How Can a Lawyer Help After an Airbag Deployment Concussion?
Request Free ConsultationMany times, in a forceful motor vehicle accident, one or more airbags in a vehicle may deploy. Airbags generally prevent more serious injuries, but their deployment can cause bruises, burn injuries, and even traumatic brain injuries, like concussions.
If you or someone you love suffered a concussion injury in a recent motor vehicle accident, consult a car accident attorney near you right away. Your lawyer can first discuss your accident, review the police report, and file a personal injury claim with the at-fault driver’s insurance company.
Once your car accident lawyer enters an appearance in your case, they can start advocating for all of your legal interests. Specifically, your attorney can handle all settlement negotiations with insurance company representatives and argue for the full monetary recovery you deserve for your head injury.
Additionally, if the insurance company does not compensate you fairly for your head injury, your lawyer may file a lawsuit and litigate your case to an efficient resolution.
Unlike the insurance companies that are only out for themselves, your car accident attorney will advocate for you. Your lawyer can also answer all your questions and fight for the monetary recovery you deserve for your accident-related losses.
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What Is a Concussion?
If an airbag deploys during a car accident, it may forcefully strike the driver or passenger’s head. Alternatively, the driver or passenger’s head may strike the headrest or some other part of the vehicle, resulting in a concussion.
A concussion disrupts the brain’s neurons and axons that relay messages between the brain and other body parts.
When a car accident victim suffers a concussion, they may experience both short-term and long-term symptoms, depending upon the severity of the concussion.
Common short-term symptoms of a concussion may include temporary memory loss, dizziness, disorientation, confusion, headaches, and nausea. However, concussions may also come with long-term and sometimes permanent symptoms, including ongoing headaches, post-concussive migraine syndrome, long-term memory loss, and permanent cognitive impairments.
As a result of a concussion injury, an accident victim may need to seek ongoing medical treatment. For example, they may need to regularly follow up with a neurologist or other medical specialist and undergo risky medical procedures that are extremely costly.
In addition, they might need to rely upon others to provide them with ongoing care (such as at a nursing home or assisted living facility).
If you or a person you love suffered a concussion injury due to airbag deployment in a car accident, you can hold the at-fault driver or their insurance company accountable for your medical expenses and other losses.
A skilled car accident lawyer in your area can determine your claim-filing eligibility and gather the necessary documents to present an insurance claim on your behalf.
Your attorney can then handle all settlement negotiations with insurance company adjusters and pursue the full monetary recovery you need for your accident-related head injuries.
Types of Car Accidents that May Lead to Airbag Deployment
Airbag deployment can occur in any car accident that involves a significant amount of force.
Some of the most common types of car crashes that result in airbag deployment and may result from another driver’s negligence include:
- Rear-end or tailgate accidents, where a driver negligently causes the front of their vehicle to strike the rear of another vehicle, usually because of an abrupt traffic slowdown where the at-fault driver is speeding or not paying attention to the road
- T-bone or broadside collisions, where a negligent driver fails to yield the right-of-way to cars on an intersecting roadway
- Head-on collisions, where a driver negligently causes their vehicle to strike the front of an oncoming vehicle that is traveling in the opposite direction
- Sideswipe accidents, where a driver negligently causes a forceful collision to the side of another vehicle that is traveling in the same direction
If you suffered a concussion injury due to airbag deployment in one of these accidents, you are not alone. However, to maximize your chances of recovering sufficient monetary compensation for your injuries, you need a skilled car accident lawyer as quickly as possible.
Your attorney can review all of your legal options with you, file a claim on your behalf, and aggressively negotiate with insurance company representatives for the fair compensation you deserve.
Why Do Car Accidents Happen in the First Place?
Car accidents frequently occur when other drivers are negligent under the circumstances. Negligence can take many forms, usually when a driver violates one or more traffic laws.
In some cases, airbag deployment occurs in drunk driving accidents. A drunk driver might experience delayed reaction time, limited reflexes, lack of concentration, poor judgment, poor coordination, and blurred vision. Drunk driving accidents frequently occur at high speeds since alcohol and other drugs can cause drivers to drive erratically and carelessly.
In addition to drunk driving accidents, an accident victim’s airbag may deploy in a distracted driving accident. Drivers frequently become distracted when focusing on electronic devices in their vehicles rather than on the road.
