Car crashes subject occupants’ bodies to strong forces. Even a low-speed car crash can lead to broken bones, traumatic brain injuries, spine injuries, and other serious injuries. A personal injury claim is one way to pursue financial compensation for damages caused in a collision. Through a personal injury claim, you may be able to recover monetary compensation for your medical bills, lost wages caused by missed work, and more. However, to successfully recover compensation, you must demonstrate that the car crash caused your injuries. This can be especially difficult to accomplish when a car accident victim has medical issues that predate the collision.

Whether you have a bad back, an old knee injury, or another medical concern, you may have questions about how pre-existing medical concerns can impact your car accident injury claim.

Car Crashes Can Aggravate Existing Medical Problems

A car accident can place unnatural forces on our bodies that cause significant damage. Sometimes, this causes existing medical issues to be much worse. Back pain that used to be a minor inconvenience may be debilitating after a collision. Aggravation of a pre-existing health issue or injury in a car accident can leave a car accident victim unable to work, take care of their house,  or fulfill other responsibilities. Many accident victims are left suffering in pain and unsure of their rights.

The National Safety Administration reports that approximately 4.5 million people suffered injuries in car accidents in the year 2019 alone. Car crashes, truck crashes, motorcycle crashes, and other auto accidents cause billions of dollars in lost wages, medical bills, and other losses each year.

The financial impact of a car accident can be enough to nearly bankrupt a victim and their family. However, the consequences of a severe car accident are not only financial. Many traffic accident victims are left facing a post-accident future that differs dramatically from their life before the accident. The psychological impact of disfigurement and scarring can be just as devastating as other damages resulting from a wreck.

Understanding the Impact of Disfigurement After an Accident

For some car accident victims, injuries heal completely within a few weeks, months, or years. Other crash victims are left with permanent disfigurement that significantly impacts their everyday lives. Disfigurement may be caused by:

A majority of litigation related to car accidents is between strangers who were in different vehicles. A driver you do not know runs a red light and hits your car, so you sue. But what if you were a passenger of the driver who caused the accident? You still have the right to recover compensation for your injuries. If you were hurt by a careless driver while riding in their vehicle, you should contact an attorney as soon as you can after the accident. The crash scene needs to be investigated and any physical evidence needs to be promptly documented before it can be discarded or destroyed.

What Stops Injured Passengers of Careless Drivers from Seeking Compensation?

Legally speaking, nothing. If you were injured by a negligent driver, you have every legal right to recover compensation from them regardless of whether you were their passenger or a stranger in another vehicle. The main reason many injured passengers of negligent drivers never seek compensation is because they have a relationship with the driver. Odds are, if you were riding in a car driven by someone else, the driver is your friend or even relative. Most people are reluctant to contact a lawyer and seek compensation from their friend or family member.

It is important to remember that when you recover monetary damages from a driver, the driver is rarely the one who has to pay - it is their insurance company. Assuming the driver had insurance that complies with Illinois insurance coverage requirements, their insurance company will be the one compensating you for your injuries. Additionally, if the driver you were riding with caused an accident, their insurance company is going to find out about it anyway. If it was a single-vehicle accident, the driver will need to file a claim. If another vehicle was involved, that driver is going to file a claim. You should not be concerned that seeking compensation will harm your friend or family member.

Being involved in an injury-causing car crash is traumatic regardless of the circumstances. However, accidents involving more than two vehicles are often especially chaotic. In a multiple-vehicle collision, it can be hard to understand how the accident started and what each driver’s role in the accident was. This can make car accident injury claims even more difficult to navigate.

Many pile-up accident victims have questions about who is legally at fault for the crash. They also worry that they may be blamed for causing or contributing to the crash if their vehicle struck another vehicle during the hectic accident. If you or a loved one were in a chain-reaction car crash, pile-up, or a crash involving three or more vehicles, it is highly recommended that you contact a skilled car accident lawyer for help. Your lawyer can investigate the cause of the crash, protect your rights, and help you pursue compensation for your damages.

Disputes Over Liability in a Multiple-Car Accident

Many car accidents involving multiple vehicles become cases of he-said, she-said. Drivers may underestimate or outright deny their contributions to the accidents. Determining liability or fault for a car crash involving multiple vehicles is often a complicated process that involves the expertise of several different professionals. Accident reconstructionists often work closely with car accident lawyers in cases such as these. The car accident reconstruction expert may use evidence from the crash site, vehicle damage, and a deep understanding of physics to reconstruct how the accident unfolded. In some car accident injury cases, accident reconstructionists act as expert witnesses who provide sworn testimony about what they believe happened during the crash.

If you have ever been involved in a motor vehicle accident, you know how stressful and frightening the situation can be. This fear and frustration is only amplified when the perpetrator flees the scene and the accident becomes a hit-and-run. Whether the assailant is found or not, it is possible for you to recover damages with the help of a DuPage County car accident attorney.

What Is a Hit-and-Run Car Accident?

A driver leaving the scene immediately after hitting another vehicle, piece of property, or a person has just committed a hit-and-run. Every state has laws and consequences against committing this crime.

In Illinois, there are rules that must be followed after any car accident. For instance, all individuals involved in a car accident resulting in injury or property damages must first stop their vehicle as close to the scene as safely as possible and provide all necessary personal information (i.e., name, address, driver’s license). If the rules are not followed and the driver at fault does not remain at the scene, they could face a range of consequences from a small fine to a prison sentence.