One question we regularly receive at the firm is, “Do I need to meet with a lawyer for a minor injury?” The answer is “Yes.” You should schedule a free consultation with our law firm because many allegedly “minor” injuries turn out to be much more serious than imagined. We have had some clients receive major personal injury settlements for what they initially thought were slight bodily injuries.
Never assume your injuries are too minor to warrant even meeting with a lawyer. We offer free consultations to encourage anyone hurt in an accident to get professional advice about their claim. Call Ball, Kirk & Holm, P.C. We have offices in Iowa City and Waterloo, but our lawyers will travel to meet you, if the situation allows. And we are available 24/7 for our clients to answer any questions.
Minor Injuries Can Become Major Injuries
Some relatively minor injuries can worsen over the next few days or weeks. For example, what might seem like slight neck stiffness could really be a compressed nerve which renders you unable to work for months as you receive corticosteroid shots and require physical therapy. A dull ache in your lower back could degenerate to become a major spinal column injury which leaves you paralyzed in bed.
Not every injury is immediately life-altering. Some could start out as small aches which, over time, gradually worsen. Before you know it, it’s impossible to go about your daily routine.
Go to the doctor after any accident, even if you feel okay. You never know when slight aches and pains could worsen to full-blown major injuries that require surgery, physical therapy, and other treatment.
Complications Can Make Injuries Worse
Some minor injuries have well-known complications. For example, a dog could bite you on the arm. The bite doesn’t cause too much pain or damage, so you might slap a bandage on the wound after cleaning it. But germs in the dog’s saliva could enter your bloodstream, so now you have a nasty and difficult infection. That’s a type of complication which can dramatically increase the cost of medical care and lead to extended downtime.
Other injuries can cause pain which is out of proportion to the severity of the injury. Doctors often call this complex regional pain syndrome. You could twist a joint or suffer a bruise. Over time, however, your skin becomes hyper-sensitive to any touch, or your skin feels on fire. This type of pain is very real, but the “trigger” was only a relatively minor injury.
Personal injury victims should receive compensation for all medical care that is needed to treat an injury, including complications that arise naturally from the injury. Infections, left untreated, can snowball to become life-threatening.
Our clients also deserve compensation for pain and suffering. Admittedly, pain and suffering is harder to put a price tag on. But we have managed to win millions for people who are struggling with crippling pain. Call us to review whether you have a solid claim for compensation.
Minor Injuries Might Cause Major Emotional Repercussions
Our clients can also receive damages for mental anguish or emotional distress which they suffer as the result of an accident. Often, the emotional anguish someone endures will be directly proportional to the severity of their injuries. An obvious example is someone who is paralyzed from the neck down. This person has suffered a life-altering physical injury, and they will have serious emotional anguish from being unable to walk or move their arms.
But sometimes minor injuries cause emotional repercussions which are all out of proportion with the cost and expense of treatment. For example, someone could suffer a laceration on their face. Although they only spend a few hundred dollars on stitches, they are left with a disfiguring scar. Suddenly, they are embarrassed to go out and show their face in public. They struggle with depression and need to go on prescription medication to overcome their negative emotions. This type of minor injury nonetheless could warrant significant financial compensation to make up for the mental distress the victim endured.
Talk with an Experienced Attorney
Are your injuries minor or not? Some people claim an injury is “minor” if you didn’t end up in the hospital or require surgery. Others say an injury is minor if it costs you less than $10,000.
There’s good news. You don’t have to try and guess whether your injury is minor or not. Instead, you can schedule a free consultation with a Des Moines personal injury lawyer to review. The attorney will want to review various facts:
1. Your injuries and prognosis for recovery;
2. What treatment you are receiving and how long you are down the road to recovery;
3. The current cost of your medical treatment (an estimate is okay);
4. Whether you have had to miss work and how much time away;
5. How much you have lost in income.
These facts will give the lawyer some sense of the monetary value of your claim. Many people are surprised at how much their minor injury might be worth. You won’t know until you schedule an appointment with a seasoned personal injury lawyer who has handled hundreds of claims. We will lean on this experience to estimate what you might receive in a settlement.
It’s also never too soon to call to meet with an attorney. We can provide tips for how to document your pain and suffering, along with emotional distress. So if you end up making a claim, you have a better shot at receiving fair compensation.
Call Our Office Today
The #1 mistake accident victims make is assuming they have no case. They stay at home and struggle bravely to overcome their injuries, but they never pursue compensation from the person responsible. Call Ball Kirk & Holm, P.C. to talk with a Des Moines personal injury lawyer with our office. We have negotiated settlements for people injured in all types of accidents and who have suffered a variety of injuries.