Virginia Attorneys Seek Compensation for Internal Organ Injuries
Determined advocacy for accident victims suffering organ damage
Most of us are only vaguely aware of our internal organs until something affects their proper functioning. But what if any of our organs were impaired all the time? That’s the unfortunate position of accident victims who suffer internal organ damage. At Pikrallidas & Probasco in Fairfax, Virginia, our personal injury attorneys appreciate the impact that these hidden wounds have on a victim’s quality of life and we fight to obtain just compensation for them.
Common causes of internal organ trauma
Blunt force trauma and penetration by a foreign object are the leading causes of internal organ damage. This can occur during any of the following:
- Motor vehicle accidents — Victims of car crashes suffer from trauma and can have an organ punctured by wreckage.
- Falls — Individuals falling from a ladder or scaffold can suffer trauma by hitting the ground or can become impaled on a sharp object.
- Construction/industrial accidents — Vehicles, machinery and power tools can inflict trauma or cause foreign objects to violently penetrate the body.
- Criminal assault — Gunshots and knife wounds can severely damage organs.
- Athletic activities — Contact sports can lead to impacts with sufficient force to damage an organ.
Severe internal organ damage can be catastrophic, changing the victim’s life forever. Victims might lose bodily functions, suffer from chronic poor health going forward and even become permanently disabled. This makes victims highly reliant on the funds they can recover for their personal injury claim, which is why they should only retain a proven, experienced personal injury attorney.
Long-term effects of internal organ injury
Internal organ damage is an invisible injury that nevertheless can have palpable consequences that a victim must live with. Our firm has represented several clients whose lives after accidents were hampered by limitations imposed by one of these types of injuries:
- Liver laceration — This injury can produce excessive bleeding that can lead to shock or death. Liver damage interferes with the organ’s functions, which include detoxification and filtration of blood, bile production to aid digestion, storage of essential nutrients, maintenance of stable blood sugar levels, metabolization, hormone regulation and blood clotting.
- Kidney damage — The kidneys are responsible for cleansing the blood of impurities, which are then expelled through urination. When the kidneys shut down, toxins overwhelm the blood, leading to fatal sepsis. Kidneys are also a source of energy and are related to sexual function, so damage can lead to general sluggishness and poor sexual performance.
- Spleen ruptures — Though the spleen is not an essential organ, removing it diminishes the body’s capacity to filter the blood, regulate inflammation and respond to infection.
- Lung punctures — Pneumothorax is a life-threatening condition that occurs when trauma causes air to get into the pleural space between the chest wall and the lung. Air pressure causes the lung to collapse on itself, so it cannot function. The collapse also puts pressure on the heart, causing further symptoms. Although this condition is remediable with proper care, subsequent weakness in the lungs can limit activity and degrade health.
- Bladder and bowel incontinence — Damage to the bladder and/or bowels can lead to incontinence, which requires constant maintenance, limits activity and interferes with intimacy.
The damage from an internal organ injury must be assessed based on its impact on future organ performance throughout the victim’s lifetime.
Contact our Fairfax attorneys for a free internal injury consultation
Pikrallidas & Probasco in Fairfax represents accident victims who have sustained internal organ injuries throughout Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. Call us at 703-267-2600 or contact us online to schedule a free initial consultation. Hablamos español.
