Car Crash Law: Minor Impact, Serious Injury—Do I have a case? | Rispoli & Borneo

Rispoli & Borneo P.C.

One of the most difficult type cases to handle is the personal injury case where a client was involved in a minor car crash, but has suffered serious injuries. In this type of case, it is extremely important that you involve an experienced Auto Accident Lawyer Memphis, TN  has trusted with similar type cases.  Why?

  • Because the public is predisposed to the idea that minimal damage automatically equals minimal injury, even though that idea is completely false, and,
  • Because the insurance company and lawyers for the driver who hit you will argue that because the crash was “minor,” that you couldn’t possibly be hurt as badly as you were, even though medical and scientific proof shows the opposite.

Minor Damage to the Vehicles.

Vehicle damage is not a reliable indicator or predictor of injury potential. The mechanism of injury in a car crash is not as simple as looking at a photograph. Rather, it involves many factors and concepts that are beyond the common knowledge of most people. Factors such as gender, type of seat back, type of head restraint, composition of the vehicles, angle of collision, victim’s awareness of the impact, and body positioning inside the vehicle all come into play. There have been many studies about injuries in rear-end auto accidents, proving that property damage to a vehicle does not correlate to the degree of injury a person may suffer.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”), part of the Department of Transportation, has stated that bumpers of automobiles are not safety features intended to prevent or mitigate injury severity to passengers.   Further, it isn’t possible to determine how fast a car was going during a rear end crash by looking at a damaged bumper.   A rear-end car crash and its effect on the occupant is a complex matter that cannot be decided simply by looking at property damage to a vehicle alone.

Chronic Injuries.

Further, the amount of property damage is not correlated with whether an individual will sustain chronic pain from crash injuries. In other words, if there was enough force to cause an injury, it could become chronic, regardless of the amount of vehicle damage.  For example, whiplash injuries can be suffered in any type of crash but occur most often in rear-end collisions. Studies have shown that even relatively low-speed crashes can cause whiplash injury and other debilitating injuries.

Thanks to our friends and contributors at Patterson Bray who have significant experience in personal injury litigation and in fighting for auto accident victims in Tennessee.  Contact Patterson Bray today if you need an Auto Accident Lawyer Memphis, TN  depends on time and time again.