If you’ve suffered a permanent injury in a car accident, you’re likely facing far more obstacles than just your physical recovery process. You may be worrying about your lost income, paying bills, ongoing medical needs, and what your future looks like. After all, a permanent injury from a car accident can affect every facet of your life – from your work and your independence to your relationships with the ones you love.
When someone else caused the crash, you shouldn’t have to carry the resulting financial burden. North Carolina law may entitle you to compensation for your injuries and losses. However, the permanent nature of the harm you’ve suffered may bring some additional complexity to your case and affect the amount you can settle for.
What Permanent Injuries May Result from a Car Accident?
Sometimes, an injury in a car accident never fully heals. These permanent injuries can alter a person’s physical capabilities, appearance, or mental functioning for the rest of their life.
While every case is different, certain types of injuries are more likely to result in permanent impairment, including:
- Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs)
- Spinal cord injuries and paralysis
- Amputations or loss of limb function
- Severe burns
- Facial fractures and scarring
- Disfigurement
- Permanent nerve damage
- Chronic pain disorders
- Organ damage and other internal injuries
- Hearing or vision loss
- Joint damage requiring fusion or replacement
- Psychological trauma with lasting effects, such as PTSD
These conditions often require long-term care and ongoing treatment, and a victim may find themselves having to make major lifestyle adjustments. The result is a substantial physical, emotional, and financial burden that can affect both the injured person and their family for many years to come.
Long-Term Effects of Permanent Car Accident Injuries
Permanent injuries often lead to a ripple effect of costs that continue long after the car crash, including:
- Ongoing medical treatment – Medical care is the most immediate concern. For a serious injury, treatment doesn’t end with just a hospital stay. You may face years of follow-up appointments, surgeries, physical therapy, medications, and assistive devices. In some cases, this follow-up care lasts the rest of your life.
- Career and livelihood – Many permanent injuries can affect your ability to return to your previous job – or even prevent you from working at all. You may not be able to meet the physical demands of your role, or you may need to reduce your hours to accommodate your medical restrictions. The resulting loss of earning power can be devastating.
- Hidden costs – Transportation to medical appointments, home modifications, paid caregivers, or professional services to handle tasks you can no longer do independently all add to the financial weight. Even less tangible accident-related losses like emotional and psychological harm can require expensive long-term therapy.
Taken together, the financial effects of a permanent injury are rarely limited to a single category. These expenses accumulate over time and often catch families off guard.
North Carolina’s Fault System and Liability
In a North Carolina car accident, an injury victim can pursue compensation through the at-fault driver’s auto insurance, and in some cases, your own underinsured coverage. But to receive compensation, they must show that the other driver caused the crash.
Proving the other driver’s liability carries an added sense of urgency in North Carolina because the state follows a strict contributory negligence rule. Even if the other driver’s negligence caused the accident, if the defendant can prove that an injured person’s own negligence contributed to the wreck, they may be barred from recovering any compensation. North Carolina Pattern Jury Instruction, Motor Vehicle Volume 104.10. Insurance companies looking for any detail they can use to shift blame will often use this rule to their advantage.
This makes the stakes in permanent injury cases particularly high. The higher the potential value of the car accident injury claim, the more likely there will be disputes around who was at fault.
Without strong legal support, a permanently injured person may lose a valid claim based on a technicality. A skilled North Carolina attorney can challenge any attempt to unfairly blame the injured party by presenting supporting evidence uncovered through a thorough investigation.
Types of Compensation in Permanent Injury Claims
A permanent injury’s effect on a motor vehicle accident settlement can be substantial. This is because the scope of compensation can be much broader than in cases involving short-term harm. Accident victims may be entitled to compensation for both economic and non-economic damages that reflects the long-term impact of their injuries.
