Car accidents are psychologically and physically traumatic. The physical injuries that car accident victims can sustain can result in temporary or permanent incapacitation, or even death. Car accident lawyers use the severity of injuries to calculate their clients’ settlements and then support their compensation claims in court.
We will discuss the six most common injuries seen in victims of car accidents; the serious nature of these injuries is what makes the support of car accident lawyers so vital during recovery.
- Facial Fractures
While in vehicles traveling at high speeds, drivers and passengers have quite a bit of inertia propelling them forward. This means that any sudden stop can throw motorists and their passengers forward very violently. When a car accident takes place, drivers often smash into the steering wheel while passengers’ heads can collide with the dashboard or the seats in front of them.
The impact on the face and head often results in severe fractures. Often, victims sustain fractures to the bony prominences of their faces, like the nasal bridge, forehead, and cheeks. In some cases, drivers and passengers lose teeth due to their positions during the crash.
- Whiplash Injuries
Whiplash injuries are soft tissue injuries involving the muscles and ligaments of the neck. Whiplash injuries happen due to sudden flexion and extension of the neck, which also creates strain on the cervical segment of the spine. This causes headaches and pain in the upper back and neck that can last anywhere from a week to three months.
Whiplash injuries can have lasting complications, particularly if the spine sustains extensive damage. Spinal damage can cause neuromotor impairment, manifesting as weakness in the arms and legs.
Whiplash injuries are common in car collisions, particularly rear-end collisions. Whiplash injuries are also not preventable with the use of seatbelts, making drivers and passengers alike susceptible to them.
- Abrasions and Cuts
During high-speed car collisions, loose debris, like shards of glass, can cut drivers and passengers. The cuts cause skin trauma or abrasions that can be deep enough to get past the epidermal layer of the skin.
In the worst-case scenario, debris can cause abrasions on sensitive parts of the body, like the mouth and eyes. When this happens, surgical intervention becomes the only path of treatment.
- Chest Bruises
The chest is susceptible to blunt force trauma on two fronts. First, the chest can sustain bruises from the combined effects of the seatbelt and inertia. During a collision, inertia thrusts the driver’s body forward violently. The seatbelt pushes the driver’s body as this occurs, applying strong compression forces to the chest.
Alternatively, the driver may not be wearing a seatbelt at the time of the collision. As a result, the inertia thrusts the driver’s body towards the steering wheel with nothing to protect the chest. Bruises and even sternal fractures can occur following such an impact.
- Fractures or Dislocations of the Arms and Legs
When a driver is involved in a crash, the arms and legs can sustain fractures from the impact. This is particularly true if the vehicle was hit from the side. Impact to the door can smash into a driver’s shoulder and hips, causing breaks in the long bones and dislocations in the joints.
Passengers are equally vulnerable to leg injuries following a crash. Passengers in the rear of the vehicle are in danger of knee injuries from being thrust towards the seats in front of them.
- Spinal Misalignment
Hip injuries and spinal misalignment often happen concurrently, especially when the driver is buckled in tightly. When a collision occurs, the driver’s upper body remains mostly in place due to the seatbelt. However, the lower body can be thrust forward at a violent rate.
With the body in place and hips moving forwards, the lower segment of the spine becomes displaced. As a result, the lower spine can sustain serious damage.
Spinal misalignment is potentially debilitating, affecting a person’s ability to walk. Surgery and rehabilitation for spinal misalignments can take a long time and cost a lot of money.
Car Accident Lawyers Can Help You Recover Damages
Many of the injuries mentioned can lead to you digging into your savings to pay for treatment. Luckily, if you can recover compensation for the accident, you don’t have to do this. Your compensation can cover the monetary value of your treatment and lost wages as well as the nonmonetary value of the pain and trauma that the accident has caused you.
Call our car accident lawyers now for legal representation that puts you in the driver’s seat of your accident claim’s proceedings.