Can I Sue for Vocal Cord Damage after a Car Accident or Slip and Fall?

Vocal Cord Damage from an Accident

Your vocal cords are located inside your larynx, which is also known as your voice box. The two cords, or vocal folds, inside the larynx remain open most of the time, which allows you to breathe. When you are speaking or singing, however, they close and vibrate, which produces various sounds.

Sometimes, there is a traumatic event that disrupts the signals traveling from your nerves to your larynx. This is known as vocal cord paralysis, and it can happen from blunt force trauma to the upper body, primarily to the neck or chest. Car accidents are a leading source of upper body trauma, followed by accidents where the victim falls down unexpectedly (slip and falls and trip and falls).

When there is significant trauma to the neck or torso, both vocal cords may become paralyzed. Along with affecting your ability to speak, you will also end up with significant breathing problems, which can be life-threatening. Vocal cord damage is a lesser known injury than whiplash, spinal cord damage, and other conditions resulting from a slip and fall or car collision. However, the impact can be just as, if not more serious, depending on the resulting complications.

Health Complications Due to Vocal Cord Damage

Vocal cord damage can cause a series of complications that make it difficult to breathe and perform other basic tasks. That’s why immediate medical attention is necessary when you’ve been in a car accident or sustained injuries from a slip and fall. With early intervention, you can minimize the effects of vocal cord paralysis, which include:

• Difficulty swallowing and eating
• Altered voice quality
• Risk of aspiration, i.e., saliva, vomit, food, and other substances entering the airways
• Formation of scars
• Stridor – noisy breathing due to obstructed air flow
• Shortness of breath (dyspnea)
• Formation of nodules, known as granulomas
• Arytenoid chondritis – inflammatory condition of the upper airways

These and other on-going symptoms may necessitate a tracheostomy, which involves the insertion of a tube into the windpipe (trachea). This can cause speech and breathing problems, among other health issues that can lead to a reduced quality of life. That’s why the law allows compensation for the emotional impact of an accident, which can cause depression, severe anxiety, sleep disorders, and signs of post-traumatic stress.

The hard part is proving that another party is liable for the injuries to your body and mind. The slip and fall accident lawyers of DTLA are ready for the challenge of investigating your case and bringing you every penny you deserve from the responsible party.

How Much can I Receive from a Lawsuit?

There are entirely too many variations that exist from one case to another for us to come up with a settlement amount that can be described as “average.” However, there’s no denying that vocal cord damage after a car accident or slip and fall comes with serious health complications that will affect you for the rest of your life. Thus, we need to account for the victim’s physical injuries, as well as the impact of the accident on their mental health. When all is said and done, these lawsuits may be worth around $250,000 to $3,000,000 and above.

Keep in mind that a slip and fall or auto accident claim provides you with compensation in various categories, such as:

• Medical expenses, including mental health counseling, physical therapy, and medications
• Lost wages, including future lost income if the accident affects your job performance
• Pain and suffering, emotional distress, loss of enjoyment of life, and other non-economic damages
• Property damage to your car and other belongings
• Cost of legal fees
• Punitive damages if the defendant’s conduct was especially dangerous or outrageous

During a free case review, a car accident or slip and fall injury lawyer can go over these payments with you and help you figure out a fair amount of damages to ask for.

What is the Estimated Timeframe to Settle these Cases?

As a general rule, cases involving serious injuries take longer than those with minor injuries. As vocal cord paralysis and other damage to that area is arguably a serious injury, 6 to 12 months is a realistic timeline to reach a settlement. Of course, there are various complications that can come up along the way, and the defendant’s cooperation is a critical factor as well.

Hopefully, we can negotiate a fair compensation award with the defendant, which is done privately between us and the insurance company. If private negotiations don’t get us anywhere, we can file a lawsuit on your behalf and continue to work towards a settlement. At some point, we may need to ask for a trial date, though it’s more than likely that your case will be settled without the need for a trial. However, all these actions take considerable time and effort, which is why some car accident or slip and fall cases take up to several years.

How Long Do I have to File a Lawsuit?

Your deadline for a personal injury lawsuit is 2 years in the state of California. This time period begins on the date of your accident, except in rare cases that must be approved by the court. The statute of limitations is absolute as a general rule, and most people do not meet the qualifications for an extension. To secure your right to monetary damages after an accident, contact our law firm and seek help from a lawyer with experience in slip and fall or car accident injury cases.

Second Opinion on Your Case

Those who already have a lawyer on their case may run into issues that they would like to discuss with another legal expert. Some claimants are unhappy with how long it’s taking to settle their case, while others want to verify their available legal options or certain aspects of the law. Our law firm is here for you, so contact us right away to schedule a free second opinion consultation.

The Accident Injury Lawyers of DTLA

From medical bills to financial hardship, an unexpected injury can cause havoc in anyone’s life. This is especially true in cases of serious accidents, like car crashes and slip and falls. An experienced personal injury attorney is essential to the recovery process if your accident was caused by another party’s negligence.

DTLA Law Group has a proven track when it comes to settlements on behalf of injury victims throughout California. Experience, trust, and dedication are the principles that guide us, and you can be sure that we will not rest until you receive maximum payment from an accident claim.

You will never have to worry about legal fees as one of our clients, since we operate under the Zero Fee Guarantee. The only time we get paid is at the end of your case, when you receive your settlement check. If we don’t bring you payment from a slip and fall or car accident lawsuit, you owe us $0 – guaranteed.

We are ready to take your call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so contact us immediately to schedule a free consultation.

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