A car accident can hurt any part of your body and cause substantial emotional or mental damage. However, many victims suffer arm injuries from car accidents. Injuries to the arm can result in significant pain and limit your ability to work, play, and fulfill your personal obligations. If you have suffered such an injury because of another driver’s negligence, we can help you get the treatment and the compensation you need to get your life back on track. 

At Greenspan & Greenspan Injury Lawyers, we have decades of experience protecting accident victims and helping make sure they receive all the legal relief available. Below, we go over common types of car accident arm injuries and the legal remedies you might receive after a collision. 

Types of Car Accident Arm Injuries

The high velocity involved in many crashes and the hard surfaces of cars and streets can cause serious harm to the human body. The following are some of the most commonly encountered arm injuries that result from car crashes.

Broken Bones

Fractures are among the most common car crash-related arm injuries. These fractures can occur in the hands and wrist and travel all the way up through the shoulder. Broken bones need good stabilization and a good blood supply to form new tissue and heal well. Treating broken bones might take multiple steps and include interventions such as the following:

  • Splints,
  • Bone realignment,
  • Casts,
  • Surgery, 
  • Occupational therapy, and 
  • Physical therapy.

You may need several of the above-listed treatments to get your arm back to 100% or as close to 100% as possible.

If you feel any pain in your arm after an accident, you should seek medical care right away. An evaluation from a doctor and imaging can make a huge and positive difference in how well you recover and the amount of pain you might experience after sustaining an arm injury. Immediate treatment also helps to tie your injury to the accident, so insurers cannot claim it happened later by a subsequent and unrelated event.

Soft Tissue Injuries

After a car accident, you might feel sore or stiff in one or both of your arms. In many cases, these symptoms come from soft tissue injuries in the area. These injuries can include:

  • Muscle strain,
  • Torn ligaments,
  • Tendon damage, and 
  • Inflammation of the soft tissue structures in your arm.

Injuries like these might severely limit your range of motion and cause significant pain.

Whiplash

Whiplash is an injury that comes to mind when people think about car accidents. Yes, whiplash is technically an injury to the neck and head, but this type of injury can also have a significant effect on your arms. The inflammation from a whiplash injury can compress and damage nerves that affect your arm and can cause significant pain. 

Rotator Cuff Tears

A car accident can jerk your body around at high speeds and slam you into hard surfaces—tearing your rotator cuff. If you have a tear in this series of muscles that connect your shoulder blade and arm, you might experience the following symptoms:

  • Difficulty raising your arm,
  • Serious pain, and
  • Trouble rotating your arm.

Proper imaging immediately after an accident can help you diagnose this problem. Keeping up with treatment recommendations from a healthcare professional can help you heal, reduce pain, and restore the function of your arm.

Dislocation

A shoulder dislocation is among the most common arm injuries from car accidents. A shoulder dislocation is also among the most debilitating of arm injuries. If you dislocate your shoulder in a car accident, you likely will not be able to move your arm until you receive treatment. This kind of dislocation could reduce or eliminate your ability to work and leave you in significant pain.

Car Accident Remedies

A car accident injury can set you back financially, physically, emotionally, and personally. You deserve compensation to pay your medical and other costs, restore your well-being, and address your pain. If you file an insurance claim or lawsuit against the at-fault party, you may recover the following:

  • Economic damages—compensate for crash-related wage loss, diminished earning capacity, healthcare expenses, and the costs of property repair or replacement;
  • Noneconomic damages—compensate for pain and suffering experienced because of your injuries and losses; and 
  • Punitive damages—intended to punish the at-fault party if their behavior is particularly egregious and wrongful.

We will help compile strong evidence and strategize persuasive arguments on your behalf to obtain the highest possible compensation. Our attorneys at Greenspan & Greenspan Injury Lawyers are highly skilled and knowledgeable, and we are passionate about fighting for your rights.

How Much Time Do I Have to File a Lawsuit?

In general, you have three years to sue an at-fault driver for your accident-related losses. In many cases, you do not want to sue right away. First, your attorney needs time to gather evidence, assess the evidence, and fully evaluate your financial and other losses. Then, your attorney will file a claim with the insurer and try to negotiate a settlement. Most cases settle during the negotiation phase; however, your lawyer will file a lawsuit in court if negotiations fail. All of this takes time.

Not taking action until the three-year mark is close can be very risky. Waiting can result in the following:

  • Evidence could be harder to find, 
  • Witnesses could be harder to locate, 
  • Witness memories could fade, and
  • Evidence could disappear or degrade.

Such delays could make it harder to reach a positive resolution in your case. And if you miss the deadline, you could be forever barred from getting compensated for your losses. We have decades of experience and know how to time a lawsuit perfectly to maximize your damages. Talk to us today about your concerns and needs.

We Are Here to Take Care of You

At Greenspan & Greenspan Injury Lawyers, we are committed to taking care of accident victims in New York.

If you need help getting an insurance company to cover your treatment and expenses, we have your back. We will fight for the compensation you deserve while you heal. You can depend on us for compassionate yet zealous legal advocacy. Call or contact us online today to schedule a consultation.