Aortic injury carotid dissection accident attorney

Blunt injury to the major arteries is among the most time-critical of all trauma. Aortic injury from rapid deceleration is frequently fatal at the scene and requires urgent repair in those who reach hospital. Carotid and vertebral artery dissection is different and more insidious: it can produce a stroke days after an apparently moderate collision, in someone who was discharged as uninjured. Law Offices Of SRIS, P.C. handles catastrophic injury claims in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, New Jersey and New York.

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What the imaging and records show

CT angiography is the study for both. In aortic injury it identifies the tear, its location — most often just beyond the origin of the left subclavian artery — and any contained rupture, along with the mediastinal changes that raise suspicion on a plain chest film. For carotid and vertebral dissection, CT or MR angiography demonstrates the tear in the vessel wall and any narrowing or clot. Screening criteria exist precisely because these dissections are otherwise missed, and whether they were applied is frequently the central question.

Why this injury meets the legal threshold

Confirmed vascular injury is unambiguous objective injury, and repair — open or endovascular — establishes severity through the intervention. Where a stroke followed a missed dissection, the resulting neurological deficit is objective, permanent and documented on imaging and examination.

Typical treatment course and prognosis

Aortic injury is repaired urgently, increasingly by endovascular stent graft rather than open surgery, with lifelong imaging surveillance of the graft afterward. Carotid and vertebral dissection is usually treated with antithrombotic medication to prevent clot formation, with imaging follow-up; stenting is used in selected cases. Where a stroke has occurred, rehabilitation and permanent deficit follow. Anticoagulant or antiplatelet therapy carries its own risks and restrictions.

How these claims are contested

For aortic injury, rarely — the injury and its urgency are documented. For dissection, frequently and on two fronts: that the injury was not caused by the collision but occurred spontaneously, and, where the diagnosis was delayed, that screening was not indicated on the presentation. The neck-injury mechanism, the temporal relationship and the published screening criteria are what address these, together with the imaging appearance.

Building the claim properly

Establish the mechanism — rapid deceleration for aortic injury; hyperextension, rotation or a direct blow to the neck for dissection. Where a stroke followed a delayed diagnosis, reconstruct the timeline of presentation, examination, screening and imaging in detail, and obtain qualified opinion on whether screening criteria were met and whether earlier antithrombotic treatment would have prevented the stroke. Document neurological deficit formally where a stroke occurred.

Available insurance coverage

What can be recovered is limited by what coverage exists. The at-fault party’s policy is the starting point, but it is frequently not the only source: the injured person’s own uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage, household policies, employer coverage where a vehicle was used for work, umbrella and excess layers, and the coverage of any additional responsible party can all apply. Underinsured coverage typically requires notice and consent before any settlement with the at-fault party — settling first can forfeit it. Identifying every available layer is early work, not closing work.

How damages are categorised and proven

Damages are not a single number that gets negotiated. They are separate categories, each proven by different evidence. Past medical expense is proven by billing records and the reasonableness of the charges. Future medical expense requires a physician’s opinion that the care is reasonably certain to be needed. Lost income is proven by employment and tax records; lost earning capacity is a different and larger question requiring vocational and economic analysis. Non-economic loss — pain, limitation, and the effect on daily life — is proven through the medical record and through testimony from people who can describe specific changes rather than general decline. No one can responsibly tell you what a case is worth before that evidence exists, and any figure offered at the outset is a guess.

Filing deadlines

Every injury claim is governed by a statute of limitations, and the periods differ by state and by claim type. For personal injury actions the period is two years in Virginia under Va. Code § 8.01-243(A), accruing at the date of injury; three years in Maryland under Md. Code, Cts. & Jud. Proc. § 5-101; three years in the District of Columbia under D.C. Code § 12-301(8); two years in New Jersey under N.J.S.A. 2A:14-2; and three years in New York under N.Y. C.P.L.R. § 214(5). These are general periods. Discovery rules, tolling for minors and incapacity, claims against government entities — the District imposes a six-month notice-of-claim requirement for claims against the District government — and claim-specific statutes can shorten or extend them. Do not rely on a general period for your own case; have the deadline confirmed on your facts.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is an aortic injury from trauma?

A tear in the wall of the body’s main artery caused by rapid deceleration, most often in a high-speed collision or a fall from height. It is frequently fatal before hospital. In those who survive to hospital, the tear is often contained by the outer layers of the vessel and requires urgent repair.

What is a carotid or vertebral dissection?

A tear in the inner lining of an artery in the neck, allowing blood to track into the vessel wall. It can narrow the artery and form clot, which may travel to the brain and cause a stroke — sometimes days after the original injury, in someone who initially seemed well.

I had a stroke days after my accident. Can they be connected?

Yes, and this is the characteriztic pattern with traumatic dissection. The delay between the injury and the stroke is a recognized feature rather than evidence they are unrelated. The imaging appearance of the dissection and the mechanism of the neck injury are what establish the connection.

Why was the dissection not found initially?

Because it may cause no symptoms at first and is not visible on the studies routinely performed for other injuries. Published screening criteria exist to identify patients who should be imaged for it based on mechanism and associated injuries. Whether those criteria applied to your presentation is a question for qualified opinion.

What is an endovascular repair?

Repair performed through a catheter, usually from the groin, placing a stent graft inside the aorta to seal the tear from within rather than opening the chest. It has become the more common approach for traumatic aortic injury. It requires lifelong imaging surveillance of the graft, which is an ongoing future-care cost.

How is dissection treated?

Usually with medication to prevent clot forming — antiplatelet or anticoagulant therapy — together with imaging follow-up to monitor healing of the vessel. Stenting is used in selected cases. The medication itself carries bleeding risk and may restrict certain activities, which is a genuine ongoing consequence.

What follow-up is needed long term?

After stent graft repair, lifelong periodic imaging to monitor the graft. After dissection, imaging to confirm healing and a period of medication. Both are ongoing costs and burdens that should be included in the claim rather than treated as concluded once the acute episode passed.

How long do I have to bring a claim?

Two years in Virginia and New Jersey, three years in Maryland, the District of Columbia and New York for personal injury actions. Where a delayed-diagnosis claim against a medical provider is involved, separate malpractice deadlines and pre-suit requirements apply. Both should be assessed without delay.

About Mr. Sris

Mr. Sris is the owner and founder of Law Offices Of SRIS, P.C., which has practiced since 1997. He is a former prosecutor and is admitted in Virginia, Maryland, the District of Columbia, New Jersey and New York. Of Counsel attorneys contract directly with the firm and handle matters alongside him. In 2019 Mr. Sris testified before the Virginia House Courts of Justice Committee on House Bill 635.

Speak with Mr. Sris

Injury claims are governed by filing deadlines that vary by state and by claim type, and evidence degrades quickly. Request a consultation. Reach our location at (888) 437-7747. Consultations are by appointment.

Last reviewed: August 22, 2026.

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