We read a lot about car accidents and even though more than 30,000 people are killed every year in motor vehicle accidents, most people, we suspect never think it will happen to them. Occasional high-profile accidents, like the one that killed Princess Diana in Paris are so uncommon that they allow us to be lulled into complacency that it could never happen to us.
Out of Michigan comes the story of the Executive of Oakland County, L. Brooks Patterson, who was severely injured in a motor vehicle accident last year, when a car turned left in front of his vehicle in Auburn Hills, Michigan. He suffered numerous broken bones and spent almost five weeks in the hospital. His driver, a retired Michigan State Police trooper, was left a quadriplegic by the crash.
While no one died in this accident, it serves to point out why auto accidents result in such a massive cost to the economy. His driver suffered pelvic fractures, traumatic injuries to the chest, rib and sternum fractures, post-traumatic stress disorder, in addition to be left a quadriplegic.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that motor vehicle accidents send 2.3 million vehicle occupants to the emergency room, they calculate the medical costs and productivity loss from these injures cost the nation $99 billion per year.
Because of the cost of lifetime medical care, any one with severe injuries from a motor vehicle accident needs to work with an experienced personal injury attorney to ensure they receive compensation adequate for their injuries.
