By Dan Noll on August 21st, 2024 in Articles, Car Accident
Springfield Car Accident Lawyers Answer Why Should You Always Collect the Other Driver’s Information in a Fender Bender
Motor vehicle accidents are one of the leading causes of accidental personal injuries and wrongful deaths in the United States. According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), each year roughly 2.4 million people are injured and 42,000 people are killed in traffic accidents. So far in 2024, early estimates for fatalities are down from previous years by 3%, but that still means over 8,600 were killed first quarter which is almost 3,000 people a month. Despite these figures and the horrific nature of some car accidents, sometimes a car accident may appear to be a minor fender bender at first with no one suffering an injury. However, the Springfield car accident lawyers at the Noll Law Office know that it might take days or weeks for victims to begin to experience significant pain, soreness, or even discover injuries that may require life-changing surgery. If you didn’t get the other party’s information, you might have a harder time obtaining compensation. Thus, this is a prime example why should you always collect the other driver’s information in a fender bender.
At the Noll Law Office, whether you collected the other driver’s information or not, their experienced Springfield car accident lawyers can help you and your family. Unlike other personal injury law firms in Illinois, their experienced legal team handles all cases in-house and does not refer them to new associates at large law firms who just graduated. Rather, their fifth-generation family of lawyers treats you like family, personally answering your questions. To learn more about how their compassionate and dedicated car accident lawyers can help you and your family, call them today to schedule a free consultation by dialing (217) 414-8889.
What is a Fender Bender?
Most people are aware that fender benders are typically those types of car accidents that are annoying, frustrating, and may only cause a surface scratch, indent, or even just a minor shake to the car. Some people also classify a crash where a bumper is indented or crushed inwards to also be a fender bender, which is a type of crash where the main body of the vehicle isn’t damaged but just the bumper is destroyed. Sometimes that damage can be repaired, while other times it has to be replaced. These types of collisions may cause a little more than just a minor tap or shake, but still there is no real damage to the main part of the vehicle – just the bumper.
Generally, fender benders occur at slow speeds while in traffic, parking lots, or when queued somewhere like a drive-up fast-food place. Fender benders could also occur when a car is moving quite fast, but is able to slam the brakes and skid but still moves forward to tap the other vehicle ahead of it. Other times they could be caused when a car accelerates too fast for the traffic, and either hits a car ahead of it or the car pulls forward too much and is hit by another vehicle.
How Can a Fender Bender Become Serious?
In answering why should you always collect the other driver’s information in a fender bender, it is important to understand how fender benders can become serious and life-changing. Indeed, despite the general rule, it is important to realize that fender benders can, and sometimes do, cause personal injuries. That’s because, even though it may have been a low-impact collision with minor damage, sometimes fender benders hit at just the right angle or location of a car that they can cause a violent rocking inside. That violent shaking can, in turn, result in personal injuries to a victim.
In fact, fender benders can cause personal injuries in one of two ways. The first is in a rear-end or head-on collision, which causes a victim’s head to whip back-and-forth. This is known as a whiplash type of injury and it can be very serious and result in very serious personal injuries to the head, neck, and spine (usually the upper neck, known as the cervical spine).
The second way is when the impact is at an angle. This can cause a vehicle to violently rock back-and-forth at an angle, injuring the thoracic (mid-back) or lumbar (lower back). As a result, victims usually suffer injuries to their spinal column that can result in extreme pain, weakness, loss of sensation, or a combination depending on the severity and the location of the injury or injuries.
Why Fender Benders are Tricky
Another important reason why should you always collect the other driver’s information in a fender bender hinges on how personal injuries may manifest themselves. Meaning, how certain injuries may take time to show symptoms. It is true that not all injuries are created equal, and some injuries can be extremely debilitating but not show any symptoms for days, weeks, or even months.
For instance, some victims of fender benders may have significant spinal cord and spinal column injuries. It can take days or weeks for the soreness to show up, but the damage could be as significant as an annual tear (rupture of the disc between vertebrae), compression fractures of the vertebrae, slipped discs, or other damage to the spinal column. Some of these injuries can take years to treat and, ultimately, a victim may require a spinal fusion surgery. This type of surgery removes part of the bone, usually an entire disc or two, and then uses painful hardware to fuse two vertebrae together. This can stop the pain and damage, but will also result in permanent push/pull, lifting, carrying, and movement restrictions. It is an irreversible procedure too.
Therefore, even after a fender bender where you may feel like you have not suffered any injuries, this is an important example why should you always collect the other driver’s information in fender benders in Illinois. The failure to do so could affect whether you could obtain compensation for your damages and how much.
Still Not Sure Why Should You Always Collect the Other Driver’s Information in Illinois? Forgot to? Hit and Run? Call the Springfield Car Accident Lawyers at the Noll Law Office TODAY
If you or a loved one were seriously injured in a fender bender, you are not alone. Despite what is normally true about fender benders, some people do need life-changing surgery for their personal injuries. That includes spinal fusions or repairs to broken bones. Other times victims may need life-long treatment for brain injuries caused by a fender bender and the whiplash motion of a collision, which can also be devastating. That’s why should you always collect the other driver’s information in a car accident in Illinois.
Whether or not you did, if you have been hurt in a car accident in Illinois, call the Springfield car accident lawyers at the Noll Law Office to schedule a FREE consultation. Their team can help you and your family recover compensation under Illinois law. To get started, contact the Noll Law Office by dialing (217) 414-8889 or by emailing them today.