Car Accident Injuries in Texas
Not all car accident injuries are obvious. Adrenaline masks pain for hours, and serious damage like brain swelling or internal bleeding can take days to show symptoms.
Recognizing the warning signs of common injuries can be the difference between a full recovery and permanent damage.
Common Car Accident Injuries: Types and Symptoms
The most frequently reported car accident injuries in Texas include whiplash, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, broken bones, internal organ damage, and psychological trauma. Here’s how to recognize each one.
Whiplash and Neck Injuries From Car Accidents
Whiplash is the most common car accident injury, especially from rear-end collisions. It happens when the head snaps forward and back fast enough to tear the muscles, ligaments, and tendons in the neck.
Symptoms include neck pain, stiffness, inability to turn the head, headaches at the base of the skull, and shoulder pain. Many people feel okay right after the crash because adrenaline masks the pain, then symptoms appear 24-48 hours later.
Rear-end collision injuries are particularly common causes of whiplash.
Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI) From Car Accidents
Traumatic brain injuries range from mild concussions to severe damage causing permanent disability. Symptoms include confusion, memory problems, severe headaches, nausea, light sensitivity, and mood changes.
Brain injuries are particularly dangerous because symptoms often appear days after the crash. Someone might feel fine immediately, then develop severe headaches or confusion days later as brain swelling progresses.
Back Injuries and Spinal Cord Damage
Back injuries from car accidents include herniated discs, compression fractures, spinal cord damage, and muscle strains. Herniated discs happen when crash impact ruptures the cushioning between vertebrae, allowing disc material to press on nerves.
Symptoms include shooting pain down the arms or legs, numbness, tingling, and muscle weakness. Spinal cord injuries cause loss of feeling, loss of control, and in severe cases, paralysis.
T-bone accidents cause especially severe spinal injuries because the side impact compresses the spine differently.
Broken Bones and Fractures From Car Crashes
Broken bones usually cause immediate pain. Common fractures include ribs, collarbones, arms, wrists, legs, ankles, and facial bones.
Broken ribs can puncture lungs or damage internal organs. Facial fractures can leave permanent scars and disfigurement.
Internal Injuries and Organ Damage
Internal injuries are among the most dangerous car accident injuries because symptoms appear slowly while someone is bleeding internally. The spleen, liver, kidneys, and lungs are particularly vulnerable to blunt force trauma.
Symptoms include belly pain, dizziness, weakness, rapid heart rate, and low blood pressure. By the time these symptoms appear, the person may be losing serious blood.
Pedestrian accident victims get internal injuries more often because they have no car protecting them.
Psychological Injuries and PTSD After Car Accidents
PTSD, anxiety, depression, and phobias commonly develop after car accidents. Symptoms include flashbacks, nightmares, constant anxiety, and avoiding driving. Depression often develops when dealing with chronic pain or loss of independence.
Why Recognizing Car Accident Injury Symptoms Matters
Recognizing injury symptoms helps you know when to seek medical attention and what kind of care you need. Different car accident injuries have different warning signs, severity levels, and long-term impacts.
Getting immediate medical care and keeping detailed records of all symptoms proves your injuries are real and connects them directly to the crash.
Why Medical Documentation Matters for Your Claim
Insurance companies evaluate car accident injury claims based on medical documentation. Soft tissue injuries like whiplash face more skepticism because they often don’t show visible damage on standard imaging.
Psychological injuries get challenged more aggressively because they can’t be seen on scans. Professional documentation from mental health providers proves these injuries are real.
Strong medical records that connect your symptoms directly to the crash date protect your right to fair compensation.
What to Do After a Car Accident Injury
See a doctor immediately and tell them these symptoms started after the accident.
Keep detailed records. Write down pain levels, sleep problems, missed work, and activities that are no longer possible.
Be careful with insurance adjusters. Don’t discuss fault or give recorded statements without legal advice.
Don’t accept early settlement offers. The first offer is almost always too low. Once someone signs the release, they can’t ask for more even if injuries worsen.
Learn how to file a car insurance claim in Texas to understand which coverage pays for what.
Texas Laws Affecting Car Accident Injury Claims
Three Texas laws determine how much a car accident injury claim is worth.
Texas Comparative Negligence and Car Accident Injuries
Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code Section 33.001 says anyone who is 51% or more at fault gets nothing.
When someone is less than 51% at fault, compensation drops by their fault percentage. If a jury awards $100,000 but finds someone 20% at fault, they get $80,000.
Insurance companies work hard to assign fault because every percentage point reduces what they pay.
How Car Accident Injury Compensation Is Calculated
Economic damages cover every documented dollar spent. Medical bills, prescriptions, therapy, future care, lost wages, property damage.
Non-economic damages cover subjective losses. Pain and suffering, emotional distress, lost enjoyment of life, permanent disability, disfigurement.
Texas has no caps on pain and suffering for car accident injuries. Severe injuries with permanent limitations justify much higher amounts.
Statute of Limitations for Car Accident Injury Claims
Texas allows two years from the crash date to file a lawsuit in court. Missing that deadline eliminates the right to any compensation.
The clock starts on the crash date, not when symptoms appeared.
Learn how fault is determined in Texas and Texas negligence laws to see how these rules apply to specific situations.
FAQs About Car Accident Injuries
What are the most common injuries from a car accident?
The most common car accident injuries include whiplash and neck injuries, traumatic brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, herniated discs, broken bones, internal organ damage, and psychological trauma including PTSD.
Can someone file a claim if symptoms appear weeks later?
Yes. Texas law allows claims even when symptoms appear weeks after the crash. The two-year deadline runs from the crash date regardless of when symptoms started.
Medical documentation connecting symptoms to the accident is critical for proving the claim.
How much is a whiplash injury claim worth in Texas?
Whiplash compensation depends on injury severity and required medical intervention.
Minor whiplash needing only weeks of physical therapy results in lower compensation. Cases requiring injections, months of therapy, or surgery often reach six figures.
Documented soft tissue damage increases claim value substantially.
Average car accident settlements in Texas and whiplash compensation help evaluate whether settlement offers are fair.
Why don’t car accident injuries hurt immediately?
The body goes into fight-or-flight mode after a car accident. Adrenaline masks pain signals for 30 minutes to several hours.
When stress hormones wear off, the full extent of injuries becomes apparent.
What insurance covers car accident injuries in Texas?
The at-fault driver’s bodily injury liability coverage pays for injuries they caused. Texas requires minimum coverage of $30,000 per person and $60,000 per accident.
Personal Injury Protection (PIP) coverage pays medical bills regardless of fault, but only if someone purchased PIP. Many Texas drivers decline PIP coverage to reduce premium costs.
Get Legal Help for Car Accident Injuries
Insurance companies look for reasons to pay less for car accident injuries. They question soft tissue injuries constantly even when pain is real and prevents people from working.
We’ve spent over 30 years fighting for Texas accident victims whose injuries insurers won’t take seriously. We work with medical experts who prove injury severity.
Clients don’t pay unless we win. No upfront costs. Call now while evidence is fresh.
