Insurance Claim for Automobile Accident

Insurance Claim for Automobile Accident

It was estimated in January 2003 that nearly 21 million automobiles were involved in the 12.3 million auto accidents that occurred in the good ol' USA the previous year. This corresponds to a little more than one collision every second. Let's examine four of the most frequent collisions among these trillions and the typical damage they produce.

COLLISIONS AT LOW SPEEDS, MOST COMMONLY REVERSALS: 

Any collision with speeds lower than 10 miles per hour is classified as a low-speed crash. The insurance business loves to label impacts like this low speed, even though there is no basis for doing so. Why ? A name like that is meant to imply that the "so-called impact" you sustained was so minor that it couldn't have hurt you.

It's true that when such a collision does occur, the vehicle itself usually doesn't take too much of a hit, but the occupants inside still frequently end up with injuries, especially neck injuries.

Injuries can and do occur even in low-impact collisions, despite what the insurance industry would have claimants believe. Whiplash is the most typical. This occurs because the passengers have no time to brace themselves by pressing their back and/or neck against the seat or headrest before impact. This causes their bodies to be severely whipped and jerked about.

Bumpers on cars are designed to absorb impact at speeds of up to 5 miles per hour. This isn't done for the passenger's safety but rather to reduce wear and tear on the bumpers and the subsequent expense of repairs. In many cases, the speed of impact between vehicles is greater than 9 miles per hour before any noticeable damage occurs. When the bumper doesn't give way and absorb the impact, however, the occupants feel more of the accident.

IMMEDIATE INJURIES: 

When two people collide (even at 5 mph), the person who is hit is flung forward with a strong jerking action, which can break bones in the neck and twist the back. This results in numerous "soft tissue" injuries, such as bruising all over the body and possible damage to the chest and ribs. 

Most adjusters would try to argue that a low-speed hit can't cause injuries, but studies show otherwise. The car itself might not take much of a beating, but the passengers inside will feel the full power of the impact. Vehicles are constructed to survive such little collisions, but humans are not.

The second type of accident is a frontal impact, in which the occupants can typically brace themselves since they are anticipating the impact. The severity of frontal impact injuries is affected by both the velocity and the mass of the vehicle. In general, the more the car disintegrates upon collision, the fewer serious injuries the occupants will sustain. Airbags go off frequently. Frontal impact incidents can cause serious injuries, depending on the speed and size of the vehicles involved. 

( And, returning briefly to rear-end crashes, not only does the collapsing vehicle drive the colliding vehicle forward, it also undergoes a collapse. It's possible that the airbag will detonate. The rigidity of the vehicle being impacted determines this. 

Concussions, internal injuries, soft tissue injuries, dislocations, abrasions, cuts, and bruises are all examples of immediate injuries. So are injuries to the head, neck, back, spine, ribs, clavicles, arms, and legs. Headache, blurred vision, dizziness, and loss of taste, smell, or hearing 48 to 72 hours later. Breathing problems, blood in the urine or feces, swelling, an inability to move, and the perception of bruises are further symptoms.

Thirdly, side impact: the head of the passenger will frequently strike the side glass and rebound. There is nothing to cushion the impact or protect the passenger's body from injury, such as airbags, bumpers, motors, etc. Injuries to the head, neck, arms, legs, soft tissue, dislocations, scrapes, and bruising should be treated immediately. 

After 48 to 72 hours, you may experience the following symptoms in addition to those already mentioned: pain, headache, blurred vision, dizziness, loss of taste, smell, or hearing, numbness, or tingling. I know I keep saying this, but it's crucial and bears repeating: The most important thing is to get the person who was hit checked out by a doctor very soon, regardless of how little the impact may have seemed.

ROLLOVER 

The consequences of a normal rollover accident are devastating. Too much speed before a curve, veering off the road, or overcorrecting the steering wheel are typical causes of single-vehicle accidents, especially in vehicles with a short wheelbase. 

Injuries sustained by the vehicle's occupants are typically proportional to the vehicle's initial speed, the number of times it rolled, the vehicle's condition, and what it rolled through, over, or into. There is usually a lot of damage done to the car. The original roll-over speed was between 40 and 60 miles per hour, and it was discovered that occupant ejection accounted for 60% of the economic costs from roll-overs. According to a recent study, the rate of neck injuries was higher in the buckled-up group than in the unbuckled group.

SEVERE INJURIES RIGHT NOW: 

All of the aforementioned things and more.

When involved in a car accident, no matter how small the damage, it is crucial for everyone involved to get checked out by a doctor as soon as possible. This holds true regardless of whether or not anyone in the vehicle was hurt. You should always respond with "absolutely" when asked by a person at the scene of an accident if they should consult a doctor. Give them the cold, hard stare and say, "It's your body. One customer equals one. Do everything in your power to preserve and safeguard it.

This article, "CAR ACCIDENT INSURANCE CLAIM," is provided for illustrative purposes only and does not provide legal advice. Its goal is to explain the steps involved in filing a claim after a car crash. Dan Baldyga, Thomas Brown, and Article City do not offer any guarantees of any sort and do not represent themselves as a replacement for a lawyer, an insurance adjuster, a claims consultant, or anyone else in the legal or professional services industry. If one feels they need such expert assistance, it is their own responsibility to seek it out.

Auto Accident Personal Injury Insurance Claim: How to Assess and Settle Your Loss, Dan Baldyga's Third Book, is available online at http://www.autoaccidentclaims.com. Learn "how to" avoid being taken advantage of in your car accident claim by reading this book. 

The groundbreaking BASE (the Baldyga Auto Accident Settlement Evaluation Formula) is also discussed at length. How much money you should be compensated for "pain and suffering" after an accident is detailed in BASE.