Common Injuries Sustained in Kansas Car Accidents - Our Attorneys Fight for Justice

You might have been driving for years without an accident. You might even think that it's rare for anyone to get into a car accident and suffer serious injuries. But all it takes is one accident to turn your life upside down. Accidents happen fast in Kansas. The impact of a car accident, however, can result in physical, emotional and financial hardship that lasts a lifetime.

Warner Law Offices has years of experience helping people deal with effects of a serious car accident injury. Ambulance and emergency bills add up fast. You may not be able to work for months. The cost of your future medical care may seem overwhelming and you may never be able to work again. You may even find that the person who caused your accident, and his or her insurance company, are unwilling to cooperate.

No matter the injuries you're dealing with, we can help. The tough-minded lawyers at Warner Law Offices have the experience and resources necessary to obtain the compensation you need for your injuries and other losses. Attorney Thomas M. Warner is a board certified trial lawyer. The firm's co-founder, attorney Anne H. Pankratz, is a licensed registered nurse in Kansas. We take the time to determine the long-term cost of your injuries and build a solid, successful legal strategy on your behalf.

Visit the following sections to learn more about injuries in Kansas car accidents:

What to Do if You're Injured as a Passenger
Whiplash or Neck Injuries
Crashes that Lead to Traumatic Brain Injuries
Types of Injuries to the Back
Fractures to Wrists, Femur, Skull and Spine
Internal Organ Injuries and Fractured Ribs
Injuries Resulting in Death

What to Do If You're Injured as a Passenger

Car accidents can be extremely severe for the passenger in the vehicle. That's because the driver generally is more focused on the road and might have a few crucial moments to brace for a collision. In many accidents, such as side-impact collisions or rear-end accidents, a passenger inside a vehicle may not be able to prepare for an accident until it's too late.

Passengers injured in Kansas car accidents also may have questions about how to file a claim. After an accident, you may have a claim against all negligent parties. This may include the driver of the car you were riding in when the accident occurred, as well as the drivers of other vehicles involved. A passenger is generally not considered to be at fault or partially at fault for causing an accident unless he or she does something to cause an accident such as distract the driver. At Warner Law Offices, we can help determine fault after an accident and pursue the compensation you deserve.

A passenger in a car accident may get thrown through a windshield, slammed against a dashboard or crushed by the roof of the vehicle. A passenger injury in car accidents can be severe, ranging from whiplash to brain injury. An accident in some cases may result in a passenger death, leading to a potential wrongful death lawsuit. Common types of passenger injuries include:

Head injuries
Neck injuries
Spinal cord injuries
Broken Bones
Injuries requiring amputation

Many passengers injured in car accidents are unaware of their rights. They might not know they are entitled to recover compensation even if the driver they sat next to was completely at fault. An experienced attorney at the Warner Law Offices can stand up to the insurance companies and demand full and fair compensation. We have experience assisting passengers involved in car accidents with drunk drivers and other negligent drivers.

Whiplash injuries are common in rear-end car accidents. Despite modern safety features in cars, such as seat belts and airbags, drivers and passengers can still sustain neck injuries due to the significant force of an accident. Whiplash injuries occur when a vehicle occupant's head moves violently back and forth while the body stays in place. Whiplash injury victims often face a lifetime of pain and permanent restriction in their activities.

The experienced legal team at Warner Law Offices understands that whiplash injuries can happen in even the most "minor" of accidents. Whiplash involves an injury of the vertebrae of the neck and the muscles and ligaments that support them. The technical term is cervical acceleration/deceleration (CAD) trauma or syndrome and is often accompanied by one or more of the following symptoms:

Headaches
Dizziness
Pain in the shoulders, arms and hands
Reduced ability to turn and bend
Lower back problems

Symptoms of whiplash and other neck injuries may not be obvious right after the crash and, as a result, accident victims may choose not to visit a doctor. But it's important to visit your doctor promptly after an accident, even if you think you can "shake it off." Insurance companies may be quick to downplay the extent of your injuries. They might say you have no medical documentation or police records revealing your accident to have caused your injuries.

It's understandable that you might feel overwhelmed by the insurance companies. We can help you. If you suffered a whiplash injury, you need a determined lawyer who knows how to maximize your compensation. Warner Law Offices can pore over accident reports, medical records and take on the big insurance companies for you. Our experienced Wichita car accident lawyers can aggressively stand up to the insurance companies and fight for every penny you rightfully deserve.

Traumatic brain injury occurs when the brain is subjected to sudden trauma. The brain can be driven into the side of the skull by a sudden impact, or by the force of shaking or "whiplash," which is often sustained in car accidents and truck accidents. Even in a seemingly minor accident, the brain can suffer swelling and bruising. In some cases the impact may be serious enough to tear blood vessels in the brain, causing intracranial bleeding.

There are many ways someone can suffer a traumatic brain injury. You could get hurt in a head-on crash, a broadside collision at an intersection or a rear-end crash while stopped at a red light or stop sign. In each case, there are many factors to consider, including whether the driver who hit you was texting while driving, under the influence of alcohol or engaging in other types of reckless behavior while behind the wheel.

