Most car drivers know their vehicles and the local routes like the back of their hand. But there are some things that challenge even the most experienced drivers; drunk drivers and those distracted on their phones are common examples.
And when you’re involved in a car accident, the world might seem to turn upside down. You were someone who was going about their business yesterday, but today, you are battling injuries and looking frantically to hire a car accident lawyer.
This article is aimed at helping those who’re yet to be involved in a car accident. It isn’t meant to scare them; rather, it is just a piece to highlight the difficulties that the average car accident victim goes through. Going through this article may make it easy to empathize with a car accident victim.
How a Car Accident Impacts a Person’s Life
A car accident creates numerous challenges in the victim’s life. They are discussed below.
Physical Injuries
A car accident victim is deemed extremely lucky if they get out of one without a physical injury. That’s because the human body takes the majority of the force generated in the accident.
Even seatbelts and airbags can injure the victim.
Some of the common physical injuries a car accident victim sustains include:
- Bruises
- Fractures
- Back Injuries
- Facial Injuries
- Cuts
- Knee Injuries
- Head Injuries
- Spinal Cord Injuries
The severity of the injuries has an impact on the recovery period. Some minor injuries, like cuts and bruises, have a short healing period. Others, like a traumatic brain injury or a fracture, may take months or years to heal.
In rare cases, the car accident victim will have to deal with the injuries for the rest of their life.
Financial Difficulties
Car accidents are synonymous with financial hardships. They come with a whole host of monetary difficulties that the victim will find it hard to deal with. There are also cases where the victim slipped into deep debt trying to deal with the losses they’ve sustained.
The two most common factors here are hospital bills and vehicle repair bills. Depending on the severity of the injury, the hospital bill may range from a few hundred dollars to thousands of dollars. These are, sometimes, followed by surgeries, therapy, medication, and so on.
There are also instances where the victim may end up with a disability. In such cases, the victim will have to modify their living space to make it disabled-friendly. This is an added expense.
Then comes property damage.
Minor damages to the car are relatively easy to deal with. The more severe damages, however, may require the vehicle to be in the auto shop for a few weeks. The cost for repairs and part replacement may go up considerably as well. This will make a hole in the car accident victim’s pocket.
Emotional Challenges
This is, perhaps, one of the most overlooked aspects of an accident.
Many victims suffer from some type of emotional difficulty after an accident. Some of the more common ones are listed below.
- Developing a fear of driving
- Having flashbacks of the accident
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Mood swings
- Fatigue
- Loss of appetite
- Feelings of guilt
What makes these conditions so devastating is the fact that no one other than the victim can feel them. Some may even attempt to hide their condition due to fear of judgment.
Regardless of the reason, it is important for victims to reach out. There are resources available, both online and offline, to help deal with these conditions.
Conclusion
The effects of a car accident go beyond physical injuries. Victims will have to deal with financial and emotional difficulties.
The first, and most important, step is to understand that there are individuals and organizations to help car accident victims. With the right assistance, they can manage the consequences of a car accident and lead fulfilling lives.
