Following a car accident in which your vehicle is declared a total loss, your insurance company will indemnify your loss by giving you the current value of your vehicle, regardless of the outstanding debt balance on your vehicle.

That means that if a car identical to yours has a resale value of $9 000, that’s what you will receive from your insurance company – even if you still owe $12 000 on it.

You can avoid that shortfall by having GAP (Guaranteed Auto Protection) insurance, which will cover that difference. It’s particularly useful if you have a new car, because as soon as you drive it off the lot it becomes “used” and its value can drop by about 20% right away, before you’ve even made a car payment.

For example, if your new car cost $25 000, its value would drop to about $20 000 as soon as you buy it – but you still owe the full $25 000 on your loan. If you crash when you leave the dealership and your car is written off, GAP insurance would give you the full $25 000 and without GAP insurance you would get $20 000.

If you have been in a car accident and are experiencing pain in your lower back, you might have a herniated disc, which could lead to months of debilitating pain. The pain might even radiate down your leg, making everyday activities such as driving difficult or impossible to perform.

A herniated disc can be caused by several things, including sudden twisting and turning movements. Your spinal column is equipped with discs to absorb shock. When these discs are damaged, their inner layer bulges through the spinal canal. As a result, spinal nerves become irritated.

Symptoms and Treatment of a Herniated Disc

The most common symptoms include:

• Sciatica - pain, numbness or tingling in the buttock region that shoots down one leg.
• Weakness, numbness or pain - these symptoms could occur in the lower back, leg, shoulder, arm, neck or chest.
• Pain in the lower back or leg - this pain worsens when you sneeze, laugh, sit or cough.

You definitely should see your physician to get an accurate diagnosis if you think an accident has left you with a herniated disc. If you continue to have pain after following your doctor’s advice, steroids may be ordered to combat the inflammation of the herniated disc. In the event your sciatic nerve is affected, your doctor may order an MRI, CT scan or Myelogram. X-rays could also be ordered to rule out a broken bone or other condition.

Emergency Surgery for a Herniated Disc

Sometimes surgery is necessary to repair a herniated disc, especially if the herniated disc has caused cauda equina syndrome, a rare condition prompting emergency surgery.

Cauda Equina syndrome causes

• loss of control of bowel and bladder functions;
• pain that continually increases; and
• weakness or numbness in one or both legs.

If you develop symptoms of cauda equina syndrome, you should seek treatment within 48 hours. The solution may be surgical removal of the herniated disc.

If you have been involved in an accident and your shoulder and arm are now throbbing, you might have a rotator cuff injury. Any powerful, thrusting movement, such as falling forward onto your outstretched hand, could cause a rotator cuff tear.

The rotator cuff, which is a bundle of muscles and tendons, is responsible for keeping your arm secured in your shoulder socket. When it is damaged, you’ll feel pain, especially when you lift your arm or when you pick up a heavy object. You should seek medical attention if you suspect your rotator cuff is damaged, especially if your arm feels weak or if you can’t lift your arm.

Symptoms of a Rotator Cuff Injury

Common symptoms of an acute rotator cuff injury include:

• feeling as if something in your shoulder has torn, accompanied by severe arm pain;
• inability to move your shoulder through its full range of motion;
• tenderness in the area where you felt something tear;
• weakness in your shoulder; and
• inability to raise your arm without assistance (severe cases).

Your doctor will assess the range of motion in your arm and perhaps order tests, such as an X-ray, MRI or ultrasound to rule out a fracture or other malady in your rotator cuff injury diagnosis.

Treatment for a Rotator Cuff Injury

Depending on the severity of your rotator cuff injury, treatment may include any of the following:

• Ice packs - to ease the pain and swelling.
• Pain medication - non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs (aspirin, Motrin or Tylenol).
• An arm sling - to help you rest your arm during the day at work or school (you can remove it at night).
• Corticosteroid injections - steroids for severe pain and inflammation.
• Surgery - open or arthroscopic to repair a large tear and possibly remove calcium deposits.
• Arthroplasty - partial or complete shoulder replacement.
• Rehabilitation therapy - motion and strengthening exercises.