Many traumatic brain injury cases we deal with involve:

Concussions
Brain Damage
Memory Loss
Cognitive Impairment
Seizures
Contusions
Hematomas

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than a million people nationwide sustain a traumatic brain injury each year. Of those who sustain a TBI, the CDC reports that hundreds of thousands need to be hospitalized and tens of thousands die each year. In such extreme cases, you may have grounds for a legitimate wrongful death case. Warner Law Offices is ready to help. We can also help you understand the benefits of hiring an attorney. We can also explain to you the types of damages you might be eligible for with your case.

Back injuries resulting from car accidents can lead to extreme pain and a lifetime of health problems. In extreme cases, an accident victim may suffer a spinal cord injury resulting in paralysis. Even relatively minor neck and back injuries involving soft tissue injury or sprain or strains can lead to lost time from work and other losses.

A neck and back injury can result in the need for physical therapy or even surgery. The following are some neck and back injury damage:

Herniated disc
Compression fracture
Ruptured disc
Hemiparesis (weakness on one side of the body)
Hemiplegia (total paralysis of arm, leg or truck on the same side of the body)

When a back injury occurs as a result of a Kansas car accident, the injury can have a far-reaching effect on the victim's life. The insurance company may try to minimize your compensation. Don't fall for their tactics designed to keep money out of your pocket. Warner Law Offices is not intimidated by big insurance companies. We will pursue the compensation you need - and deserve - to get life back on track.

Broken bones represent some of the most common injuries sustained by car accident victims in Kansas. Depending on the severity, fractures and broken bones can lead to a painful and long rehabilitation period, resulting in loss of wages and other potential financial setbacks. A broken femur, for example, can keep an accident victim off his or her feet for months. Even a less serious hairline fracture can still create hardships.

Fractures or broken bones may involve any of the following:

Bone breaking in two, known as a complete fracture
Bone partially breaks, known as an incomplete fracture
Bone tears through the skin, known as a compound or open fracture
Hairline crack, known as a simple fracture

Broken bones and fractures can have a long-term effect on the injury victim:

A victim may be unable to work for months at a time or even longer.
A child's development or growth may be affected.
A bone may not heal properly, leading to additional medical procedures.
The injury may require surgery or implantation of metal plates.

Injuries to your wrist, femur, skull or spinal cord can result in significant medical bills and cost of future medical care. A serious accident may result in lost time at work and an inability to collect an income. But the other driver's insurance company may try to deny you the compensation you deserve after your crash. They don't intimidate us. An experienced lawyer at Warner Law Offices can help you pursue the full compensation you are entitled to under the law.

Damage to internal organs after a car accident can be difficult to detect. Blood loss from internal organ injuries can impact some of the body's most important organs and turn grave quickly. You may not realize how serious your injury is immediately after your accident. Trauma to internal organs may take days, weeks or even months to become apparent. That's why it's so important to seek immediate medical attention after even a seemingly "minor" accident.

At Warner Law Offices, our attorneys have experience protecting the rights of accident victims who suffer fractured ribs and internal organ injuries. An accident victim who suffers an internal injury may go into shock as a result of blood loss or damage to the nervous system. To make matters worse, internal injuries sustained in Kansas car accidents can involve just about any organ, trauma to the brain, or damage to your ribs, spinal cord or pelvis.

Internal organ injuries caused by the force of a car accident can manifest in a number of different ways. A few common internal injuries involve the following:

Fractured ribs
Damage to the liver, spleen, pancreas or stomach
Internal bleeding
Brain bleeding
Punctured lung

At the Warner Law Offices, our seasoned attorneys understand that you may have done nothing wrong to cause your accident. You may have been hit head-on by a drunk driver or T-boned by a distracted driver. You shouldn't have to face the long-term physical, emotional and financial repercussions of your accident alone. We fight aggressively to get compensation for our clients who are dealing with internal organ injuries.

At Warner Law Offices, we understand that nothing hits families harder than a fatal car accident resulting in the loss of a loved one. Yet these accidents happen all too often due to drunk drivers, distracted drivers and other reckless drivers on Kansas roads and highways.

High speed collisions, head-on crashes, intersection accidents, and accidents involving pedestrians and bicyclists can have fatal consequences in only a moment's notice. Victims who suffer head injuries, severe burns or internal organ trauma can go into shock at the scene of an accident. When you've lost a loved one in a car accident, you need to take action fast to protect your legal rights.

Car accident cases involving the wrongful death of a loved one can be extremely complex legal matters. There are many issues to consider when dealing with the aftermath of a fatal crash. Knowing the right thing to do can be overwhelming. The person who caused the crash may deny wrongdoing. Their insurance company may even try to say your loved one was at fault. You can level the playing field with the help of an experienced Wichita attorney.

In handling a wrongful death claim form an auto accident, we may seek compensation for past medical, hospital and other medical-related charges; all burial and funeral expenses; all past and projected future loss of earnings and support; loss of services (including household services provided by the person who died); and other possible damages. We thoroughly investigate these cases to leave no stone unturned.

Contact Our Firm Today

At Warner Law Offices, we won't settle for less than you deserve. Attorneys Thomas M. Warner and Anne H. Pankratz have more than 50 years of combined experience protecting the rights of injury victims in Wichita and across Kansas. We take the time to listen to each of our clients. We have the courtroom experience and medical training necessary to help get your life back on track. Make your case matter. Call 866-584-1032 to set up a free case consultation with one of our team members today.