Common Car Accident Injuries in Kansas

Car accident injury victims in Kansas often require emergency medical care and subsequent operations or physical therapy. All these expenses add up fast, especially if you were hurt and cannot work for weeks or months at a time – or even longer in some cases.

At Bretz Injury Law, our experienced Kansas attorneys in Hutchinson, Salina, Wichita, Garden City, Dodge City, Liberal, and Hays handle complicated car accident injury cases from Garden City to Kansas City. We have years of experience dealing with serious auto accident injury claims throughout Kansas and beyond.

Whatever type of injury you’re dealing with, no matter how minor or severe, contact us for a no-charge consultation. We’re eager to work with you and help you get compensation you rightfully deserve. Our attorneys have helped injury victims obtain more than $300 million in verdicts and settlements. Our case results include a $50 million wrongful death settlement.

Medical expenses associated with car accident injuries can be a significant financial burden. If you were injured and you retain us as your attorney, we will spend a great deal of time making sure you get the right medical treatment. We also will fight for compensation for your bills and seek to recover your lost wages.

On your own, you may face obstacles when trying to get fair a fair offer from the insurance company. Let us put our experience and resources to work so we can help you get what you need and deserve.

Typical Injuries We See in Kansas Car Wrecks

Head Injuries

Injuries to the head often are sustained in car accidents. An occupant of a vehicle may sustain a serious injury after the head strikes a hard object, such as a windshield or dashboard. These types of injuries can range from a minor concussion that results in temporary health issues to a serious traumatic brain injury with permanent brain damage. Brain injuries can be described either as “open head injuries,” which involve the penetration of the skull, or “closed head injuries,” which involve a blow to the head, but no penetration.

Neck and Back Injuries

Injuries to the spine, back and neck can be severe when they happen in an auto accident. If you or a loved one has suffered this type of injury you may be dealing with issues such as:

• Neck sprain – A sprain might seem minor. But a neck sprain caused by a car accident can result in serious pain and be a symptom of a more serious health problem.
• Whiplash – This is a neck injury caused by violent back and forth movement. Among the most common car accident neck injuries, whiplash often occurs due to rear-end accidents or head-on collisions.
• Herniated disc – Damage to the cushions (disks) in a person’s spine caused by a car accident can have serious consequences.
• Broken back – Among the most severe car accident injuries, a broken back can result in spinal cord damage/paralysis and prevent someone from walking or moving normally for life.
• Spinal cord damage – Spinal cord injuries are sustained in car accidents more frequently than in any other type of event. According to the Mayo Clinic, more than one-third of new spinal cord injuries are linked to motor vehicle accidents. Falls are the second most common cause of these paralyzing injuries, which can result in quadriplegia (also referred to as tetraplegia) or paralysis of all four limbs. A spinal cord injury also can result in paraplegia (paralysis of the legs and lower body). In an auto accident, an occupant of the vehicle may sustain damage to the vertebrae or to the ligaments or disks. In some cases, the spinal cord itself is severed, which can result in loss of function such as mobility or feeling. The lifetime costs associated with spinal cord injuries can exceed more than $5 million for young people who suffer such injuries.

Wrist Injuries

Wrist injuries caused by car accidents can prevent you for working or performing other routine functions for weeks, months or years. Carpal tunnel syndrome, a type of tendonitis injury, may be a permanent condition after a car accident. This type of tendon injury may have a significant impact on your career as well as your ability to take care of tasks around your home and enjoy hobbies. We can evaluate the injury to determine the amount of damages you may be entitled to receive.

Leg and Foot Injuries

Motor vehicle accidents, especially ones involving the collision of two cars, can result in injuries to the leg and foot. Whether it’s a sprained ankle, a broken leg or a catastrophic injury that requires your leg or foot to be amputated, don’t let the insurance company underestimate the impact of the injury. In many cases involving leg and foot injury, victims are unable to work. They are unable to enjoy hobbies. They may have to hire people to help take care of household chores. We can make sure you get the money you need for your losses related to the accident.

Broken Bones

Whether it’s your arm, leg, hand or neck, broken bones caused by car accidents can be extremely painful, expensive and complicated. It’s not simply the emergency medical care you receive after the accident that you need to take into consideration; broken bones can have long term consequences in certain circumstances. From lingering pain to mobility issues, make sure you take your broken bone injury seriously. Contact our law firm immediately.

Internal Injuries

What makes internal injuries so serious – and frightening – is that many people don’t initially realize they may have a potentially fatal injury as a result of the car accident. Many internal injuries – broken ribs, ruptured spleen, organ damage and especially internal bleeding – may not be immediately visible. That’s why it is critical that you seek immediate medical attention, even if you feel fine. If a doctor does not diagnose such an injury in time, you or a loved one could die from such an injury. Other potentially grave conditions include bleeding on the brain from an open or closed head wound. Pneumothorax is a condition related to a punctured and collapsed lung. The force of a crash also can damage the liver or kidney. After you have received medical attention, call us or complete our online contact form to find out how we can help.

Helpful tips to protect your rights if injured in an accident in Kansas

If you have been injured in a motor vehicle accident, we strongly urge you to contact our law firm and take the following steps as soon as possible:

• Do not try to move if you believe you’re seriously injured (unless you are in a dangerous location).
• Have someone call 911 for emergency medical help.
• Have someone call the police immediately to come to the scene of the accident.
• Ask someone to take photographs of your accident before the vehicles are moved.
• Ask someone to talk to witnesses before they leave the scene of the wreck. Make sure to get their full names, addresses and phone numbers.
• If you have already seen a doctor, schedule a follow up doctor’s appointment. Some injuries take time to reveal themselves.
• Call your insurance company and simply tell them you have been injured in an accident. Do not provide any other details until talking with a lawyer. Without legal advice, you might inadvertently say something that could be used to deny your claim.
• Contact Bretz Injury Law and find out how we can help you after your accident.

Should I accept an offer from an insurance company if I’m hurt in a car crash?

Be skeptical if an insurance company wants to settle a car accident injury claim quickly. Your claim is probably worth far more than the insurance company is offering. Our law firm has access to top experts to help determine the full value of your claim. We have years of experience handling serious injury cases and won’t let the insurance company get away with unfair offers or tactics.

We think long term when it comes to obtaining compensation for injury victims. It’s not just emergency medical expenses and operations that you need to worry about after your accident. You need money for many other things, sometimes for the rest of your life. This may include compensation for:

• Lost income
• Lost future income
• Physical therapy
• Pain and suffering
• Pain management
• Future medical treatment
• Modifications to your home due to a permanent injury

You didn’t do anything wrong. You shouldn’t have to pay for someone else’s reckless behavior. Find out how our experienced attorneys in Hutchinson, Salina, Wichita, Garden City, Dodge City, Liberal, and Hays can help you get your life back on track.

How can Bretz Injury Law Law help me if I’m injured in a car accident?

If you have been injured in an accident, you shouldn’t have to worry about whether you’ll be compensated for your injuries. That’s our job. We can handle all the paperwork from our Hutchinson, Salina, Wichita, Garden City, Dodge City, Liberal, and Hays offices, and negotiate directly with insurance companies on your behalf.

Your health should be your priority. We can help you get the proper medical care and demand that you receive the time you need to fully recover from your injury. You and your doctors should decide when or if you return to work, not insurance companies.

You have rights. We can fight for them. Contact our law firm today for a phone consultation or to schedule an in-person meeting in our office. We are also happy to meet with you in your hospital room, your home or another location that is more convenient for you. Call right now.