NJ motor vehicle accidents often result in injuries to the drivers, passengers or pedestrians. Such injuries include:
- herniated discs in the neck or back,
- bone fractures, or
- brain injuries.
Related: New Jersey Car Truck Accidents – What Can You Recover?
Disc Herniations in the Neck and Back
After car accidents, NJ drivers may suffer disc herniations in their necks or backs. When spinal discs are herniated, drivers may have pain in their necks and backs. They may also have numbness and tingling going down their arms or legs if the herniated discs are pressing on nerves.
Drivers will often need physical therapy and may receive cortisone injections to help alleviate the pain and inflammation. Some drivers may even need surgery.
Orthopedic Injuries
Injured drivers, passengers and pedestrians may sustain serious orthopedic injuries, including leg, hip and arm fractures. Serious bone fractures require surgeries. For example, a pedestrian struck by a car may completely shatter the bone in his leg. He will need surgery to repair his leg and will most likely have hardware, such as screws, put in permanently. After surgery and when the pedestrian can bear weight on his leg again, he is likely required to undergo physical therapy.
Brain Injuries
In accidents where cars and trucks are traveling at high speeds, i.e., accidents on the NJ Turnpike, Route 295, the AC Expressway, etc., drivers may sustain traumatic brain injuries due to the violent and forceful collisions.
After impact, a driver may hit his head multiple times, e.g., he hits his head on the steering wheel, then the side window and then the top of the car if the car rolls over. A traumatic brain injury may lead to significant cognitive impairments such as memory loss, personality changes and chronic headaches.
Related: NJ Car, Truck and Bus Accidents & Traumatic Brain Injuries
Injured Drivers Should Follow Doctors’ Medical Orders
No matter what type of injury drivers may have, they should seek treatment immediately after the car accidents. They should also follow doctors’ orders because otherwise, they may be hindering their own improvement. Subsequently, this can affect the damages claim in any car accident lawsuits.
For example, a driver who was in a car accident in Cherry Hill declined to go the hospital when an ambulance arrived at the accident scene. After he went home, the pain in his neck and back significantly increased, and by the next morning, he was in even more pain.
He decided not to seek treatment, and finally went to a doctor after a month. Imaging studies showed that he has a herniated disc in his lower back. Though his back injury is from the car accident, the fact that he waited a month before seeking treatment may affect his case negatively. The lawyer for the defendant may argue that the driver was never in much pain, because if he was, he would have sought treatment earlier. The defendant’s lawyer may argue that the driver is a malingerer or someone who is faking his injuries.
Help After a NJ Car Accident in Cherry Hill or Marlton
If you were in a car accident in NJ, call Philip T. Ciprietti, Esquire for help. Mr. Ciprietti always offers a FREE initial consultation. Call 800-281-8695.