If you need some time off work because of your injuries, it’s likely you can claim compensation to cover your lost wages and treatment expenses. Read on to learn more about your specific injury and entitlements.

More serious injuries may require longer periods off work, surgery, and ongoing treatment. As well as covering your lost wages and treatment, compensation for more serious injuries can include significant lump sums. This is covered in this article.

If your car accident injury stops you from returning to work, there are additional entitlements that may be available to you. These may include lump sums for common law damages, pain and suffering, and TPD (total and permanent disability).

Psychological injuries from car accidents are also quite common. Your rights following a psychological injury from a car accident are the same as your rights for a physical injury, including compensation to cover your time off, treatment, and potentially large lump sums.

Whiplash is a neck injury that occurs when the head is suddenly and forcefully thrown backward and then forward, which can strain or tear the muscles, ligaments, and tendons in the neck.

Treatment usually involves rest, pain relief, physical therapy, and in more severe cases, medical intervention. Compensation is generally available to cover your time off work and treatment, including physical therapy.

This includes minor cuts, abrasions, and bruising

Soft tissue injuries are generally treated by a doctor or in emergency but may require follow-up visits for dressings. You can generally claim for any time off work and hospital / medical bills.

Back pain that’s muscular (i.e. not a fracture or spinal injury) is generally treated with pain medication, massage, physiotherapy, or chiropractic treatment, all of which are generally covered by a car accident injury claim. You can also claim for time off work.

Muscle tears and strains are usually treated with rest, pain medication, and physical therapy like massage. Recovery times vary, with minor strains healing in a few weeks.

Benefits are generally available to cover all your treatment and time off work.

Fractures and breaks from car accidents often require surgery which can mean long periods off work and in some cases long rehabilitation times. 

Compensation may be available to cover your time off work, ambulance, and medical bills including x-rays, treatment, surgery, and rehabilitation. For more serious fractures that result in long-term impairment, additional lump sums may also be available.

Serious head and brain injuries include bone or skull fractures, haemorrhages, and TBIs (traumatic brain injuries). Brain injuries can also have delayed symptoms, so they must be given time to stabilise and then assessed correctly to make sure you get your full entitlements. 

These more serious head and brain injuries often qualify for lump sum compensation on top of personal injury benefits like income support and medical treatment. 

Spinal cord injuries can result in some level of permanent impairment, which can lead to significant time off work and ongoing expenses. 

Car accident compensation is generally available to cover these expenses and may include the ongoing cost of care, modifications to your home, and other major expenses.

Severe tears may require surgery and recovery can take several months or longer. 

If surgery is required, it’s generally covered by car accident injury benefits, in addition to payments for other treatment, rehabilitation, and time off work.

Being involved in, or witnessing an accident on the road can lead to serious psychological injuries like depression, anxiety, or PTSD. To be eligible to claim compensation, you’ll need to see a doctor for an official diagnosis.

If your diagnosis confirms your psychological injury was caused by the accident, then you can claim compensation, including potentially large lump sums depending on your level of impairment.

Burns and significant scarring may require surgery (including plastic surgery), ongoing treatment, and rehabilitation, and are generally considered more serious injuries as far as car accident compensation is concerned. So as well as income support and treatment being covered, lump sum compensation may also be available. 

For example, if you’re on long-term pain medication because of your car accident injuries and the medication causes side effects, then you may be entitled to additional treatment or compensation. 

For example, a leg injury may cause a limp, and over time this may result in back problems. Even though the back problem wasn’t directly caused by the accident, it’s likely that you can still claim compensation for it. 

A psychological injury like PTSD can develop some time after an accident, however, if it can be shown that it was caused by the accident, then it may qualify for compensation.