The healing period for your rotator cuff injury could last from a few weeks to a few months, depending on the severity of the injury.

A serious traumatic accident can lead to broken bones, which may require casting, surgery or physical therapy. If someone else’s negligence has caused an accident in which you have suffered broken bones, a Nova Scotia personal injury lawyer can help you file a claim to seek compensation for your injuries.
Medical treatment is required for broken bones, which are also called fractures. A bone will break when it can’t withstand the pressure exerted upon it, such as with the impact of a car accident.

Typical Signs and Symptoms of Broken Bones

Signs and symptoms of broken bones include:

• a deformed joint or limb;
• pain with movement or gentle pressure;
• bone that juts through the skin (compound fracture);
• numbness or bluish discoloration in the affected area; and
• abnormally positioned extremities.

You will need to discuss treatment options with your orthopedic surgeon because treatment for broken bones is tailored to the specific individual based on x-rays and other variables.

Treatment for broken bones varies depending on:

• the body part affected;
• the severity of the deformity;
• the broken bone’s healing potential;
• the general health of the individual; and
• the individual’s age.

A broken hip, for instance, will almost always require surgery, medication and rehabilitation. For a broken leg, your surgeon might be able to manipulate your leg bones back into position and then apply a cast. This is called closed reduction. If closed reduction doesn’t work, your broken bone may require pins or rods, which would mean a trip to the operating room.

Broken bones in your wrist or hand may also require closed reduction as well as a cast, after which you would need months of physical therapy to restore movement. Pins or rods may be needed if you have multiple fractures, ligament damage or broken bones extending to a joint.

Complications Related to Broken Bones

With all medical procedures, there is a risk that complications could occur. For broken bones, complications include:

• Wrist/Hand - stiffness or aching after the bone has healed, including osteoarthritis and nerve damage.
• Hip - blood clots, urinary tract infections, bedsores, muscle wasting and pneumonia.
• Arm - uneven growth (in children), bone infection, osteoarthritis and nerve damage.
• Leg - delayed healing (in severely broken bones), bone infection, unequal leg growth (in children) and damaged muscles.
• Ankle/Foot - arthritis, bone infection, blood vessel or nerve damage and compartment syndrome.

Medical bills for immediate and follow-up treatment of broken bones can really add up, and the fact that you will probably have to take time off from work won’t help your financial situation. For this reason you may want to consult with a personal injury lawyer to discuss filing a claim to seek compensation for your injuries.

A whiplash injury results when the soft tissues in your neck suffer an injury from a sudden trauma. Whiplash is a common injury in automobile accidents, especially rear-end collisions. A whiplash injury is sometimes described as neck pain or neck strain. Additionally, your intervertebral joints, spinal discs, ligaments or cervical muscles may be affected if you sustain a serious whiplash injury.

Symptoms of Whiplash

Generally, you will start to experience pain in your neck shortly after a serious auto accident or a few days later.

Common symptoms of whiplash include:

• stiffness in the neck;
• discomfort when swallowing and chewing;
• hoarseness;
• headache and dizziness;
• shoulder pain; and
• back pain.

Furthermore, whiplash can result in injuries to the muscles and ligaments in your neck and cause an unusual burning sensation. Whiplash symptoms usually last for about a month.

If you have suffered a whiplash injury as a result of a serious auto accident, you may require long-term medical care. Filing a personal injury claim can help you recover the whiplash compensation you need to pay for your:

• immediate and long-term medical expenses;
• lost wages; and
• pain and suffering.

Although whiplash primarily causes damage to the soft tissues in your neck, a doctor can perform X-rays of your spine to rule out any further injury. In fact, initial medical documentation may be useful, especially if your whiplash symptoms are delayed.

Treatment for Whiplash

If you’ve experienced serious neck pain after a car accident, you should seek medical attention immediately because you may have sustained a whiplash injury. Typically, a soft cervical collar worn for 2-3 weeks is used to treat whiplash.

Additional treatments for whiplash include:

• heat therapy or physical therapy;
• pain medications;
• local anesthetic injections;
• non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs;
• muscle relaxants; and
• range-of-motion exercises.

