Despite new safety features and campaigns to alert drivers to motor vehicle accident dangers, the number of accidents and fatalities is rising. In 2017 alone, the fatalities numbered well above 40,000. While this is slightly lower than the number recorded in 2016, it is 6 percentage points higher than 2015. Overall, 4.57 million individuals were injured in accidents nationwide, according to the National Safety Council.

The economic cost for all accidents with injuries or deaths tops $413 billion. Let’s look at the most common types of injuries that result, the types of accidents that commonly cause them, how liability is established and how innocent victims can obtain the compensation they deserve.

Los Angeles Auto Accident Injury Lawyer - David Azizi
Medical expenses are covered in a personal injury settlement or verdict.

Getting Justice for Your Auto Accident Injuries

With over 35 million vehicles registered in California, the number of auto accident injuries is high. David Azizi has helped numerous residents of Los Angeles and the surrounding area obtain the compensation they deserve. In fact, Angelenos know that David is the go-to injury lawyer in the city. Expertise.com and Super Lawyers, two companies that rank attorneys, agree. They call David one of the top personal injury lawyers in all of Los Angeles.

With a 98-percent rate of success, the numbers speak for themselves. David believes that no one should suffer financial debt due to another’s negligence. He fights hard to help clients, whether through a settlement or a trial verdict. Call him today at (800) 991-5292 anytime to set up a free review. David will evaluate your case, investigate the details of the accident and give you an estimate of what your case is worth. Call as soon as possible before evidence disappears.

Common Types of Auto Accident Injuries

Auto injuries are a major reason that individuals are seen in the emergency room. The impact such injuries have on victims’ lives varies due to the extent of the damage. Some such as abrasions and bruises heal quickly. Others such as traumatic brain injury are more complicated, and some individuals are left with a permanent disability. Many people do not feel the onset of symptoms until days after the crash. This can cause a dangerous delay in treatment and the reason why it is always best to be checked out by a medical care provider as soon as possible.

Categories of Car Accident Injuries

There are two main categories of injuries suffered in an auto accident. They are penetrating and impact injuries. Penetrating injuries are those usually caused by loose pieces of glass or other objects inside the vehicle. They include abrasions and lacerations as well as a penetrating head injury. Impact injuries, on the other hand, are those where a part of the body hits something within the vehicle. For instance, the head may strike the dashboard or steering wheel, particularly at low impact speeds before an airbag deploys.

Listen to the video on head injury presented by attorney David Azizi:

Common Auto Accident Injuries

Some of the more common injuries after an auto accident include:

  • Head injury: Head injury can be blunt or penetrating. Overall, injuries to the head are one of the most serious types of auto injury. When the head is impacted by a nonpenetrating blow, brain damage or bleeding can occur. If bleeding causes pressure on the brain or if it occurs within the brain itself, the person’s life can be in danger unless the pressure is released. This often requires brain surgery, which carries associated risks. When a penetrating injury causes brain laceration, a permanent disability or death may follow. Other types of head injuries that are less severe include concussion or minor bruising of the brain.
  • Neck injury: Neck injury is often due to the back and forth motion of the neck during an accident. This is seen with cervical strain or sprain commonly known as whiplash. Some common types of neck injuries include damage to the intervertebral disks with accompanying herniation. These injuries may require surgery.
  • Back injury: Injury to the muscles and intervertebral disks can occur anywhere along the spine. Such injuries can cause physical pain that limits the person’s movement. If disk herniation occurs, the individual may require surgery to fuse the vertebrae, eliminating the pain.
  • Spinal cord injury: This type of injury can cause life-altering damage. Depending on the portion of the spinal cord where the injury occurs, it can result in paralysis or paresis (weakness) of the muscles. When the injury happens in the cervical area, it is likely that the individual will be unable to walk or use their upper extremities, breathe without assistance or perform other bodily functions. Injury to lower areas of the spinal cord results in paralysis or weakness below the level of injury.
  • Chest injury: Chest injury can involve either blunt trauma or penetrating injury. Blunt trauma can result in rib fractures or contusions (bruises) to the heart or lungs. Penetrating injuries can involve the heart, lungs, major blood vessels such as the aorta or the pleura (lining) of the chest.
    • Pleura laceration: This involves a cut into the pleura or membrane that lines the chest wall and the lungs. When this happens, the amount of oxygen available to the body is drastically reduced since the lungs are unable to expand the way they should. If surgery is not performed to remove the air reservoir outside the lung, allowing it to expand, the person may die.
    • Lung laceration: Laceration of the lung results in decreased ability to breath and causes death without surgical intervention.
    • Penetration of the heart: A sharp object may penetrate the heart, resulting in damage to the structure of this important organ. The object cannot be removed until the patient is prepped for surgery. If it is, it can cause excessive and life-threatening bleeding.
    • Blood vessel laceration: Major blood vessels such as the aorta (main artery in the chest and abdomen) may be lacerated by a penetrating chest injury. This results in profuse bleeding. If an object is wedged in the aorta, it is best to not remove it until the person is prepped for surgery.
  • Penetrating abdominal trauma: As with the chest, major organs may be harmed in this type of injury. Some of the organs involved include the stomach, liver, spleen, pancreas, intestines and kidneys. Surgical repair is necessary within a few hours.
  • Fractures: Any bone in the body can be fractured, including the skull, ribs and those of the extremities.
    • Skull fracture: This can have repercussions in that the force of fracture can cause injury to the brain itself. Bleeding may or may not occur, depending on whether meningeal (the layers of tissue surrounding the brain) blood vessels were torn.
    • Rib fracture: Trauma to the chest can result in rib fracture.
    • Extremity fracture: This can occur due to trauma to the extremities. In some cases, the extremities can hit the dash or even be caught between the air bag and the steering wheel. Treatment consists of placing a cast on the extremity, securing the bone, and/or surgical intervention.
    • Pelvic fracture: The pelvis and hips can be fractured in an accident. Sometimes, at high speeds, the lap restraints can be partly responsible for the injury. This type of fracture is serious and can require extensive surgery and disability.
    • Joint dislocation: Joints such as the hips, knees, elbows and shoulders can be dislocated. Depending on the degree of injury, the dislocation can be reduced manually, sometimes under anesthesia. Surgery is necessary in other cases.

