Scars Tell Stories: Let’s Rewrite Yours With Legal Support
Have you ever been in a car crash and left with a scar as the only reminder? It’s a tough situation. A scar can be a constant reminder of a scary moment. But, there’s hope. An automobile accident attorney in Los Angeles can help.
If you’re dealing with a scar from a car accident, you might be able to get help and maybe even some money to make things right. It’s worth looking into, so you don’t have to carry the burden of that scar alone.
Quick Summary
Below is an overview of the key points of this blog article.
- Scars form when the skin heals after an injury, and collagen makes them feel different. Common scar types include keloid scars, hypertrophic scars, and contractures.
- Car accidents can lead to scarring, which can be caused by various factors such as impact with objects inside the car, being thrown from the vehicle and burns, among others.
- Scars, from surgery or accidents, can impact life, causing discomfort, hindering movement, and affecting emotional well-being, including anxiety and lowered self-esteem.
- To sue for scarring, one must prove the other party’s negligence caused the scarring.
- Factors affecting the value of scarring cases include scar size, location, pain, emotional impact, victim’s age and gender, and overall impact on life.
- Compensation for scarring may include medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering.
- Treatment options for scars include over-the-counter creams, prescription creams, laser therapy, steroid injections, surgery, microneedling, dermabrasion, and fillers.
What Are Scars?
Scars form when your skin heals after an injury. To make a scar, the injury needs to reach the deeper layer of your skin called the dermis. When this happens, your body makes a substance called collagen to fix the wound. Collagen is tougher and less flexible than skin, which is why scars feel different.
There are three common types of scars that can happen after a car accident. These are:
- Keloid Scars
- Hypertrophic Scars
- Contractures
What Causes Scarring in Car Accidents?
A car accident can cause various injuries, some of which can result in scarring. These scars can be caused by:
- Bumping into things inside the car
- Thrown through the windshield
- Striking a window
- Hitting the steering wheel or dashboard
- Thrown from the vehicle and hitting something
- Burns
- Severely broken bones
- Surgical procedures needed to treat injuries
Scars can happen anywhere on the body. Facial scars are often seen as the toughest to deal with, but scars on other parts of the body can also be difficult both physically and emotionally.
How Scarring Can Affect One’s Life?
Every year, many Americans get scars. These scars can come from different things like surgery, burns, and traumatic events like car accidents. Scars can affect a person’s life in many ways. They can cause itching, tenderness, and pain.
If a scar keeps growing, it can make it hard to move and even disable someone. Scars can impact a person’s emotional and mental health in various ways, including:
- Feeling more anxious and self-conscious
- Lower self-esteem
- Having trouble in social situations
- Feeling less emotionally well
- Problems sleeping
- Feeling depressed
- Experiencing post-traumatic stress reactions
- Feeling stigmatized
- Diminished quality of life
These emotional effects are not based on how bad the scar looks. This means that even someone with a scar that doesn’t look very serious could still have these problems.
Can I Sue for My Scar?
In California, the law allows you to ask for money if you have a scar from an injury. However, figuring out how much money to ask for can be harder for scars than for other injuries. To make sure you get the right amount of money, you might want to work with an automobile accident attorney in Los Angeles.
Am I Eligible for a Scarring Injury Claim?
To sue someone for scarring, the person bringing the lawsuit needs to prove that the other person caused their injuries. This means showing that the other person either didn’t take enough care or meant to harm them and that this led to the scarring.
Four main things need to be proven to get money for injuries caused by someone else’s carelessness. It’s important to know that even if these four things are proven and carelessness is shown, the amount of money the person being sued has to pay can still be reduced by a defense.
Duty of Care
A duty is like a responsibility that one person has for another. Usually, people going about their day have a duty to be careful. Being careful means doing what an average, sensible person would do in the same situation. For instance, if it’s raining heavily, being careful might mean driving slower than usual or taking other precautions.
Breach of Duty
A breach of duty happens when someone doesn’t meet the level of care they’re supposed to. In the example above, the person who was speeding in bad weather breached their duty of being careful, which put other drivers in danger.
Causation
Also, the breach of duty must directly cause the plaintiff’s injury. The basic test for legal causation is, ‘but for’ one party’s actions, the injury would not have occurred. Continuing the above example, if the person who was speeding in bad weather didn’t have enough time to stop and hit another car, they breached their duty of being careful.
This breach caused injury to the other party. In simple terms, if the person hadn’t been speeding, the other party wouldn’t have been injured.
Damages
Lastly, the person suing must show that they suffered measurable harm. While the exact injury can differ, proving damages from scarring usually involves showing past and future medical expenses, as well as emotional harm from the scarring.
This might include the person suing using a medical expert to prove future damages and to help prove their claim for emotional distress damages.
What’s the Value of My Permanent Scarring Injury Claim in California?
The amount of money a permanent scarring case is worth in California depends on where the scar is, how bad it is, and whether the person is male or female, single or married. Settlements and court decisions tend to give more money to female victims than male victims. Here are some other things that are usually considered in these cases:
Size
The size of the scar—how long, wide, and deep it is—can affect a scarring case. If a scar is bigger, more obvious, or sticks out from your skin, you might be able to get more benefits.
Location
Where the scar is on the victim’s body will affect how much money they might get. If the scar is in a place that’s easy to see or where it causes more trouble, the amount of money they could get might go up. Settlements for scars on the face could be higher than for scars in less visible places.
Pain
One important thing in a scarring case is whether the scar still hurts or bothers the person. If the scar is still sensitive or causes problems when touched, it can have a bigger impact on the person’s life.
Emotional Suffering
Whether it’s because of feeling embarrassed, upset, or another emotion, if someone continues to suffer mentally because of a scar or disfigurement, they should receive compensation.
Victim
The age and gender of the person who was hurt may play a part in how much money they get. If the person is younger and has to live with the scar or disfigurement for a longer time, they might get more money.
Impact
The impact of a scar on someone’s life can affect how much money they get in a personal injury case. For instance, if someone’s job depends on their looks, like a model, they might get more money if their face is scarred.
Likewise, if a disfigurement makes it hard to move or causes pain when doing physical work, the person might get more compensation, especially if their job is physically demanding.
The amount of money you can get for a scar or disfigurement can vary a lot, from thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars. The value of a scar depends on the factors mentioned earlier and how well your lawyer can prove your injuries.
What Compensation is Available for Scarring From a Car Accident in California?
If another driver caused your car accident in California, you have the right to get money for your injuries, including any scarring or disfigurement. A settlement or court decision in a lawsuit for a car crash might include money for:
- Medical bills for treating the injury that caused the scar
- Current and future medical care for healing the scar
- Counseling and therapy for the emotional effects of the scarring
- Medications for the psychological effects of scarring
- Lost wages for the time you couldn’t work because of your injuries or scarring
- Less money you could earn if your scars or other injuries make it harder to work
- Pain and suffering
- Emotional stress
Your Journey to Recovery Starts Here
If you’ve been in a car accident in California and are left with a scar, you might feel like you’re stuck with a constant reminder of that scary day. But you don’t have to face this alone. Conlogue Law LLP is here to help. Our trusted automobile accident attorney Los Angeles knows how to handle cases like yours.
We work hard to make sure you get what you deserve for your pain and troubles. Don’t let a scar from a car accident hold you back. Reach out to Conlogue Law LLP today. We’ll fight for you and help you move forward. With our support, you can get the help you need to heal, both inside and out.
Our law firm can also assist you with Motorcycle Accidents, Speeding Accidents, and Train Accidents. Let us take care of the legal stuff, so you can focus on feeling better. Schedule a free consultation now.