Financial recovery in these cases may include:
- Past and future medical expenses
- Rehabilitation and therapy costs
- Lost wages during recovery
- Reduced earning capacity
- Permanent disability or disfigurement
- Physical pain
- Mental suffering
- Home or vehicle modifications
- Long-term care or assistance
Factors That Impact the Value of a Permanent Injury Case
No two permanent injury claims are valued in precisely the same way, as different variables can influence how much compensation you may receive. Insurance companies and courts consider the specific details of the injury and how it affects your life moving forward, including:
- The severity and type of permanent injury
- Your age and overall health
- The injury’s impact on your current and future employment
- The extent of medical treatment required
- Your level of physical or emotional suffering
- The degree of disruption to your lifestyle
- The availability of evidence supporting the claim
What Effects Do Permanent Injuries Have on Car Accident Claims?
Permanent injury cases tend to result in much higher settlements and verdicts than typical car accident claims, so they can quickly become much more complex. Insurance companies know there’s more at stake, so they’re more likely to dispute liability or challenge the severity of the injury. Proving the long-term impact of a permanent condition can also be difficult, especially when estimating future medical care needs and lost earning capacity. Many physicians are not willing to give an opinion regarding the permanency of the injury until at least a year after the injury.
If the claim goes to trial, an expert economist is necessary to calculate the present value of future lost income and medical bills for the court.
Despite these challenges, permanent injuries often lead to higher compensation because of the lasting physical, emotional, and financial toll on the injured person’s life.
How to Build a Strong Claim for Compensation with a Permanent Injury
When a car accident results in a permanent injury, having an experienced lawyer in your corner is crucial. Insurance companies may meet these claims with resistance. An attorney can protect your rights and pursue the full compensation you deserve by preparing a compelling personal injury claim supported by strong evidence.
A car accident attorney from Younce, Vtipil, Baznik & Banks can:
- Conduct a thorough investigation into the accident
- Gather medical records and solicit expert medical opinions
- Work with vocational experts to assess your lost earning capacity
- Document your long-term care and rehabilitation needs
- Collect evidence of how the injury affects your daily life
- Identify and calculate all your current and future losses
- Get the expert opinions needed for that particular case
- Communicate and negotiate with the insurance company
- Prepare your case for trial, if necessary
A permanent injury’s impact on motor vehicle accident settlements can be substantial. Working with an attorney can help demonstrate the full extent of your losses and strengthen your position in potentially intense negotiations.
Get in Touch with Our Raleigh Car Accident Lawyers for Help
If you’re facing a permanent injury from a car accident in North Carolina, you need a skilled attorney who can fight back against attempts to prevent you from recovering the financial compensation you need and deserve.
With over 100 years of combined experience and substantial resources at our disposal, Younce, Vtipil, Baznik & Banks are here to offer the legal support your case needs. Our team will do everything we can to provide the care and attention you need as you begin the process of moving forward after a catastrophic accident.
Younce, Vtipil, Baznik & Banks has secured more than $150 million in compensation for our clients, including multiple seven-figure settlements for the severely injured.* Our state-of-the-art case tracking system and attention to detail enable us to provide high-quality service to our clients. As one satisfied client wrote:
“From the very first conversation with David, I knew I was in good hands. Whenever I had questions or concerns, Karen and David were both quick to assist me. Not only are they top-notch in their profession, they’re also down-to-earth and compassionate. I am very happy with the outcome that they were able to provide me with. I highly recommend this group for your legal representation. You will be glad you did.” – Carolyn J.
Ready to discuss your case with an experienced and compassionate car accident attorney? Contact Younce, Vtipil, Baznik & Banks online or call 919-661-9000 for your free consultation.
*Each case is unique, and past results do not guarantee future outcomes.
About the Author
Joseph R. Baznik
Joseph Baznik is an attorney at Younce, Vtipil, Baznik & Banks P.A. who specializes in workers' compensation and personal injury. Joseph speaks both English and Spanish fluently. He is licensed to practice law in the State of North Carolina and the U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina.