Types of Auto Accidents Associated With Injuries

Different types of accidents are often associated with specific injuries. These include:

  • Rear-end crashes: This type of accident is linked most often to head and neck injuries. Cervical strain and sprain or whiplash are the most common.
  • Rollover accidents: The most common injuries associated with rollovers is head and neck trauma, spinal cord injury and multiple fractures.
  • Head-on accidents: Head-on accidents are most often linked to traumatic brain injury. They can also cause other serious injuries such as fractures, spinal cord paralysis, pelvic injury and amputation. This type of accident is often fatal.
  • T-Bone crashes: Impact often causes chest and abdominal trauma, head injury, hip fracture, extremity injury and shoulder dislocation.
  • Truck accidents: Trucks, due to their enormous size and weight, cause many injuries and deaths to occupants of passenger vehicles. Both penetrating and blunt force trauma are often involved. If the truck is carrying flammable liquids, burns are common.

Auto Accident Personal Injury Lawyer - David Azizi

How to Establish Liability in an Auto Accident

Liability in a legal case is based on negligence. It is critical to provide evidence that proves the driver/entity that caused the accident was acting in a manner that was neither prudent nor keeping within the confines of the rules of the road. Using the free phone app developed by David Azizi is one way of making sure you have the evidence you need after an accident.

Just download it to your cell phone for safekeeping. If and when you need to use it, it will be there for you. The sooner evidence is gathered, the more likely negligence will be uncovered. Some accidents are easier to document than others. If a wrong-way driver hits a vehicle head-on, it is likely he or she was impaired. In other accidents, having the following initial information is important:

  • Photos: There is no better way than describing the accident scene than by using pictures. Take pictures of the final placement of the vehicles and any damage that is visible. If the accident happened on an urban street, ask shop owners if they have outdoor video cameras. These videos and videos from traffic cameras provide minute to minute details of the accident.
  • Get information: During the hectic time after an accident, it is important to get contact information not only from the participants but also from any witnesses. A witness is able to describe the accident from a different perspective than the participants. This is often vital to a case. Besides basic contact information on everyone, make sure to obtain drivers license, registration and insurance information from others involved in the crash.
  • Location and weather/roadway conditions: Try to note exactly where the accident happened. For instance, if it is near an entrance or exit ramp, note it. Otherwise, mile markers work as do street signs. On urban streets, it is possible to look around and obtain a specific street address. Note if there is inclement weather, slippery roads or road defects. The latter includes potholes, debris or other roadway issues such as lack of signage.
  • Medical Care: Make sure to mention that you were in an accident when you see a doctor. Ask for a copy of his or her notes. Obtain a medical evaluation as soon as possible after the crash.
  • Keep records: After the crash, keep all receipts that have to do with prescriptions, doctor bills, other medical costs for outpatient visits, car repair records and others. Obtain the police report written at the scene by responding law enforcement officers.

Los Angeles Auto Accident Law Firm – Free Case Review!

Having an attorney ensures that your rights are protected. This is a major focus for the law firm of David Azizi. David also fights for the best compensation possible in your case. Make no mistake, David is that rare combination of the compassionate, aggressive and hard-hitting legal advocate you need when you are injured. He leaves no stone unturned in making sure you will recover the damages you deserve.

Call him as soon after the accident as possible at (800) 991-5292 before evidence disappears. You can also contact him online if that is easier for you. David will answer questions from insurance companies, speak to health care practitioners and help you get a medical lien if necessary. Leave the stress to David, and concentrate on getting well.