How To Receive Compensation for Invisible Injuries

Injuries like broken bones, cuts, and bruises are easily visible. You can walk into negotiations with the insurance company and everyone can see your injuries. 

While supporting evidence is still a requirement, visible injuries are relatively easy to prove. This makes it a little easier to receive compensation. However, what about invisible injuries? How do you go about getting compensation for invisible injuries?

After all, you can’t easily bandage injuries like chronic pain. Even some internal injuries can be virtually impossible to detect with medical diagnostic tests. Thankfully, you can receive compensation for unseen injuries. You may need to supply a lot of supporting evidence, but compensation is possible.

Common Invisible Injuries

Some invisible injuries are more severe than others, but here are some common ones that can occur after being involved in an accident.

Whiplash

Even a minor fender bender can cause whiplash, which occurs when the neck moves rapidly back and forth. The rapid back-and-forth movements can injure muscles, soft tissue, and ligaments in the neck. 

Headaches are a common symptom, along with dizziness, blurry vision, along with numbness in the arms and hands. Whiplash symptoms can appear almost immediately or take a few days.

Shoulder Injuries

Shoulder injuries are common and can include rotator cuff tears, muscle sprains, and overstretched tendons. This type of invisible injury is often caused when your shoulder slams against an immovable object like the dash or the back of the seat. Your seatbelt can also cause shoulder injuries, but this isn’t a reason not to wear one. South Carolina law requires all drivers and passengers to always wear their seatbelts. Failure to do so can result in a traffic citation.

While a seatbelt can cause a shoulder injury, it can also save your life. Dealing with a painful shoulder is a better option than potentially losing your life in a car wreck.

Traumatic Brain Injuries

Traumatic brain injuries can occur in almost any type of motor vehicle accident. This type of injury occurs when your head hits a hard, unmovable object. The effects of a traumatic brain injury can be far-reaching. 

You may also not know you have a brain injury until you see a medical professional for diagnostic testing. Since brain injuries can negatively impact your life, seeking compensation is often a top priority.

The consequences of a brain injury can leave you unable to work and even perform routine daily tasks. Other types of invisible injuries that often occur as a result of a car accident include herniated discs, soft tissue damage, and internal hemorrhaging.

Proving an Invisible Injury

We live in a society that expects visual proof. Sometimes, it’s even difficult to convince someone you have a headache. People seem to feel that if they can’t see it, the injury doesn’t exist, which can make it difficult to convince others of your injuries.

To prove an invisible injury and receive compensation, it’s best to work with an accident attorney. Some of the steps your attorney may take to prove your case include collecting evidence of your injuries.

Collect Documentation

Your medical records will be key in proving your invisible injury claim, which includes copies of diagnostic test results, treatment plans, and a list of medications, if any. If long-term treatment or care is necessary, save all associated paperwork.

If you’re paying off your medical expenses, save all of the receipts, and you may also need to supply your financial records—basically, save everything related to your invisible injury. You never know what your attorney or the insurance company may request.

Talk to Friends and Family

Sometimes, even your medical records aren’t enough to convince the insurance adjuster to make a fair settlement offer. Allowing close friends and family members to testify to your injury can help substantiate your case. Some of the information they can provide includes backing up your pain and suffering claims. 

Since most people rarely suffer in silence, those close to you should be able to attest to your pain. They can also provide details about your life before and after sustaining the invisible injury.

Prove Fault

Before you can seek compensation for any injuries and/or property damage, you’ll need to prove fault in the accident. South Carolina is an at-fault state, which means the at-fault driver is responsible for paying the medical expenses and property damage of those involved in the accident, including any invisible injuries you may have. A good place to start is with the accident report since the authorities typically list the at-fault driver within it.

You Can Receive Compensation for Invisible Injuries

Securing compensation for invisible injuries, such as emotional trauma or chronic pain, may be a lengthy process, but it is certainly achievable. Collaborating with a seasoned accident attorney can significantly increase the likelihood of obtaining rightful compensation for both your visible and invisible injuries. 

An attorney’s expertise in articulating and substantiating these less apparent damages is key to building a strong case, thereby enhancing your chances of a successful resolution that acknowledges the full extent of your suffering.