Eye Injuries in Car Accidents

Your eyesight may be impaired as a result of a car accident. A minor car accident could leave you with a black eye. More serious eye injuries may involve retinal detachments, orbital fractures, traumatic maculopathy, traumatic optic neuropathy, and hyphema. People who have suffered eye injuries in car accidents should discuss their situation with the Atlanta car accident lawyers at Van Sant Law. We represent people throughout Georgia, and we can sign up your case electronically to protect your safety. However, we also can meet with you at your home if you prefer.

Motor vehicle collisions are a leading cause of eye injuries each year. Eye injuries in car accidents can occur due to flying broken glass, airbag deployment, changes in velocity, and force to the eye. When an airbag deploys in the driver's face, they may sustain a black eye, which involves swelling and bruising. In many cases, a black eye can be treated with ice, but there are situations in which bleeding between the cornea and the iris leads to blindness. The physical trauma of a crash could also cause retinal detachment, which must be treated as soon as possible, since it can result in blurred vision or impaired peripheral vision. If it goes untreated, there is a possibility of permanent vision loss.

If you sustained eye injuries in a car accident caused by someone else, you will need to establish liability to recover your damages. Often, car accidents are caused by negligent drivers. Negligence occurs when someone owes a duty to use reasonable care but breaches that duty, thereby causing injuries that result in damages. Drivers may breach the duty to use reasonable care to avoid injuries to others by speeding, tailgating, weaving, drunk driving, texting while driving, or failing to abide by traffic signs and signals. If, for example, a driver ran a stop sign and crashed into you, causing glass to pierce your cornea, you may be able to establish that driver’s negligence. Your attorney may be able to recover damages under a theory of negligence per se if the accident was caused by a legal violation, and you are a member of the group whom the law was designed to protect.

You should be aware that the defendant's insurance adjuster may try to establish your comparative fault. Georgia follows a rule of modified comparative negligence. Under this rule, you will not be able to recover damages if you were 50% or more responsible for your eye injuries. However, if you were under 50% responsible, your damages will be reduced by an amount equal to your fault. For example, if your damages for an eye injury were $250,000, and you were found 20% responsible because you were speeding, you may be able to recover $200,000 from an at-fault party.

After we establish liability, we will need to establish compensatory damages. These are damages intended to put you back into the position in which you would have been had you not suffered eye injuries. They can include both tangible and intangible losses, such as medical bills, lost wages, lost earning capacity, medical equipment, replacement services, loss of enjoyment of life, and pain and suffering. The amount of damages will depend on the severity of your eye injuries. Your personal qualities and characteristics may also play a role. For example, if your hobby was painting, and you sustained permanent blindness as a result of a car accident caused by someone else, you may suffer loss of enjoyment of life to a very high degree. You may need special equipment to do your work. We will need to show an insurance adjuster or jury precisely how your eye injuries have affected your life.

If you sustained eye injuries because of another driver’s fault, you should consult the personal injury lawyers at Van Sant Law. We are committed to seeking justice for accident victims. We assist people throughout Georgia from offices in Atlanta, Alpharetta, Athens, Cumming, Duluth, Lawrenceville, and Gainesville. Call us at 855-GA-INJURY or complete our online form.