A car accident can have negative mental and emotional effects, leaving even the most confident person shaken and frightened. Most of all, it can have a major impact on your physical well-being. Injuries sustained during a car accident can range from minor bruises to broken bones or even spinal cord damage.
When you are injured in a car accident, you may need to ask for compensation from the at-fault driver. One of the ways you can support your car accident injury claim is through proper documentation of your injuries. Here are three ways you can put document your injuries and put together strong evidence when filing your personal injury lawsuit.
Take photos of the scene
A picture speaks a thousand words, or so they say. If you are able to, be sure to take photos of the accident scene. Some of the photos you should consider taking include:
- The damage inflicted on the vehicles involved in the crash
- The lighting on the street at the time of the accident
- Any hazards that were present at the scene of the accident
Besides the accident scene, it is equally important that you take photos of your injuries.
Seek treatment immediately
The first thing you need to do is focus on your health and recovery. Even if you feel your injuries are not serious, it is important that you seek medical examination as some injuries may not manifest immediately. During this initial visit, be sure to explain to the physician the circumstances that led to your injury so it can be captured in the medical report. Later, that can help associate your injuries with the wreck.
Start a journal
During subsequent medical visits, be sure to ask your doctor and other providers for copies of every medical and billing record that is associated with your acciden injuries. Some of the documentation you should keep in your journal includes:
- Treatment reports
- Medical bills
- Medical imaging results
- Insurance questionnaires
The moments following a car accident that resulted in personal injury can be chaotic. However, documenting every aspect of your injury can help you build a strong case and file a successful personal injury lawsuit.
Owners of properties and people who run businesses have to protect themselves from liability by purchasing insurance and properly maintaining their facilities. They could be held financially accountable for the injuries or property damage that people suffer if they are negligent in their maintenance of the facility or if they somehow violate the law, such as building codes.
Visitors to apartment buildings, shopping malls and bookstores don’t expect to get hurt while out in public, but sometimes injuries do occur. When do people hurt on someone else’s property have grounds to make a premises liability claim?
If inadequate cleaning leads to a slip-and-fall
Whether someone spilled coffee on the floor or people track in rainwater from outside, businesses and property managers alike should prioritize cleaning up spills and accumulated liquids to keep the floors safe.
When improper cleaning, poor placement of electrical cords or bad maintenance directly leads to someone getting injured because they slip and then fall, the business or property owner may be liable. Stairways, in particular, can be a major source of risk, and they require frequent cleaning and regular maintenance to make sure that they are safe.
If animals on the premises turn violent
People who have pets in their businesses and people with pets who invite others over take a risk because their animal could become aggressive. If a dog bites and hurts someone else, whether it happens unprovoked in someone’s living room or in a store where the dog usually just lays by the front window, the person injured in that situation could bring an insurance claim or possibly a civil lawsuit.
If inadequate security contributes to criminal activity
Dark, unmonitored spaces, especially close to places where people congregate, are places that criminals could target. Those who experience theft or physical violence in a parking lot or an unlit hallway leading to a bathroom at a business could suffer major losses.
These crime victims may be in a position to hold the business or property owner responsible for the losses they suffered in that crime because the business did not take adequate steps to invest in security and deter criminal activity on their premises.
Considering a premises liability claim can help you recover the losses you suffered and hold a business accountable for putting visitors in unnecessary danger.
All motor vehicle accident injuries cause a relative degree of financial hardship for their victims. However, injuries affecting the spine are especially expensive because victims often need care for the rest of their lives.
In the immediate wake of a spinal cord injury, most victims put off filing an accident claim. We believe these delays occur because the victim does not understand how much their lives are about to change in financial terms. Filing your accident claim as early as possible may shorten the time it takes to win the compensation necessary to treat your injuries.
Do all spinal cord injuries cost about the same?
No. Some injuries to the spine are significantly more catastrophic than others are, and they require more expensive treatment measures. Below you will find the estimated costs associated with three types of spinal cord injuries:
- Incomplete motor function. Victims can expect to spend about $347,000 during the year following this spine injury. The estimated lifetimes cost for victims typically range from $1,114,000 up to $1,578,000.
- Paraplegia. Paralysis of the lower body often follows a severe motor vehicle accident. The first year of treatment costs about $519,000. The estimated lifetime cost could reach as high as $2,310,000.
