Loose Object in Vehicle Accident Lawyer Big Auto

Basically, there are two types of injuries that could occur when unsecured objects become projectiles during a car crash: impact injuries and penetration injuries. Impact injuries may not break the skin, but they can cause serious harm to bones, nerves and internal organs. Penetrating injuries puncture the body and cause wounds that could result in disfigurement, loss of limbs or blood loss. Open flesh wounds and lacerations could require extensive surgery and lengthy recovery times.
 

Unsecured objects that could cause harm to passengers

Some of the heavier loose items that could cause severe harm during a vehicle collision include:

• Luggage and briefcases
• Coolers and camping equipment
• Bags or boxes of canned goods
• Laptops and tablets
• Toolboxes, musical instrument cases and sports accessories

A collision that occurs at a higher speed could also cause unrestrained vehicle occupants or pets to crash into each other. In addition to vehicle occupants wearing seatbelts, placing pets in secured animal carriers could help limit the severity of injuries during a collision.
 

Due to the dynamics of kinetic energy, the impact force of even a small object can be significantly multiplied at high speed. Some of the smaller unsecured objects that could harm a vehicle’s occupants during a collision include:

• Cellphones and other handheld electronic devices
• Eyeglasses and binoculars
• Kids’ or pet toys
• CDs
• Unopened water, soft drink or juice bottles

You may file a legal action against a driver whose actions — or lack of action — caused you to suffer personal harm. This is an option worthy of serious consideration if the responsible driver’s insurance company offers you a settlement that does not realistically reflect your financial losses or ignores the issue of your pain and suffering.

If you were a passenger in another individual’s car and suffered harm from an item that should have been secured, a knowledgeable vehicle accident attorney could help prove the owner’s negligence. Your attorney can investigate and review the circumstances that led to your injuries and also seek recovery for pain and suffering.

Your right to sue if another individual is responsible for causing you or a loved one harm also extends to paid transportation arrangements. Rideshare, taxi, limo and bus companies can be held responsible if unsecured objects in their vehicles cause you to suffer an injury.

The types of compensation that you could receive after a vehicle accident caused by another party can fall into two categories: economic damages and non-economic damages. If you deal on your own with an insurance company, you may face an uphill battle if you attempt to recover non-economic damages such as pain and suffering. A skilled accident attorney, however, will know how to assert and justify your claim.

Economic damages

As the term implies, the economic portion of a personal injury damage claim covers the cost of the medical treatment required for your recovery, and it could include other financial losses. The financial compensation you receive for economic damages could cover:

• Your medical bills, which could include the costs of care provided by a hospital, your doctors and physical therapy specialists
• At-home caregivers who visit and assist you during your recovery
• Medical equipment purchases, such as a wheelchair or physical therapy device
• Follow-up prescription costs, such as pain relievers or medications to help improve cognitive function after a traumatic brain injury
• The lost wages that resulted from taking time off from work to recover or to care for an injured loved one

What these financial costs share in common is their ability to be easily determined from medical bills, employment records, and receipts.

Non-economic damages

Because they do not reflect dollar amounts that can be easily demonstrated through records and receipts, non-economic damages could prove harder to successfully assert. A vehicle accident attorney can help you obtain a fair and just amount of compensation for non-economic harm such as:

• Pain and suffering, which can include both physical and emotional pain
• Permanent or long-term disabilities and the degree they reduce your enjoyment of life
• Post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic anxiety
• Disfigurement and its associated social isolation
• Lost future career opportunities caused by post-injury impairments

In addition to making sure that passengers are wearing seat belts, a vehicle owner can take certain steps to help limit the extent of injuries should a collision occur.
 
A vehicle owner could help protect passengers by:

• Placing all loose items in the vehicle’s cargo area, trunk or glove compartment
• Leaving unnecessary items at home
• Removing unsecured child seats when children are not in the vehicle
• Using tethers, anchors or cargo nets to keep items from entering the passenger area
• Making sure that any bottles or mugs are securely held by their respective cup holders

One of the most important things that a vehicle accident attorney does is to determine an amount of compensation that adequately matches the injured party’s circumstances and injuries. In addition to the economic damages, the amount of compensation could cover both physical and emotional pain and suffering. In certain cases involving a high degree of recklessness, a court may also award punitive damages.

A vehicle accident attorney will also investigate and review all aspects of the crash including police reports, medical records, weather conditions and witness statements. In some cases, the possibility of defective vehicle components or an auto mechanic’s substandard work may require investigation.

Experienced accident attorneys are familiar with state laws governing insurance coverage and all of the filing requirements. They also know when an insurance company is “lowballing” a settlement offer and when a legal action is the better option.