If you continue to experience whiplash symptoms after treatment, your doctor may recommend that you wear a neck strap to avoid too much movement. This is called cervical traction.

You may need further diagnostic testing and X-rays if your symptoms persist or exacerbate after 6-8 weeks. In such a scenario, surgery may be necessary.

Spinal cord injuries occur when there is trauma to the spinal cord. A severed spinal cord results in permanent paralysis; however, the spinal cord does not have to be severed for the injuries to result in a loss of movement or sensation. 

In most injuries, the spinal cord remains intact, however, it may be damaged to such an extent that it results in a loss of feeling or mobility. Sometimes this is only temporary but other times the damage may be permanent. The affected areas of paralysis will depend upon where the injury occurred.

While spinal cord injuries can happen under a number of circumstances, approximately 36% of them occur from a motor vehicle accident. 

Types of Spinal Cord Injuries

There are two different types of spinal cord injuries that can result from a serious car accident. In general, they are divided into either a complete or incomplete injury. A complete injury involves a complete loss of function below the area where the injury occurred. There is no longer an ability to feel or move. An incomplete injury involves some loss of function below the area where the injury occurred. It may affect one limb more than another or certain parts of the body may not function while other parts do.

Other Effects of Spinal Cord Injuries

Spinal cord injuries don’t just result in a loss of movement or feeling; they can impact other areas of the body. Some of the other effects of spinal cord injuries include:

• Bowel/Bladder dysfunction;
• Sexual dysfunction;
• Breathing difficulties;
• Lower blood pressure (or difficulty regulating it);
• Lower body temperature;
• Chronic pain; and/or
• Swelling in spine (which can lead to problems in other areas of the body).

Paralysis

Spinal cord injuries can lead to paralysis. Paralysis may be either incomplete or complete and result in a person either becoming paraplegic or quadriplegic.

Where the injury occurred will make a difference in the type of injuries sustained in a spinal cord injury. Paraplegia occurs when the injury is below the 1^st thoracic spinal nerve. While a paraplegic will have full voluntary use of their arms, they may be unable to move their legs or abdomen. The degree of paralysis to the legs and abdomen will vary from one individual to another.

Quadriplegia, also known as Tetraplegia, occurs when the injury is above the 1^st thoracic vertebra. This results in an individual having no voluntary movement of their arms or legs. The chest and abdomen are also affected, which can lead to difficulties with breathing or coughing.

Both types of paralysis will change the quality of a person’s life and result in lifelong physical therapy. In addition to physical therapy, other types of medical care can cause a financial burden.

If you have received severe head trauma in a serious car accident, you may be suffering from a traumatic brain injury (TBI).  Traumatic brain injuries can be mild or severe. A mild TBI could result in a concussion while a severe TBI could result in permanent brain damage. The short- and long-term effects of traumatic brain injuries also range in severity.

Some of the more common effects of TBI include:

• Problems with memory (for instance, people’s names);
• Reasoning skills are impaired; and/or
• Tend to have “one-track thinking.”

There are also physical effects that can result from a TBI, including:

• paralysis in the arms and/or legs;
• vision problems;
• hearing problems;
• speech impairment;
• loss of sense of smell;
• frequent headaches; and/or
• seizures.

In addition to suffering from a myriad of physical problems, a victim of TBI may also suffer from emotional effects, such as being unable to control feelings. A traumatic brain injury may also cause effects in their social life if communication has been impacted by the injury.

A victim of TBI may need short- or long-term medical assistance, including the potential need for round-the-clock medical support or live-in care. Because of these considerations, a traumatic brain injury can have a devastating impact on a person’s financial well-being, as well as their health and happiness.

When you suffer a personal injury in an accident you may sustain nerve damage. Nerve damage can be as simple as mild compression or stretching of the nerve, or as serious as tearing or severance of the nerve. No matter how the nerve damage is sustained, it should be treated immediately to avoid long-term complications such as permanent paralysis.

Mild nerve damage occurs when the nerve is compressed or has pressure placed on it, disrupting normal function. This causes the affected area to have a tingling sensation which usually goes away when the pressure is relieved and the nerve relaxes back to its normal state. A common form of this type of temporary nerve damage is when you sit on your legs too long and they “fall asleep.”

