Car accidents are extremely common and the consequences are often devastating. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that there are more than 5.5 million motor vehicle accidents in the U.S. each year. In 2009, there were 3,081 accident fatalities in the state of California alone.

Car accident victims often suffer from serious and debilitating physical injuries such as permanent injury or disfigurement, broken bones, whiplash, and paralysis. These injuries can result in long stays at the hospital, expensive medical bills and hospital treatments, pain and suffering, and significant lost time from work. Sometimes the consequences of the vehicle accident can last for the rest of the victim’s life.

Some common car accident injuries include head, facial and brain injuries. Often, the victim sustains skin lacerations, bruises, dental injuries and fractures due to the impact of the accident. Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) injury occurs when the joints and ligaments of the jaw are injured; causing pain with chewing and eating. One of the most common injuries is whiplash, which occurs when the victim’s head is violently thrown forward and then backward due to the impact of a car crash. The neck muscles become overextended and damaged, causing the victim to experience pain and swelling of the neck and inability to move the neck and head. The effects of whiplash can be either temporary or permanent.

Another injury that can result from car accidents is a herniated disc, which occurs when the discs between the spinal vertebra become damaged in an accident and press on the spinal nerves. The victim feels pain, numbness, or tingling in the arms or legs; and in severe cases the victim feels numb in both legs and loses bowel control. Broken ribs, injuries to the internal organs and internal bleeding can also occur from a car accident. Symptoms of internal bleeding include abdominal pain, fatigue, and feeling cold, lightheaded and thirsty. Serious car accident injuries include brain injuries like traumatic brain injury and hematoma (bruising of the brain), which can lead to permanent brain damage and/or paralysis – severely affecting the victim’s quality of life.

If you or a loved one was injured in a Sacramento car accident due to another person’s negligence, please call the Law Office of Frederick J. Sette as soon as possible. You may be entitled to damages for medical bills, pain and suffering, property damage, pain and suffering, lost wages and legal fees. In addition, if you have lost a loved one in a car accident, you can file a wrongful death claim. However, time is of the essence, as California has a statute of limitations on how long you can wait to bring a personal injury lawsuit. Sacramento car accident attorney Frederick J. Sette has over 15 years of experience representing clients in car accident lawsuits throughout California and is dedicated to providing honest, effective legal representation and achieving the best results possible for each client. Mr. Sette emphasizes open and timely communication and a personalized approach – taking the time to get to know each client and how the accident has impacted their lives.

If you require legal assistance with a Sacramento car accident injury, please call us toll-free at 1-888-516-6262 or submit our online Contact Us form to schedule a free initial consultation with an experienced Sacramento personal injury attorney.