For example, they might be fiddling with a GPS navigation system, listening to loud music in their vehicle, adjusting the music volume, or sending a text message while trying to drive simultaneously.
All of these activities may cause a driver to take their attention off the road and cause a severe accident. Drivers who fail to watch their speed may crash and injure others.
Airbag deployment can occur in vehicles when careless drivers cause serious accidents. For example, other drivers might speed, fail to yield the right-of-way, or fail to use their turn signals.
Drivers might have road rage when they tailgate other vehicles, cut them off in traffic, or negligently weave between vehicles – especially in heavy traffic conditions.
When drivers violate standard traffic laws and engage in road rage, they are significantly more likely to cause a severe accident that may lead to airbag deployment.
If you suffered injuries due to airbag deployment in a recent collision that a negligent driver caused, you need to consult with a car accident lawyer as soon as possible.
Your attorney can investigate your accident circumstances by retaining a certified accident reconstructionist. Your lawyer may then pursue the settlement compensation you deserve or take your case to court.
Filing a Timely Car Accident Claim
In Colorado, victims of car accidents only have three years from their accident to file a personal injury claim or lawsuit seeking monetary recovery for their injuries. Therefore, since time is of the essence, you need to bring a knowledgeable car accident attorney on board in your case as quickly as possible.
First, your attorney can pursue a personal injury claim on your behalf, usually with the at-fault driver’s insurance company.
To pursue a successful claim, your attorney can gather police reports, medical treatment records, lost income documentation, injury photographs, medical bills, and police diagrams. Your attorney can then forward all of these documents to the insurance company and begin negotiating for fair settlement compensation on your behalf.
The purpose of settlement compensation in a head injury case is to make you whole again, as much as possible. However, insurance companies have the opposite goal in mind.
To save as much money as possible, insurance company adjusters look for any excuse to deny liability for an accident or downplay the seriousness of an accident victim’s injuries.
For example, in a head injury case, the insurance company may argue that you are exaggerating the severity of your injuries or that the crash did not cause your injuries.
Your car accident attorney can emphasize expert reports, medical treatment records, and other documents to point to the severity of your head injury.
Your lawyer may also threaten the insurance company with litigation in the court system if they refuse to compensate you fairly for the head injury you suffered in your accident.
Finally, your attorney can ensure you have all the information necessary to make informed and intelligent decisions in your case, including whether or not to accept a pending settlement offer or file a lawsuit and litigate your case through the court system.
Recovering Monetary Damages for a Concussion Injury
Car accident victims who suffer concussion injuries due to airbag deployment frequently experience ongoing complications, sometimes for the rest of their lives.
For example, they may suffer from permanent cognitive impairments, have difficulty taking care of themselves, or experience ongoing migraines due to their concussion.
Fortunately, car crash victims may receive monetary compensation, depending on the cost and extent of their medical care and their symptoms.
First, car accident victims may receive compensation for their medical expenses related to the accident. If they had to miss time from work because of their concussion injury, they may also pursue a claim for lost earnings.
Concussion sufferers can also pursue monetary compensation for their intangible losses, such as mental distress, permanent cognitive impairments, permanent disabilities, loss of the ability to use a body part due to their head injury, lost quality of life, inconvenience, pain, and suffering.
Depending upon the nature and extent of your concussion injury, your attorney can estimate the likely settlement or verdict value of your personal injury case and take the necessary steps to maximize your overall monetary award and compensation.
If litigation becomes necessary, your attorney can file a personal injury lawsuit and represent you in all legal proceedings, including a discovery deposition or civil jury trial.
Your attorney can also pursue several alternative dispute resolution (ADR) options, such as mediation or arbitration.
Speak With a Knowledgeable Car Accident Lawyer in Your Area Right Away
If you or someone you care about recently suffered a concussion or other head injury in a car crash, it is crucial to retain the services of an experienced personal injury attorney as soon as possible.
Insurance companies will often take advantage of accident victims who don’t have professional representation by quickly offering them far less than the compensation they deserve or by blaming the accident victim.
Your attorney can take prompt legal action on your behalf – especially if the statute of limitations is about to run in your case.
Once your lawyer enters an appearance, they can start advocating for your legal interests and work to pursue the maximum monetary compensation you need for all of your accident-related injuries and losses.
Pursuing compensation through a car accident claim is never something you should do alone, especially when you are dealing with a concussion. Fortunately, trusted representation is available near you.