Car accidents in New Jersey are on the rise -- just as they are in other areas around the region. While most car accidents result in relatively minor injuries, some vehicle accidents can cause serious injury leading to devastating consequences. If a car accident causes an injury that leaves you unable to work, you may be able to qualify for disability payments.
Types of Disability
Many people may use the term ‘disability’ or ‘disability payments’ to refer to a variety of different programs.
Workers Compensation. Injured workers -- including those injured in a car accident in a work vehicle -- may qualify for workers compensation including temporary or permanent disability. Within the workers compensation program, any worker who misses more than 7 days of work due to a work-related injury can start to receive workers compensation benefits. After a period of time and depending upon the type of injury, the injured workers can be eligible for disability benefits through the workers compensation program.
Private Employer Disability Plans. If you are fortunate enough to have an employer with a short or long term disability plan, that plan could offer disability benefits to you after a car accident. The disability benefits are typically a certain percentage of your income before you were out of work.
Social Security Disability. The Social Security Administration (SSA) has two disability programs, the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI). SSDI pays benefits to individuals with disabilities and certain members of their families if they have worked long enough and paid Social Security taxes. SSI pays benefits to those individuals who have both a disability and financial need. SSA does not have a temporary disability program. In order to qualify, your medical condition and disability must be permanent or expected to last more than 1 year.
Car Accident Injuries Most Likely To Result In Disability
Each program has different criteria and disabilities that may qualify for benefits. The New Jersey workers compensation system, for example, has very specific conditions and impairments that automatically qualify a worker for partial or full disability. Regardless of the program, there are certain types of injuries that can occur in a car accident that are most likely to result in disability:
Traumatic brain injuries – Traumatic brain injuries can have a complex series of symptoms, are difficult to treat, and are the single most common injuries to result in the need for disability payments. Victims of traumatic brain injury often require extensive care and rehabilitation. In some cases, a traumatic brain injury may cause lifelong disability. In other cases, it may take several years of treatment and rehabilitation before someone can return to a job.
Whiplash – Some of the most serious symptoms of whiplash happen when the impact causes a vertebrae misalignment. When this happens, injured victims can experience significant impairment including blurred vision, difficulty concentrating, sleep issues and spinal injury.
In the aftermath of a car accident, you may not even realize your neck and spine have been injured for several hours or days. These injuries might not seem severe at first, but they can quickly become serious over time – especially if you don’t get treatment.
Hearing and vision loss – The tremendous force of flying debris, broken glass and airbags in a car accident can cause hearing and vision loss. In these cases, an injured person may suffer a permanent loss and be eligible for disability payments.
Help with a Serious Injury after a Car Accident
If you’ve been seriously injured in a car accident due to someone else’s negligence or reckless behavior, you have a right to compensation for your losses. An experienced car accident lawyer can advocate for your best interests and secure compensation for your losses and future costs.
Working with an experienced attorney who understands serious injury claims can make all the difference in the outcome of your settlement. Why risk being unfairly compensated and not having recourse to fix it?
When you hire a car accident lawyer from our team at Brandon J. Broderick, Attorney at Law, you pay nothing upfront. We work on contingent fees that are only collected if we win your case. If we don’t win, you don’t pay.
Contact Brandon J. Broderick, Attorney at Law, for a free consultation. With our proven track record of success and our commitment to client care, we can turn your setback into a comeback.