A “fender-bender” is a colloquial term for what most people would consider a very minor car accident. The name suggests that no real harm was done except for a dented bumper or wheel well. However, this is not always the case. Even a light bump can potentially cause serious harm to the people inside the vehicle.
People who have suffered an injury in a “minor” car accident often feel that they are struggling to get others to take their injuries seriously. Certainly, the driver who caused the accident and their insurance company are likely to try to downplay your injuries. You might be accused of “faking” or “exaggerating” your very real pain and bodily harm. If this is happening to you, know that a fender-bender is still a car accident, and the responsible driver is still liable for the injuries you actually suffered, not the injuries they think you should have suffered.
Why a Relatively Light Impact Can Cause Serious Harm
It should be fairly obvious that a human is much more vulnerable than a car. Even if the damage to the large chunk of metal you were sitting in is fairly minor, the damage to you might not be. When your car is hit, the force of the collision affects not only the car, but everything and everyone inside it. This commonly forces people’s necks to move suddenly in a way they were not meant to, causing injury.
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