- Tetraplegia. Paralysis in all four limbs can cost between $770,000 and $1,000,000 during the first year. The lifetime total cost can range from about $2,000,000 to nearly $5,000,000.
Most motor vehicle accident victims suffering from spinal cord injuries need financial resources to pay for quality medical care. Please, consider learning more about filing a vehicle accident claim to ensure you receive the full amount of compensation you are due.
Treatment For On-The-Job Knee Injuries
There are many ways you could injure your knee at work. You could do so in a vehicle crash by lifting something heavy, a fall, an accident with a power tool, something striking your knee or more. It can also happen due to the daily strain your job puts on your body.
If something is up with your knee, the first thing to do is see a doctor. They will poke and prod for pain, check the mobility and look for abnormal signs.
You may also be sent for diagnostic testing and additional care
These can include blood tests, X-rays, ultrasound, MRI scans (Magnetic resonance imaging) and CT scans (computerized tomography).
Once they think they understand the problem, they could recommend one of several treatments, including:
- Medication: Some knee problems can be treated with drugs, while others require drugs to ease the pain on top of another treatment.
- Therapy: Strengthening the knee may help you overcome your issues. Or you might need to take therapy after other more invasive treatments.
- Injections: One injection is rarely enough. Typically you need to repeat them at specified intervals. They do not so much solve your problem but help you live with it for a while.
- Surgery: Sometimes, surgery is the only option if you want to stop worrying about your knee for good. While it can be beneficial in the long run, it will put you out of action in the short term.
All of this will take time and money. If you can show your injury happened at work, you should be able to claim worker’s compensation to cover the treatment costs and the time off work you will need.
New Drug To Treat Meniscus Injuries
You might never have heard of your meniscus until the day you injured your knee. Now you realize just how vital having it in full working order is to so many things you do.
The meniscus is a piece of cartilage in the knee that is prone to tearing. It serves to cushion and stabilize your knee joint, so damaging it will limit your ability to move your knee. That, in turn, can affect your ability to walk, run, cycle, skip, crouch, bend down or push a car pedal, among other things.
New help may be on the way
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has just approved an application to run clinical trials of a new drug called AM3101. The drug itself cannot repair a torn meniscus. The hope is that it can reduce the chance of problems and complications for those who have surgery to repair their meniscus.
Why is this so important?
If it results in more people’s surgery being successful, it will allow more people to get back to work and do the everyday things that a damaged meniscus prevents them from doing. The sooner people can do this, the less compensation they will need to claim if injured at work.
One sector with an abnormally high rate of injured meniscus tears is the military. That’s why the Defense Department funded a third of the research costs. The more active your job, the more vital a healthy meniscus is.
If you are injured at work, seek legal help to understand how much compensation you will need and how to increase the chances you get it.
Does Workers’ Compensation Cover Truck Drivers?
If you spend your days behind the wheel of a truck, you probably see a lot of crashes. As someone who drives more than most, there is a fair chance that one of them might involve you one day.
If so, you may face considerable medical expenses or, at the very least, need a few days off to recover. Will you be able to claim workers’ compensation benefits to cover those things?
North Carolina law sets out several factors to look at when determining whether you are covered or not:
Are you an employee or an independent contractor?
Employees are generally covered by their employer’s workers’ compensation policy. Yet a company might claim you are an independent contractor rather than an employee of theirs.
If there is doubt over this, a court will look at things such as how much autonomy you have compared to how much the company dictates your working week.
Some companies agree to cover independent contractors when hiring them
They might state in the contract that you must pay them for the coverage. Or they could just account for it when setting the rate of pay.
Do you have a license from the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT)?
If you hold your own USDOT operator’s license and are driving your own truck, then you probably need to claim against your own insurance. If you do not have any, you may be legible to claim against that of the motor carrier you were contracting for when the crash occurred.
Claiming workers’ compensation is rarely straightforward. If you are injured while driving a truck, seek legal help to examine your situation.
If you get injured at work, you may be entitled to claim worker’s compensation benefits. This will be crucial to ensure you do not end up out of pocket.
Yet what if you had been drinking or taking drugs beforehand? Can you still successfully claim the medical and other benefits you need?
Your intoxication may invalidate your claim
Worker’s compensation is no-fault insurance, so in most cases, it does not matter that you played some role in your own downfall. Everyone makes mistakes, after all. There are exceptions, though, and being intoxicated is one of them.
