Within this agreement, you can also disclose consequences for non-compliant behavior.

Improve trust

Your teenager wants to know that you trust him or her to drive safely. Similarly, you want to trust your child to meet your expectations and refrain from irresponsible or illegal driving activities. A driving agreement allows both parties to clarify expectations. You can make a list of rules that your child must follow in order to retain the privilege of driving a family vehicle.

When your child minds your rules, he or she can avoid unwanted consequences. Your encouragement and praise for appropriate driving behaviors may improve your child’s confidence and willingness to follow the rules. With a mutual understanding and reciprocated respect, both you and your child may notice an improvement in trust.

Establish good habits

Driving requires vigilance and attentiveness. Even you may sometimes experience distractions that pull your attention away from driving. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, some risk factors your teenage driver may encounter include the following:

• Driving in the dark
• Driving under the influence
• Driving too fast
• Driving while distracted
• Driving without a seatbelt
• Driver inexperience

Setting concrete consequences for participating in such behaviors may encourage your child to establish good driving habits. These positive behaviors, when developed at a young age, can have lifelong benefits for your child.

Periodically discussing the effectiveness of your driving agreement can help you verify that it continues to provide optimal benefit for you and your child.

Throughout the U.S., many states have created special rules for underage drivers in an attempt to help them learn to drive more safely. Graduated driver’s license systems often include restrictions for drivers who are ages 16 and 17.

The California Department of Motor Vehicles explains for drivers under the age of 18, there are rules limiting some of the things they may do when driving. These may include things such as holding your permit for a certain amount of time and limiting who can be in your vehicle.

Limitations

During the first 12 months that you have your license, you must follow the restrictions set by the law. You cannot have anyone in the car with you who is under the age of 20 when you drive alone without a parent or driver over 25. So, if you have big plans to go out with friends, you will all have to drive separately or have your parent or someone older come along.

You also cannot work as a driver for pay. If you have an accident or receive a violation, you can no longer drive without your parent. You also have restrictions on the hours you can drive. You are unable to be on the road between 11:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m.

Exceptions

Sometimes, you may need to break the rules. There are exceptions in the law that allow you to do this. You can get a signed note that explains why you need to drive, which might include medical reasons or to get to school. You need to have a note signed by a proper, verifiable authority. For example, if you need to drive to get to and from work during the restricted hours, you need a note from your employer.

Following driving restrictions is essential to avoid further issues and legal trouble.

Getting into a car crash is one of the tensest and difficult experiences of many victims’ lives. Unfortunately, the events of a crash can also impact a person’s life for years to come, especially if they suffer from brain injury or damage.

It is important to understand the potential signs of brain injury as they manifest. This allows the victim to get quick and accurate treatment, and also prepare for the potential hurdles that may lie ahead.

Potential signs of TBIs

According to Mayo Clinic, brain injuries manifest in similar ways in many cases. For example, many instances involve headaches that worsen over time or simply persist despite the administration of pain killers. Some involve confusion, which is either brief or extensive. Others involve memory loss, which may recover quickly or take weeks, months or years to return to former levels of functionality.

Degrees of severity in the injury

The primary difference lies in the degree of severity of the head injury in question. The more severe a head injury is, the more intense the symptoms often show. Additionally, they tend to manifest in a much quicker way, leaving no room for doubt that the victim has suffered from a blow to the head.

Certain types of head injuries will also have a higher rate of severe symptoms. For example, in the event of brain tissue swelling, symptoms often start suddenly and worsen very rapidly as the brain presses against the inside of the skull.

Regardless of the type of damage received, it is crucial to seek immediate medical attention after a crash. This is the best way to prevent permanent brain damage.

Getting involved in a crash can leave you dealing with numerous health issues and impacts on your physical health. The head, neck and back often suffer from the worst of the damage as well, creating complications for smooth healing.

On top of that, traumatic brain injuries often plague those who suffer from blows to the head. How do these injuries manifest?

Neurological and mental symptoms

Mayo Clinic examines the emergence of traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) in victims of car crashes. TBIs can impact your health in different ways and as such, often show different types of symptoms. Some of the main categories include neurological, mental and behavioral, but all problems stem from the physical damage done to the brain such as swelling and bruising.

Neurological symptoms can include nausea and frequent vomiting, piercing headaches or migraines that worsen over time, and numbness or paralysis of the limbs. You may experience full or partial paralysis of some or all limbs or even full-body paralysis.

Mentally, many victims report “brain fog”, in which you may find it difficult to think clearly or comprehend your surroundings. You might struggle to recognize the people around you and have trouble recalling the events leading to the incident that caused you harm.

Changes in victim behavior

Behaviorally, you may lash out at your loved ones due to a decrease in impulse control and a decrease in the capacity to communicate clearly with others. Agitation also commonly occurs, and victims often find themselves easier to irritate as well.

Noticing any of these signs should also demand immediate medical attention, as this is the best way to prevent permanent damage from occurring.