Hand Injury from a Car Accident

Victims of car accidents often sustain hand and wrist injuries.

A victim of a car accident can sustain a hand injury because of the collision impact. For instance, you can suffer a broken arm after hitting the dashboard, steering wheel, or the seat in front.

Just like other injuries, you can sustain a severe hand injury, which often results in a reduced quality of life. In addition, a hand injury significantly affects one’s ability to attend work, socialize, and spend quality time with family.

Fortunately, you may be entitled to compensation if you’ve sustained a hand injury in a car accident.

Consider consulting a trusted Santa Rosa car accident attorney who can provide legal guidance and support while filing an insurance claim or a lawsuit.

Types of Hand Injuries

Collision trauma and broken car parts can harm your hand in a car accident. Victims of hand injuries experience varying symptoms, including bruising, swelling, inability to move the affected finger, deformity, pain, and tenderness.

Here is a list of typical hand injuries:

• Fractures: The forceful impact of a car accident often results in broken arms, wrists, or hands. A fractured wrist is a common occurrence where bones in the wrist develop one or more cracks. If you sustain a broken bone in your dominant hand, it can prevent you from engaging in work and social activities, affecting your quality of life.
• Torn Ligaments: Car accident victims often sustain torn ligaments in the elbow, forearm, or hand. Victims who suffer torn ligaments display various symptoms, including bruising, inability to move the wrist all the way around, weakness in the wrist, and a grinding sensation.
• Joint Dislocations: The hand has multiple joints that can suffer dislocation after a car accident. For instance, the joint in the elbow or the shoulder can become dislocated because of force trauma in car accidents. Most joint dislocation injuries occur when a victim attempts to brace themselves in anticipation of a car crash.
• Amputation: A healthcare provider may opt for amputation if the victim’s hand or finger sustains a catastrophic or severe injury.
• Puncture Wound: Broken pieces of a car can pierce your hand or wrist, resulting in a severe injury. Puncture wounds are often deep and dangerous and pose a risk of infection. Health experts recommend medical attention if a victim displays signs of infection, such as fever, a smelling wound, pus oozing from the wound, redness, swelling, and pain.
• Soft Tissue Injury: Car accidents also result in soft tissue injuries such as inflammation, nerve damage, and muscle strain. Many victims suffer brachial plexus injury, a nerve damage that feels like an electric shock or a burning sensation shooting down the arm. If untreated, brachial plexus injury can cause permanent disability, stiff joints, or muscle atrophy.

Getting Compensation for Your Hand Injury

If you’ve sustained a hand injury in a car accident due to someone’s fault, you may be entitled to compensation.

Depending on the circumstances, you could receive damages to compensate for the following losses:

Medical Expenses

Medical expenses comprise a significant portion of your losses following a hand injury.  The victim of a hand injury should not suffocate from the weight of medical costs. Instead, the negligent party should cater for the expenses.

You can obtain a refund for various medical-related expenses, including

• Medication
• Hospitalization
• Cost of surgery
• Emergency room visits
• Physical therapy.

Lost Income

You may not work as you usually would after sustaining a hand injury. As a result, you may need to take leave, miss work, or entirely quit your work, which can force your employer to discontinue your wages.

You’re entitled to the lost past and future earning capacity due to the hand injury. Part of lost income damages also includes compensation for a reduced earning capacity.

Out-of-Pocket Expenses

You may also obtain a refund of other expenses you incurred that are related to the injury, including:

• Assistance with child care or household chores
• Assistance with personal care, including bathing, feeding, or dressing
• Transport expenses to and from medical appointments
• Home or car modifications due to hand amputation
• Unique medical supplies and equipment

Pain and Suffering

Pain and suffering damage attempts to compensate for the physical pain and emotional discomfort you experience because of the injury. Whether it is a torn ligament or broken wrist, you may endure troubling discomfort for weeks, months, or even years after the injury.

A car accident attorney can compile the following pieces of evidence to prove pain and suffering damages:

• Diagnosis report
• Hand injury image and video
• A personal diary
• A specialist testimony

Emotional Distress

The incident of a car accident that led to a hand injury can be highly traumatic. You may also face mental distress as a result of the hand injury. For example, finding out that a healthcare provider will amputate your hand is devastating.

Examples of mental distress symptoms that deserve compensation include:

• Anger
• Grief
• Psychological trauma
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Post-traumatic stress disorder

Loss of Enjoyment of Life

If your injuries cause you emotional distress and you no longer enjoy life as you used to, you may be entitled to compensation. If the hand injury prevents you from participating in activities you used to love, it could also be a significant loss.

If a broken hand prevents you from participating in mountain biking, you deserve damages for loss of enjoyment of life.

Loss of Companionship

A hand injury can affect your ability to interact with your loved ones the same way you used to before the car accident. For example, if you sustained an amputated arm that prevents you from playing with your children or being romantic with your partner.

You deserve to obtain compensation for these essential aspects of your relationships.

How a Car Accident Attorney Can Help?

A hand injury can leave you struggling with medical bills and reduced productivity. Unfortunately, you may not be in a good mental state to follow up on an insurance claim or a personal injury lawsuit.

Contacting a Santa Rosa car accident attorney is always beneficial, even if your losses seem minimal.

A car accident can help your case in the following ways:

• Prove the extent of your injuries: When building a personal injury claim, you need to consider the importance of your injuries. A hand injury can put you out of work, affecting your present and future earning capacity. An attorney will compile medical reports to create a compelling case for a fair settlement amount.
• Prove fault: An attorney can conduct independent investigations to prove the at-fault party, a key element of your claim. These factors may include overspeeding, driver fatigue, distracted driving, or reckless driving.
• Negotiate with insurers: It is ill-advised to deal with an insurance company directly since they’re always looking to take advantage of unsuspecting claimants. An experienced attorney can negotiate a settlement that accounts for all your losses.

Speak to an Experienced Santa Rosa Car Accident Attorney Today

In addition to hefty medical bills, a hand injury can keep you out of work for an extended period, leading to a loss of income. The strained finances make it difficult to afford medical bills or meet ends.

Consider hiring an experienced attorney from The Cartwright Law Firm with a proven track record of obtaining millions in settlement amounts. Contact us online today for a free case review.