After a serious car accident in Iowa, most of the time you’re dealing with both bodily injuries and damage to your vehicle. However, there are times when you may have been injured in a car crash but your vehicle was relatively undamaged. Do you still have a car accident case if there is no damage to your vehicle?
Even if you sustained injuries from the crash, it can be an uphill battle to prove to the other side’s insurance company or a jury that you were seriously hurt. It’s pretty rare that someone can be injured in an accident without property damage to their vehicle. While we know it’s scientifically possible for this to happen, most Iowa car accident lawyers will tell you it’s unlikely you’ll win your case.
Proving Your Iowa Car Accident Claim
There are a couple of ways that you may be able to prove your case. One way is if your injuries are easily seen through medical tests like an MRI, X-Ray, or CT scan. These types of tests easily reveal injuries like broken bones, herniated discs in your back, or injuries to the brain.
However, these types of tests don’t reveal other types of injuries like pulled muscles, neck strains, or mental health difficulties you may have suffered because of the crash. Medical records and tests are crucial to proving the extent of your injuries to a jury. If these cannot easily show your injuries, it’s unlikely you will be able to prove your Iowa car accident claim.
Related to the first point, there are other ways that the seriousness of your injuries can be reflected besides medical tests. You may have high medical bills related to your treatment of an injury that cannot be easily seen on a medical test, like whiplash or a shoulder injury. You may have needed surgery for your injuries or had to take time off work to recover from your accident-related injuries, so you lost wages related to the crash. It is critical that you get a doctor’s note-taking you off of work during the period of your injury.
Pre-Existing Conditions and Your Iowa Car Crash
Most people aren’t in perfect health before they are in car accidents, and you may have suffered an aggravation to an old or current injury due to the crash. Even if there was no property damage to your vehicle, it may not take much to make your pre-existing injuries worse. If your pre-existing injuries were made worse because of this accident, you have the right to be compensated– but don’t think it will be easy to prove.
Medical tests are not the only way you can show you were injured without any damage to your vehicle – but it can be an uphill battle to prove the seriousness of your injuries. That’s why you need to speak with an experienced Iowa car accident lawyer as soon as possible after your crash.
Most personal injury attorneys offer free initial consultations, so you can speak to someone without any cost to you. During this consultation, an attorney will discuss your case with you and answer any questions you have. They will tell you honestly whether you can get compensation for your injuries.
If you would like to schedule a free, no-obligation case evaluation with one of our Iowa car accident attorneys, call RSH Legal today at 1-319-519-4312.
