Posted on March 10, 2023 in Car Accidents

Until you have experienced chronic pain for yourself, you cannot understand what it is like. Pain resulting from injuries in a car accident is usually much worse than the occasional headache or stiff back. The pain and debilitation from an auto accident can be agonizing and affect every aspect of your life.

Reduced ability to live independently

If your pain is bad enough, you might lack the strength, flexibility, or energy to work enough hours to earn at the level you did before the car accident. Even everyday tasks, like cooking, cleaning your home and getting dressed, can be too tough to do for yourself. Even with help, living with pain day in and day out can be exhausting.

For many patients, chronic pain will fade in time or at least can be controlled with medication and physical therapy. However, many painkillers carry a serious risk of addiction. And in many cases, the pain is permanent.

The mental toll

Mental illness is often the more subtle harm that a motor vehicle wreck can cause. Sadly, pain and suffering can take a toll on your mental health. Common mental health conditions and emotional states associated with chronic pain include:

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 Posted on March 07, 2023 in Car Accidents

Dealing with the effects of a serious car accident can be very confusing. Most drivers in Prince William County have been in a crash before, but the vast majority have never been badly injured. Handling matters related to a more violent wreck can be totally different than a mild fender-bender.

As much as you might want to control the situation, there are at least three things you cannot know about your car accident claim before it happens.

What your claim is worth

Most people are not familiar with Virginia's personal injury laws and what types of compensation they might be entitled to after a major car crash. For example, you might know that you can seek compensation for your medical bills related to your injuries and any lost wages from the time you were forced to take off work. But Virginia also recognizes compensation for non-economic damages, like pain and suffering and lost quality of life, that you have experienced. Thus, your damages could be much higher than you realize.

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 Posted on January 19, 2023 in Car Accidents

If you are involved in a car accident, you should immediately go to the doctor or emergency room. If you cannot drive yourself, ask the police or someone nearby to call an ambulance.

Even if you don't feel like you were significantly injured in the accident, you should go to the doctor for an evaluation.

The pain may be masked

Your body's "fight or flight" response is activated when you are involved in an accident. This causes adrenaline to pump through your veins, which can hide potential pain and injuries. In fact, you may not notice signs of an injury for hours, days or longer after the accident.

By the time you notice something is wrong, you may require surgery or another type of extreme treatment. When you go to the doctor immediately after an accident, these injuries can be found and treated.

Get documentation of your injuries

Another reason you need to go to the doctor after a car accident is that it gives you documentation of your injuries and when they occurred. This is invaluable if you plan to file a personal injury lawsuit.

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 Posted on January 17, 2023 in Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents

It's been found that car accidents in rural areas are more likely to result in fatalities than car accidents in urban areas. This can sometimes surprise rural drivers, who feel relatively safe on wide-open roads.

But the statistics do show that far less driving happens on rural roads, and yet roughly half of all motor vehicle accidents occur there. So why is this? Below are two reasons to consider:

Speed limits are higher

To begin with, speed limits tend to be higher in rural areas, and that means that car accidents are more likely to be fatal simply because there is a correlation between speed and fatal injuries. Car accidents at lower speeds are much more likely to result in injuries that are not life-threatening.

So you may actually have more vehicles and more total accidents in the city, but there will be fewer fatal accidents if those crashes are taking place at relatively low speeds. Meanwhile, rural drivers may face far less traffic and see fewer accidents, but a higher percentage of those crashes will be fatal.

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 Posted on January 17, 2023 in Personal Injury

If you're struggling with "seasonal sun glare" during your winter commute, you're far from alone. New data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) indicates that sun glare is behindaround 9,000 wrecks every year.

That makes sun glare one of the most common environmental-related causes of motor vehicle accidents, second only to slippery roads due to rain, ice or snow.

Commuters struggle with sun the hardest in the fall and winter

The switch from daylight savings time back to standard time is the main cause of the problem for a lot of daily commuters. That puts them on the road right when the sun is closest to the horizon both when they're going to and coming home again from work.

