Compensation for Short-Term vs. Long-Term Car Accident Injuries

When it comes to car injury claims, the main difference between long-term and short-term car accident injuries lies in the final settlement.

The difference between long-term and short-term car accident injuries can seem obvious in a sense. The latter usually describe less-severe injuries you can bounce back from quickly, while the former refers to more serious conditions that usually require more extensive medical treatment.

However, when it comes to car injury claims, the main difference between long-term and short-term car accident injuries lies in the final settlement.

Collecting Damages from Your Car Accident

If you’re the victim of a car accident, you usually have to file an injury claim with the at-fault driver’s insurance company. This is because Missouri courts would be completely overrun if all car accidents needed to go in front of a judge for settling, and since auto insurance is mandatory in the state, all parties may find a resolution and move on.

The settlement for a car accident claim will usually account for all the costs resulted from the incident, such as:

• Medical expenses
• Property damage or car repairs
• Pain and suffering
• Lost wages
• Disability benefits, etc.

When you have a short-term injury, such as a broken arm that completely heals after receiving treatment, you are able to bring the medical bills to the insurance company and show the real cost of the injury. Insurance companies often prefer until the victim is fully healed to reach a settlement, as this way they can just pay what’s needed, and nothing more.

It’s More Difficult for Long-Term Injuries

With long-term injuries, on the other hand, waiting until your treatment is complete is sometimes not an option. For one thing, you have a 5-year window in which to file a lawsuit or insurance claim, and if your recovery expands beyond that you cannot wait until your treatment finishes.

Even if you want to wait, long-term auto injuries often need expensive treatment, so you may arrive at the point where you cannot afford to cover these costs by yourself. 

Long-term auto accident injuries often change a person’s life forever, and not just in terms of their health. There are also quality of life aspects that could be affected. For example, if the car accident leaves you with permanent damage in your arm, and as a result, you don’t have full strength or cannot grip objects, you are looking at a lower quality of life which could affect your employment, your personal life, and even mental health.

So to recap, long-term injuries are much more high stakes than short-term ones because:

• They need more treatment, which is more expensive
• They affect all aspects of a person’s life
• They usually end up with much higher settlements 

St. Louis Car Accident Lawyers

Regardless of which type of car accident injury you have, it’s a good idea to get in touch with a St. Louis car accident attorney for a FREE case evaluation and help in filing a car accident claim. It’s your best chance of getting fairly compensated.