White Bear Lake Car Accident Lawyers

Different Types of Injuries in Car Accidents

Today’s cars are so large that even a low-speed crash could cause permanent injuries.

Coronavirus lockdowns had some unintended consequences. The number of fatal car accidents increased to a twenty-year high in 2022. When roads emptied during the lockdowns, drivers picked up some bad habits, such as speeding and driving drunk. As is usually the case, these bad driving habits are very easy to form and very hard to break.

Additionally, car crashes seriously injure millions of Americans every year. Some of these serious injuries include:

• Head Injury: A severe brain injury is one of the most commonly misdiagnosed car crash injuries. Disorientation, soreness, and other initial symptoms usually mimic accident shock. As a result, these victims don’t immediately get the treatment they need, so their physical condition deteriorates. Advanced Traumatic Brain Injuries kill over 60,000 Americans every year.
• Broken Bones: These injuries usually aren’t life-threatening. However, they are very serious and usually permanent. Most vehicle collisions don’t just break bones — they shatter them. Since doctors must use more aggressive measures to surgically correct these injuries, physical therapists must work harder and longer to restore lost function. Even then, lingering injuries, like reduced range of motion, are almost inevitable.
• Internal Injuries: The extreme motion in a car crash forces internal organs to bump and grind against each other. A slight laceration could cause serious bleeding. These organs don’t have protective skin layers. In fact, by the time many car wreck victims reach the hospital, they are already on the edge of hypovolemic shock and organ shutdown.

These injuries are even more intense in pedestrian accidents and truck accidents. No seat belts, airbags, or other restraint systems protect pedestrians from oncoming cars. As for truck accidents, a fully loaded semi-truck weighs over 80,000 pounds and carries hundreds of gallons of highly explosive diesel fuel.

Most vehicle collisions are not “accidents.” People accidentally leave the lights on. They don’t accidentally drive carelessly and cause crashes. Common causes of vehicle collisions include:

• Aggressive driving, like speeding, turning unsafely, or tailgating
• Impaired driving, like driving under the influence of a substance, while fatigued, or while distracted.

Bad weather, like ice, rain, and snow, often contributes to vehicle collisions. But these conditions never “cause” crashes in a legal sense.

Damages Car Accident Victims May Be Entitled To

Compensation in a car crash claim begins with economic losses, such as medical bills, property damage, and lost wages.

Under Minnesota law, car crash compensation must put victims in the same place they were in before the wreck. Therefore, money for noneconomic damages is available as well. This compensation includes:

• Pain and suffering
• Loss of enjoyment in life
• Emotional distress
• Loss of consortium (companionship).

No sum of money can possibly make up for these things. Activities like pushing a child in a swing or climbing stairs without pain are priceless. However, financial compensation enables victims to put the past behind them and move on with their lives. At this point, that’s the best possible outcome.

Additional punitive damages may be available as well, in some extreme cases. Jurors may award these damages if there is clear and convincing evidence that the tortfeasor (negligent driver) intentionally disregarded a known risk. For example, drunk driver crash victims may be entitled to punitive damages, if the tortfeasor’s BAC level was extremely high.

Minnesota Shared Fault Rules

If you were partially at fault for a car crash, a White Bear Lake car accident lawyer may still obtain compensation in court.

Tragedies like vehicle collisions often have multiple causes. Sometimes, both drivers are legally responsible for a crash.

There’s a difference between fault and liability. An insurance adjuster might say you were at fault for a crash, but that’s not the same thing as legal responsibility for the wreck, just like there is a difference between a halftime score and a final score.

Minnesota, like most other states, is a modified comparative fault jurisdiction. If the tortfeasor is at least 51 percent responsible for the wreck, the victim is entitled to a proportionate amount of compensation.

Assume Vicki, who was speeding, collided with Shelly, who changed lanes without signaling. The fault proportion isn’t necessarily 50-50. If Vicki was only speeding 5 mph over the limit, her excessive speed probably didn’t substantially contribute to the wreck. If Vicki was speeding 20 mph over the limit, that’s different.

At any rate, jurors must listen to the evidence and divide responsibility according to the evidence presented in court. The judge then adjusts the damages in accordance with Minnesota law.

How Do You Prove Negligence in a Car Accident Lawsuit?

In a White Bear Lake car accident lawsuit, your attorney will need to prove that the other party acted negligently when they caused the accident in which you were injured.  A defendant can be a person, a business, an insurance company, a government entity, or any combination of these.

To prove negligence, your attorney will have to prove 4 elements in your lawsuit.  These include:

1. Duty – The defendant owed the plaintiff a legal “duty of care” to ensure that an environment or location was safe.
2. Breach – A plaintiff must show that the defendant breached this duty by doing, or failing to do, something that a reasonable person would have done in a similar situation.
3. Causation – A plaintiff must show that the defendant’s actions, or inaction, caused the injuries to another person.
4. Damages – Damages means that there’s a monetary way of compensating a plaintiff for their injuries and property damage.

Choosing the Best White Bear Lake Car Accident Attorney

Skill, experience, and a track record of success make all the difference.

Choosing the right White Bear Lake car accident lawyer is one of the most important decisions you will make.  Not all attorneys are created equal.  Some have more experience, skill, and determination than others.  Attorney Isaac Tyroler and Attorney Rachel Sperling Leonard are among the best and the brightest.  They are compassionate with clients and understand that many have been through traumatic experiences.  At the same time, they are aggressive negotiators and fierce litigators.  We take each case personally and are entirely focused on getting our clients the justice they deserve.  We are not afraid to go toe-to-toe with insurance companies to negotiate a favorable settlement or litigate a case in front of a judge and jury when necessary.  We will not stop until we have achieved the best possible outcome for every client.  To learn more about what our satisfied clients have to say, you can read these client testimonials.

Contact Our White Bear Lake Car Accident Lawyer Today

If you’ve been injured in a car accident and need help getting the compensation you deserve, Tyroler Leonard Injury Law can help.  We have a track record of success in holding careless drivers accountable for the injuries and harm they cause.  We represent all our clients aggressively and fight for their rights.  To find out more about how we can help, call us for a free initial consultation at 651-259-1113.