As a representative of the Virginia Department of Transportation said, "In some locations the sun appears to hover just above the roadway, creating blinding glare that is difficult to avoid and can leave drivers unable to see the road and other vehicles around them."

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 Posted on January 17, 2023 in Drunk Driving Accidents

Many people spend time together over the holidays. The gatherings often include meals and drinks, and unfortunately, some may try to drive home after being overserved. Accidents caused by drunk drivers are extremely common this time of year.

If you're already recovering from injuries caused in a crash, you're likely extra cautious as you get back behind the wheel, which is wise – especially this time of year. The best way to avoid being the victim of a drunk or impaired driver is to be aware of the signs and stay as far away as possible.

Beware of these behaviors

According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), there are a number of signs that a driver is under the influence. These include:

• Weaving between lanes or off the road
• Stopping for no reason
• Driving too slowly for the area
• Changing speeds for no apparent reason
• Tailgating
• Using turn signals incorrectly or for no reason

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 Posted on December 21, 2022 in Car Accidents

Most people think about automobile crashes occurring on highways or interstates, but you're more likely to be involved in a wreck in a rural area than you are in a city. This might seem backward, but people tend to shirk some common safety measures when they aren't driving around many other vehicles.

Looking at the contributing factors for crashes in each area provides valuable insight into how drivers can remain safer.

Common causes of city crashes

In the city, some of the more common causes of crashes include the high volume of vehicles on the roads and drivers tailgating the vehicle in front of them. Speeding and running red lights are also common crash factors, especially if the driver is distracted. Improper lane changes are also major causes of wrecks in the city because drivers may not signal properly or might try to switch lanes in too small of a clearance.

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 Posted on December 14, 2022 in Car Accidents

Technically speaking, a car accident should almost never happen. The majority of crashes are caused by human error. In theory, if everyone drove perfectly and followed the rules of the road, the vast majority of accidents would be canceled out. You would still have some from mechanical errors or roadway design problems, but it is likely that about nine out of 10 accidents would be prevented.

That being said, some accidents seem a bit more unlikely than others. A wrong-way accident is one of these. Many of these accidents happen on the interstate. Because the interstate has on-ramps and off-ramps controlling traffic, it should be virtually impossible for a driver to go the wrong way down the road. And yet it continues to happen, so you may be wondering why.

Impairment leads the way

You can sometimes find reasons that are rare and may only apply to a few specific situations. For example, maybe a young student driver got confused about which ramp they were supposed to take. Maybe an elderly person was still driving after they probably should have relinquished their license due to the onset of dementia. These types of accidents do happen from time to time.

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 Posted on November 18, 2022 in Car Accidents

There are many different examples of things that increase your odds of being involved in an accident or that directly cause an accident. For instance, distracted driving is a serious issue because people will often use their cellphones in the car. Drunk driving is also an issue because impaired drivers have slower reaction times and make unnecessary mistakes.

But one thing to keep in mind is that most accidents don't stem from one singular cause. The only reason that someone crashes isn't because they're impaired or because they're distracted. Often, there are a variety of issues that are all compounding each other and making the odds of a crash much more likely.

Removing inhibitions

For example, drinking alcohol before you drive helps to lower your inhibitions. You'll then take risks that you wouldn't necessarily take otherwise. This is why someone who has been drinking may be more likely to break the speed limit or engage in other unsafe driving practices when egged on by their friends, who are in the car with them.

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 Posted on November 14, 2022 in Car Accidents

In the immediate aftermath of a crash, someone may not be surprised that their heart is racing, that they can feel it pounding in their chest and that they're short of breath. After all, it was a sudden, traumatic event. However, if the impact of the crash caused a blow to the chest, those could be signs of an injury to the heart.

This kind of blunt injury can bruise the heart muscle, which is known as a myocardial contusion. It can also potentially damage one of the heart valves, which can cause heart failure or even tear the wall of the heart (a ventricular rupture).

Monitoring and testing can help determine if there was an injury to the heart

The last two of these, if not caught and treated (often surgically) immediately can prove fatal. Symptoms of any of these injuries can be obvious right away, or at least to first responders who can begin to do heart monitoring in the ambulance until further testing can be done at the hospital.

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