While you may think of broken bones, spinal cord damage, or concussions when you hear about serious car accidents, there are other common injuries sustained in wrecks that can be just as devastating. Your face and eyes in particular are susceptible to serious harm in any crash on a Virginia road. Even advanced safety features like airbags don’t always guarantee you will escape a collision without a facial injury. If you or someone you love is suffering after an accident, you should talk to an attorney as soon as possible for assistance holding the negligent party responsible.
Common Virginia Facial Injuries
It’s important to fully understand what you are dealing with after an unexpected accident, as face or eye injuries can create long-term emotional and physical repercussions. These types of wounds are highly visible and may interfere with your everyday life, especially if they occurred in tandem with a traumatic brain injury. Any incident involving harm to a victim’s face has the possibility to include:
- Bruising and swelling
- Burn wounds
- Disfigurement
- Eye injuries
- Fractures to bones in the face
- Lacerations
- Scarring
Chronic headaches are common with these types of injuries when bones are broken or deep lacerations are sustained. That ongoing pain may last well beyond your recovery time during a hospital stay and could require long-term pain management. There is also the possibility of a severe negative impact on your vision—ranging from reduced eyesight in one or both eyes to permanent blindness.
Other complications from the accident can change your life in ways you may not have first considered. For instance, speech difficulties may occur in some cases of facial injury when the jaw or tongue are damaged. That can easily interfere with your ability to communicate at work and cause difficulty in making your wishes known at home. Embarrassment and anxiety in public are also frequently experienced after accidents involving scarring or disfigurement.
Besides the physical and psychological damage, these injuries tend to be financially devastating. Skin grafts, jaw surgery, and treatment for eye issues can all come with unbelievably high medical bills. That may be a bigger burden on your family than you expect, especially if you are unable to return to your place of employment after the accident. Between extended recovery periods for the physical effects and the likelihood of long-term pain issues, you may be forced to work fewer hours, find a different job, or stop working altogether.
Protect Your Legal Rights and Financial Future After a Face Injury
Face and eye damage regularly occur in car, motorcycle, or cargo truck accidents, but they are also a danger in premises liability incidents such as a slip and fall at the grocery store. In either case, the injury may have been caused by negligent behavior like distracted driving, failing to fix broken stairs, improper training, or poor hiring practices.
In the state of Virginia, everyone is legally required to uphold a basic duty of care to prevent other people from being harmed. You have a basic legal right to recover damages from the negligent individual who caused your accident, but actually receiving compensation requires taking the right steps.
To protect yourself after an accident, always create a paper trail on your injuries as soon as possible. See a doctor immediately after an accident involving eye or facial injury to establish the extent of your wounds and help create a clear picture of what medical treatment is required in the future.
From there, your next step should be to contact an attorney. Your lawyer can assist in determining your best source for compensation, whether that’s an insurance settlement or an injury lawsuit against the negligent party. With a personal injury attorney working on your behalf, you can potentially recover damages like:
- Bills for medical costs, such as the initial ER visit, hospital stay, and medication
- Costs of future medical procedures such as facial surgery or ongoing therapy sessions
- Pain and suffering experienced due to emotional and physical trauma
- Wages lost while recovering, as well as a reasonable calculation of lost future earning potential
How a Virginia Personal Injury Attorney Works for Accident Victims
The more the injury interferes with your day-to-day life, the higher the damages you may be owed—especially in accidents involving loss of vision or permanent disfigurement. That means the insurance company and the at-fault party have a vested interest in trying to avoid paying the full amount you deserve. These cases often become complex and require a skilled attorney to overcome common obstacles and defense tactics.
Face and eye injuries can completely turn your life upside down, and you are already dealing with more than enough during the physical recovery process. You can take a significant amount of stress out of the situation by working with an attorney who understands the Virginia legal process.
You want a professional on your side with years of experience representing clients who have previously suffered these types of accidents. Getting help from a knowledgeable and accomplished legal source specifically takes the stress off you by:
- Filing legal documents within the statute of limitations for personal injury cases
- Investigating the accident to determine who is at fault and can provide compensation
- Presenting evidence such as eyewitness testimony, medical reports, and expert witnesses
- Taking over communications with insurance providers to help you receive the full settlement amount owed
- Offering advice on avoiding personal injury lawsuit mistakes—from social media usage to properly releasing medical records
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