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Unexpected accidents and injuries can alter lives. During these tough times, car accident injury lawyers are essential allies. They support those harmed by others' negligence, ensuring fair compensation. This article highlights the significant role these lawyers play in guiding individuals through their claims and rebuilding their lives.

Every day in Iowa, car accidents occur, leading to severe injuries like whiplash, soft tissue injuries, herniated discs, and fractures. While many injuries heal over time, some require surgery or result in long-term pain and problems. As you navigate the aftermath of a car crash, understanding insurance company tactics is crucial to protect yourself and your rights under Iowa law.

Common Car Insurance Adjuster Tactics

The Nice Insurance Adjuster

Initially sympathetic, these adjusters may admit fault and express a desire to make things right. However, they often aim to avoid paying your medical bills, pushing you to settle for less than fair compensation. They may advise against using your health or car insurance. This can lead to financial difficulties and pressure you to make hasty decisions and settle quickly.

The Aggressive Insurance Adjuster

Some adjusters start friendly but turn aggressive if your recovery takes longer than expected. They may blame pre-existing conditions or other factors to undermine your claim's validity. Their goal is to frustrate you into accepting a low settlement, exploiting your desire to end the ordeal.

The Ignoring Insurance Adjuster

Ignoring your calls or emails is a deliberate tactic to wear you down. By making the claims process arduous, they hope you'll give up pursuing rightful compensation. Even if a small percentage of claimants abandon their cases, it translates to significant savings for the insurance company.

What Else Adjusters May Do

Requesting Unnecessary Information: They may ask for excessive documentation to overwhelm you and delay your claim.

Contesting Medical Treatment: Despite prescriptions from medical professionals, adjusters may dispute the necessity of your treatment to reduce their payout.

Partial Payment of Bills: They might offer to cover only a portion of your medical bills, leaving you with significant out-of-pocket expenses.

Providing Misleading Information: Adjusters may pretend to be on your side while dissuading you from seeking legal representation, leading you to accept less compensation.

False Promises: They may make promises over the phone to settle your claim quickly but retract them later, leaving you with inadequate compensation.

Misrepresentation of Benefits: Adjusters may mislead you about the benefits available under their policy, tricking you into accepting less than you're entitled to.

Calcaneus Fracture from Car Accident

A calcaneus fracture is a fracture of the heel bone. The fracture can be extremely painful and may lead to long-term complications for the patient. One common cause of a calcaneus fracture is a car accident. Trauma to the feet can lead to these fractures, as well as other fractures, sprains, or strains in the foot and ankle area.

Symptoms of a Calcaneus Fracture

The most common symptoms of a calcaneus fracture, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, are:

- Heel deformity
- Pain
- Bruising
- Swelling
- Inability to put weight on the heel

Fractures may be stable fractures, displaced fractures, open fractures, closed fractures, and comminuted fractures. Of these, comminuted fractures are often considered the most serious, as they are very unstable and are characterized by the bone shattering into three or more pieces.

Treatment Options for Calcaneus Fractures

The treatment applied to a calcaneus fracture is dependent upon the type and severity of the fracture. When the fracture is not severe, nonsurgical treatment options may be considered. Nonsurgical options include casting or other forms of immobilization, as well as physical therapy and the use of pain medications.

When a calcaneus fracture is severe, though, surgery may be necessary. There are two primary types of surgery used to correct a calcaneus fracture: open reduction and internal fixation, and percutaneous screw fixation surgery. Both require rehabilitation therapy following surgery.

Complications from a Calcaneus Fracture

Unfortunately, calcaneus fractures don’t always heal as they should, and in some cases further complications may arise. Some complications of a calcaneus fracture, according to the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society, include:

- Infection
- Damage to nerve and blood vessels
- Bleeding or blood clots
- Complications in skin healing
- Nerve stretch
- Chronic pain
- Joint stiffness
- Tendon irritation
- Nerve irritation

When a Car Accident in Iowa Leads to Disfigurement

When a severe car accident leads to a disfiguring injury, you may wonder what the future holds. You face not only immediate treatment and increasing medical bills but also uncertainty about the long-term implications. An Iowa injury law firm can evaluate your case to determine what your next step should be.

While you spend time focusing on your healing and recovery, a law firm that handles accident claims can work on putting together a solid case that proves negligence. A lawyer can work hard to fight for your rights and the compensation that you may be entitled to receive.

Disfiguring Injuries Resulting from a Car Accident in Iowa

When an accident is especially severe, different types of disfiguring injuries resulting from a serious car accident can occur, such as:

- Loss of limb
- Burns (permanent scarring)
- Facial scarring (loss of eye, broken teeth or nose, etc.)

These types of injuries can impact every area of an individual’s life. It can affect the ability to socialize and go out in public. It may prevent him or her from returning to a job or being able to work at all. Many victims who suffer disfiguring injuries have not only the physical repercussions to deal with but also emotional trauma. Considering the medical care that addresses the injury and lost income, it may be necessary to seek psychological counseling.

When a car accident leads to disfigurement, compensation for your injuries may be available through a claim. Burn injuries are extremely costly to treat because of the amount of time spent in the hospital, including follow-up visits and sometimes in a burn care facility or unit.

In addition, there may be surgery, skin grafting, and long-term use of medication that only adds to the costs. The stress of the injury itself is enough without adding the financial burden.

These are just the physical implications of a burn injury. Another consideration is the emotional damages that are often experienced. Accidents of any nature can lead to psychological injury. However, when the injuries are disfiguring, the risk of developing anxiety, depression, or post-traumatic stress disorder is even greater.

Again, this may lead to the need for counseling or some other form of psychological help which costs only add to the already mounting medical expenses.

Unfortunately, if the disfiguring injury is the loss of a limb, a traumatic amputation could also mean the permanent loss of a limb. It may not be possible to reattach the limb; therefore, the use of a prosthesis may become necessary. This can be very difficult to accept. The emotional trauma of such an injury can last a lifetime.

If the traumatic amputation occurred to one or both legs, it could mean getting used to a wheelchair. This type of limited mobility can affect all areas of an individual’s life, from their ability to socialize to work. It could also mean being unable to return to the same job as before or even becoming permanently disabled.

You may also need treatment for facial injuries, which may include surgery to repair broken bones, orthodontic care, neurological procedure, or implanting an artificial eye.

Despite treatment, an individual may be left with a misshapen face, blotchy skin, and other permanent scars. As a result, emotional injuries may need to be treated with some form of counseling.

When you suffer disfigurement from a car accident in Iowa, then you may be able to file a claim which can address all of your financial losses (wages and medical care) and other types of compensation. You should speak with an Iowa injury law firm to learn how you can protect your rights.

Seeking Legal Assistance

Seeking legal counsel from experienced Iowa car accident attorneys such as those at Walker, Billingsley & Bair can provide invaluable support in filing insurance claims or pursuing personal injury lawsuits. With a comprehensive understanding of Iowa law, their team can help gather evidence, establish liability, and secure the compensation deserved by accident victims.

Suffering from the aftermath of a car accident shouldn't impede your pursuit of justice and fair compensation. The Iowa injury lawyers at Walker, Billingsley & Bair work hard to level the field between injured Iowans and insurance companies.

That's why we provide this FREE book; The Legal Insider's Guide to Iowa Car Accidents: 7 Secrets to Not Wreck Your Case. To learn more about what our legal team will do to help you protect your Iowa injury claim, contact Walker, Billingsley & Bair to schedule a no-cost consultation. Call 641-792-3595 to order your free accident book today.