Car accidents are responsible for a high percentage of facial scarring injuries across the nation. Broken glass often leads to deep lacerations and the deployment of airbags can cause severe burns to the neck and face. These facial wounds are unique because not only do they generate a substantial amount of pain for the victim, but they might also lead to damaged self-esteem, shame, and embarrassment. Moreover, individuals suffering from a facial injury often have to adjust to a new sense of self due to the change in their appearance.
Cosmetic surgery might be able to improve the effects of scarring, but it requires extensive hospital visits and their associated cost. Therapy may also be necessary to cope with the psychological damage of facial disfigurement.
Compensation for Your Facial Injuries
Fortunately, there are ways to receive compensation for your facial injuries after an accident. Florida law requires your auto insurance provider to cover some of the expenses stemming from your accident and, depending on your situation you may be able to recover additional compensation through a personal injury lawsuit.
Insurance Claims in a No-Fault State
Florida is a No-Fault Insurance state, which means that after an accident you will file a claim with your auto insurance provider to receive payment for some of your accident-related expenses, regardless of which driver is liable for the crash. By law, drivers must be covered by full liability car insurance with a minimum of $10K in Personal Injury Protection (PIP). These PIP benefits are intended to cover a percentage of your medical bills and lost wages.
Personal Injury Lawsuits
However, there are two exceptions to Florida’s No-Fault insurance law, which allows certain individuals to recover additional compensation through a personal injury lawsuit. The first exception is if you have over $10K in medical bills and lost wages. In these cases, you could recover economic damages for any out-of-pocket expenses stemming from the accident including medical bills, lost wages, and loss of future earning capacity.
The second exception is for victims who have suffered permanent damage, which is defined as a permanent loss of a vital bodily function, a disability, significant scarring or disfigurement, and death. The compensation for these cases includes economic damages along with payment for intangible losses like your pain and suffering.
Many facial injuries qualify as permanent damage because even after the wound has healed, there is still significant scarring or disfigurement. Moreover, the soft tissue of the face can require years of reconstruction and physical therapy to correct damage including loss of sensation, difficulty breathing, dental injury, or loss of jaw mobility.
Frequently Asked Questions About Facial Injuries After Miami Accidents
The following are just a few of the many questions that you are certain to have after being the victim of facial injuries in a car accident. The answers provided are intended to give you an idea of how these specific questions are answered as they pertain to your unique situation, but the only way for you to truly understand your rights and options is to start working with an attorney as soon as possible.
How Much Am I Entitled to After a Facial Injury?
The question of how much a victim is entitled to after any sort of injury is complicated, and the same is true for a facial injury. You and your attorney will need to work closely in order to calculate ALL of the impacts of your injuries, including both economic and non-economic damages. The important thing is that you are working with an experienced and aggressive attorney who can do the legwork of calculating your damages and then can push through negotiations in order to get you what you truly deserve.
Contact 1-800-Injured as soon as possible so that you can be connected with an attorney who can help you make sense of your situation and guide you through your upcoming legal process with as little stress as possible. After suffering from a facial injury you will need to endure a significant amount of pain, stress, and other emotional processes, and having an attorney who can shield you from the stress of a legal process will be an invaluable partner.
What is Maxillofacial Trauma?
Maxillofacial trauma is a catch-all medical term for any injury to the face. This includes any injuries to soft tissues, the mouth and teeth, jaw, nose, eyes, forehead, cheeks, and any other area of the face. You will hear this term often throughout the claims process and negotiations between your lawyer and the insurance company, and they may be only a small part of your injuries or could be the most important injuries of the case.
Maxillofacial trauma is not a specific type of injury, like a laceration or a fracture, but instead refers to the location of an injury. Therefore, a maxillofacial laceration means a laceration on the face and does not indicate the nature of the injury or the specific location on the face.
What Should I Do After Suffering a Facial Injury in a Miami Accident?
The first thing that you should do after an accident, especially one where you are injured, is to call 911 so that you can get emergency medical attention and are able to safely get out of the situation that injured you, to begin with. While you are getting treated by EMTs, the police will be able to take statements from eyewitnesses and anyone involved in the accident, which will be essential when it comes time to untangle the details and get to business.
As with any injury, it is essential that you see a doctor to get medical treatment, whether or not you feel that the initial treatment at the scene of the crash was sufficient. Each time you see a doctor, you establish additional medical documentation that proves your injuries and allows you to trace them directly to the accident; otherwise, the insurance company will aggressively push back on paying for any accident that does not have concrete proof of being related to your accident.
Call 1-800 Injured to Get Started on Your Case!
Whether you are filing an insurance claim or personal injury lawsuit, hiring an experienced car accident attorney can help you get the maximum compensation for your facial injury. A competent lawyer will thoroughly investigate the evidence of your accident to ensure that all of your injuries are accounted for, and your rights are protected.
Call us today toll-free at 1-800 INJURED to get connected with a qualified personal injury attorney from our Miami referral network. We are a medical and attorney referral service that helps people like you get connected with the professionals they need after an accident. We work with a network of experienced attorneys dedicated to assisting clients to get the money they need to recover. Call us today at 1-800 INJURED to get started on your case.