If you suffered arm or shoulder injuries from a car accident, you might be entitled to compensation through a lawsuit against the party that caused the collision.
Most of us use our arms every day, and arm injuries have the potential to change your life significantly. Though they vary substantially in severity, obtaining immediate medical attention for any arm injury is vital to your recovery.
Today, the Florida car accident lawyers of Nonni Homola will discuss common arm injuries that result from car accidents.
Please don’t hesitate to call (850) 601-1111 or send an online message today for a free consultation.
Do I Need Medical Attention for Arm Pain?
Those suffering from arm pain after a car accident might wonder if their injury is serious enough to require medical attention. But after a collision, you should always seek medical attention immediately.
Symptoms of serious injuries might not immediately present themselves, or they may seem mild at first. The full extent of injuries often becomes apparent in the hours, days, or even weeks after an accident.
If you wish to pursue a personal injury lawsuit for any car crash injury, it’s vital to connect your injuries to the accident through medical records. If you wait too long, the defendant or their insurance company will likely claim that you did not sustain your injuries in the crash—but in some subsequent incident. So don’t wait. Get any injury examined right away.
Common Arm Injuries from Car Accidents
Let’s discuss some common arm injuries that happen in a crash.
Bone Fractures
The force of a collision often causes bones in the arms, wrists, and hands to break or get crushed. Breaking a bone in your dominant hand or arm makes it impossible to use that arm until it fully heals. This recovery process could prevent you from working or engaging in other activities for weeks or months.
Torn Ligaments
Ligaments are the fibrous connective tissue that attaches bone to bone and maintains functional stability. Ligaments in the elbow, forearm, and hand can become partially or entirely torn away from the bone due to the impact of car accidents.
In fact, if you suffer an arm or elbow injury from a car accident, chances are good that you’ve torn some ligaments. These sprains cause pain, swelling, and discomfort and usually heal in a few weeks. More serious sprains can cause long-term damage and, in some cases, permanent damage.
Dislocated Joints
When arm joints become dislocated, severe swelling, pain, and a reduced range of motion often result. If left untreated, these injuries could become permanent.
Rotator Cuff Injuries
The rotator cuff holds the top of the arm in place at the shoulder. Common symptoms include pain, swelling, and a limited range of motion. Some rotator cuff injuries might initially cause minor discomfort, but they can gradually become more painful.
Other Soft Tissue Injuries (Muscle Strains and Nerve Damage)
Muscle strains and nerve damage also result from collisions. Nerve damage usually results in shots of pain throughout the arms.
Two of the most common nerve injuries we see in car accidents are ulnar nerve entrapment and median nerve entrapment. The latter is considered traumatically induced carpal tunnel syndrome since CTS occurs when the median nerve is compressed or squeezed as it passes through the wrist.
It’s best to have a medical professional diagnose soft tissue injuries as soon after the crash as possible to avoid long-term damage.
What Can I Recover from the Liable Party?
Those suffering from serious arm or shoulder pain after a car accident deserve to recover compensation from the responsible party.
Your personal injury attorney negotiates with insurance companies and opposing counsel to get you the financial compensation you deserve.
In Florida, injured victims are entitled to compensatory damages, which are further broken down into economic and non-economic damages.
Economic Damages
Economic damages represent financial losses directly stemming from your injuries.
These include the following:
- Medical expenses,
- Lost wages,
- Future loss of earnings, and
- Property damage.
Your attorney proves your economic damages through invoices, pay stubs, medical bills, and other documentation. Retain all tangible evidence to assist your attorney in calculating this portion of your recoverable losses.
Non-Economic Damages
Non-economic damages represent the psychological and emotional losses that stem from your car accident arm injury. These losses are challenging to prove based on their subjective nature.
For example, it seems impossible to put a monetary value on the inability to throw a baseball with your child or a permanent loss of mobility preventing you from engaging in a beloved hobby.
Non-economic damages include the following:
- Pain and suffering,
- Emotional distress,
- Loss of enjoyment of life,
- Loss of consortium, and
- Permanent disability or disfigurement.
A seasoned attorney knows how to calculate these important, less tangible losses.
Contact Us for a Free Consultation
For over 40 years, the attorneys at Nonni Homola have provided injured victims with effective legal representation in personal injury and wrongful death cases.
Our firm has earned a reputation for being honest, hard-working, and zealous legal advocates. We understand that our clients are the heart and soul of what makes our firm thrive. We treat you with respect. You won’t deal with junior associates when you come to our firm, as we provide direct access to your attorney throughout your case.
Contact our office online or call (850) 601-1111 today for a consultation to learn how we can assist you.
Mark continued his studies at Florida State University College of Law, graduating cum laude in 2008. While in law school, Mark was a member of the Journal of Land Use & Environmental Law and the Journal of Transnational Law & Policy, as well as a certified legal intern with the FSU Public Interest Law Center, where he assisted low-income clients with a wide range of family law issues. He also served as a law clerk intern to The Honorable L. Clayton Roberts of Florida’s First District Court of Appeal.
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