Moderate nerve damage is when the nerve is stretched, usually by a slipped disc in your spinal cord. Until the nerve is relaxed back to its normal state, the discomfort, numbness-and sometimes, paralysis-will not be relieved. Surgery is sometimes necessary to repair the slipped disc so the nerves can repair themselves.

Severe nerve damage is when the nerve is severed or torn due to a traumatic injury. If nerves are stretched too far, they can tear, and they can also be severed by bone fragments or foreign objects that pierce these delicate areas. In cases of severance, the insulating material around the nerve is cut, disrupting all signals sent by that nerve. Unless they are repaired, the nerves can no longer function and paralysis results.

Nerve damage is a common injury resulting from many types of accidents such as slip and falls and car accidents. The costs related to injuries resulting in nerve damage can be costly, and many victims find it necessary to file personal injury claims to obtain compensation for their damages.

One of the most commonly injured body parts in a serious accident is the knee. Your knees support a majority of your body’s weight and contain many soft tissues around the joint that can be easily damaged. A meniscus tear is one of the common types of serious injuries you may suffer, resulting in the need for an Atlantic Canada injury lawyer to file a personal injury claim.

The Basics of a Meniscus Tear

The meniscus is a tough disc of cartilage and there are two discs in each knee, located between the thigh bone and the shin bone. They conform to the surfaces of the bones on which they rest, one located on the inside of your knee (medial meniscus) and the other on the outside (lateral meniscus).

When the meniscus is stressed by pulling, jerking, or shredding it may tear or sever completely. A meniscus tear is common when the knee is abruptly bent and twisted. You may suspect you have suffered a meniscus tear when your knee appears swollen and you experience severe pain. Tenderness in the knee joint, popping or clicking of the knee, and limited range of motion are also signs of a potential meniscus tear.

Dealing with a Meniscus Tear

Treatment for a meniscus tear depends on the severity of the injury and your own health. In some cases, a minor tear may be able to repair itself, in which case you will be advised to rest, apply ice, use anti-inflammatory medications, and sometimes attend physical therapy treatment. During a doctor visit, you may receive an X-ray or MRI scan of your knee to determine the health of your knee joint and meniscus.

More severe meniscus tears will require surgery to repair the damage. If the torn meniscus is jagged, the edges may be trimmed to allow the healthy cartilage to heal. The meniscus can also be repaired but results in a longer recovery period, and is not always possible because of limited blood supply. In serious cases, the entire meniscus may need to be replaced by a transplant of donor tissue.

The surgical treatments for a meniscus tear can be costly and result in additional recovery time. This means lost wages, increasing medical bills and personal losses following a serious accident. To recover compensation for these damages and suffering, you may want to consider filing a personal injury claim.

If you have lost a family member in a fatal car accident in Nova Scotia, you may be eligible to make two types of insurance claims: 1) accident benefits claim and 2) wrongful death lawsuit.

Accident Benefits Claim

All automoble insurance policies issued in Nova Scotia include no-fault accident benefits. These benefits are paid immediately following an accident, regardless of who was at-fault for the accident. The Accident Benefits include so-called “death benefits’. These death benefits set out a schedule of payments that are made to certain surviving famiy members of the deceased person. Only the spouse and dependants of the deceased person quality for death benefits. The amount of the payment depends on the status of the deceased person in the family at the time of his or her death:

• Head of Household ($10,000)
• Spouse of Head of Household ($10,000)
• Dependent ($2,000)

The payment is made to the surviving head of household or spouse of the head of household. If there is no surviving head of household the payment is divided evenly among the surving dependants.

Wrongful Death Lawsuit

If you have lost a family member in an fatal accident, you and other family members have the right to bring a wrongful death lawsuit against the negligent person or company responsible for the death of your loved one. Wrongful death lawsuits in Nova Scotia are governed by the Fatal Injury Act. This Act sets out the deadlines and types of compensation that can be claimed.

If you have lost a loved one in a fatal accident in Nova Scotia, it is important that you understand your rights and insurance benefits that are available to you. You may be facing financial hardship because of the loss of family income the loved one provided, so it is imporant that you act right away.