Degrees of Accidents – What is “Serious?”

It’s a pretty massive topic of debate, what is a serious car accident, and does yours count as serious? While any Virginia car wreck attorney will argue that the degree of a crash is subjective, it’s clear that a fender bender and getting overrun by a semi-truck are not the same thing.

Fender-Benders and Scrapes

These are your basic or run-of-the-mill accidents. They happen every day and usually at low speeds. People who aren’t paying attention when stopping at a light signal or stop sign might nudge the person who was already stopped. This section of minor accidents would also include parking lot accidents.

Again, these are the most minor of situations and happen at low-speeds. Low-speed does not necessarily mean no injury, although you should only expect the injuries here to be minor. They might include minor versions of whiplash and another soft-tissue damage. It’s reasonable for people to walk away with a few bruises if they were hit by something within their vehicle, or if they weren’t wearing their safety belt.

When closing out these claims, you might consider getting legal help, but it’s not always necessary. Many drivers can resolve a fender bender through their insurance without even making a personal injury claim.

“Bad” Accidents

For some reason, you jump from “fender benders” that leave virtually no damage to a “bad” accident. When people say that an accident is “bad,” they’re usually inferring that there were injuries associated with the accident. It may include some serious injuries or people who had some severe injuries but were maintaining stable conditions.

In a bad accident, you might be worried that your insurance will total your vehicle or that you won’t have the right resources available for medical bills.

Now Virginia’s Department of Transportation has logged a severity scale that officers use, and it dives much deeper than three or four tiers. They go through their categorization based on the extent of an injury including these tiers:

1. No injures
2. No obvious injury – but the complaint of pain or loss of consciousness
3. Minor injuries including bruises, swelling, limping, or abrasions
4. Serious injury – lacerations, crush injuries, broken bones, burns, etc.
5. Fatality

These types of descriptors allow the police to easily categorize accidents. Among most civilians, though, you would anticipate a “bad” accident to be somewhere between numbers two and three. Some injuries, minor injuries, and so forth.

“Serious” Accidents

Serious accidents are often what you would refer to when you have someone that’s going straight to the hospital afterward. Someone with a broken bone was probably in a serious accident, just the same that someone with crush injuries should regard their crash as serious.

These accidents can range drastically, but it can be frustrating to hear someone respond that they, too, were in a serious accident when you know that isn’t the case. Serious accidents often assuredly have totaled vehicles, have ongoing issues when it comes to recovery, and is actively worried about how they’ll get their life back together.

Fatalities and Other Circumstances

Fatalities are something else entirely, although serious seems to be the only word that fits other than coldly saying, “it was a fatality.” When it comes to fatalities and other situations, you should know that while there are many fatal accidents every day, it’s probably unlikely that you’ll find someone who can actually sympathize with the situation.

For people who survived a crash involving a fatality, you should look for local support groups. These groups often have other survivors or the families of the victims come together and discuss the recovery process. It can be helpful. You might also think about talking to a counselor. Serious accidents crashes involving fatalities, and even a “bad” crash can cause debilitating anxiety, depression, or even PTSD. In those instances, you need a professional.

These cases or the insurance claims involved with regard to fatalities can quickly become muddled or overwhelming. Legal help is usually the best option.

No Matter What – Consider Hiring a Virginia Car Wreck Attorney

Car accidents happen daily in Virginia Beach. We help people sort out what they need in compensation and how they can get it. Our team can sort through your crash and help you assess whether the damage and injuries are typical of a crash or something more serious.

In Virginia Beach, the Virginia Injury Law team is here to help. Whether it was a crash involving a car or a truck, you can get support with a Virginia car wreck law firm. Contact Virginia Injury Law now to speak with the appropriate attorney for your case.