If the accident happened because you were drunk or drugged, the insurer might be within their rights to reject your claim altogether.
There are exceptions, though
This rule does not apply if your employer or someone acting on their behalf gave you the substance. So, if you got injured while drunk at a work event where the employer put on the wine, you may still be able to claim benefits on their insurance for your related injuries.
Another possible exception could involve prescription medication. If you were on controlled drugs that a doctor prescribed to you, that might also allow you to still make a valid benefit claim.
You can challenge their definition of intoxicated
Let’s say you had a beer off-site at lunchtime and then got injured at work in the afternoon. Does one beer mean you were intoxicated? Your employer and their insurer might try to claim so, but that does not mean a court will agree. The law talks of a “sufficient quantity.” There is no strict definition of this, so having a good legal representative to argue your case will be crucial to your chances of getting worker’s compensation.
From your first date to your first car and your first job, adolescence brings precious memories that most people find worth preserving for a lifetime. However, to some minors, the memory of their summer job or after-school gig is something they would rather forget about — especially if they are hurt in a job that they ought not to be having in the first place.
In North Carolina, most employers are obligated to hold workers’ compensation insurance, and it generally covers anyone employed, whether legally or not.
Workers under the age of 18 are entitled to additional protection. For instance, your benefits as an adult will be calculated based on your past income. However, if you are a minor, your benefits will be calculated based on your future earning potential. This means that the labor court will take into account what you would be making in the same role if you were an adult.
So what should you do if you are hurt at work?
If you are hurt at work, you should take the same steps anyone else would take. First, you need to seek treatment as soon as you can and let your employer know about your injuries. Under North Carolina workers’ compensation laws, you have 30 days to notify your employer about your injuries. Additionally, you have up to two years to file a workers’ compensation claim. It is extremely important that you observe these timelines.
An injury at work can happen at any time. Find out how you can protect your rights and pursue the damages you are entitled to if you are hurt at work.
Could Nanoparticles Help Brain Injury Patients?
It only takes one unfortunate incident such as a car crash, bar room brawl or fall at work to cause a traumatic brain injury (TBI).
There are a number of possibilities for treatment in limiting the secondary effects that result in changes to people’s ability to think, move and behave as they did before.
Recent medical research on mice suggests that delivering brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) to the brain could help.
What can BDNF do?
The research with mice found that BDNF can help the brain create new neurons. Neurons are the messengers of the brain, sending the vital commands that allow us to function between different areas of the brain and between the brain and the rest of the body.
When neurons are damaged due to a TBI, those messages cannot be exchanged, causing a deterioration in the brain and body’s ability to function. Helping the brain create new neurons should improve the message-sending ability once more.
The problem is that getting BDNF to the brain is not that easy
This is where the nanoparticles could help. The study found that because nanoparticles are so tiny, they can breach the barrier that limits what can get into the brain from the bloodstream. Hence medical staff should be able to target BDNFs to the part of the brain that needs them.
If you suffer a TBI, you may need massive compensation for the effect it has on your life, even if this technology is proven to work on humans. They are complex claims so consider legal help to file.
Can Yoga Help Traumatic Brain Injury Victims?
A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can have a devastating effect on your life. While there is currently no cure, various therapy options are available to help people adapt to their injuries. One that some people are touting is yoga.
A TBI can affect you physically and mentally. As yoga exercises both the mind and the body, it stands to reason that it might help. Here is what proponents claim yoga can do for people with TBIs.
Help you feel better about yourself
There is a massive emotional element to yoga. Being still and accepting things as they are is one thing students work on. You cannot change the fact you were injured, but you can change your attitude toward your injury. That starts by accepting your current situation.
Help you speak
A TBI could cause you to lose your speech. Forming words is, in part, down to your breathing. Yoga can help you breathe better, and in conjunction with speech therapy, it could help you talk again.
Help your physical conditioning
The brain controls your ability to move, and a TBI can reduce that ability. That could lead you to get unhealthy. Yoga allows you to take exercise when more traditional forms of activity may be off the cards. Regaining strength may help you recover some of the movement you thought you had lost.
Yoga cannot solve a TBI, and it will not remove the need for significant injury compensation. Yet it is certainly worth considering that it could help you come to terms with your injury and get as much out of life as possible.
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