What Types of Injuries Are Common in Car Accidents?

Injuries in collisions may vary from minor bruises to permanent or life-threatening ones, resulting in both physical and emotional trauma. Car accident injuries may involve:

Whiplash

It is a rather unsettling injury that often occurs as a result of a sudden and forceful movement that mirrors the swift whipping motion of one’s neck and head. This type of injury is frequently associated with rear-end car accidents, where the unexpected impact propels the neck into a rapid back-and-forth motion, leading to a host of physical discomforts. These discomforts typically manifest as ongoing stiffness, throbbing pain, and a noticeable reduction in the neck’s range of motion, ultimately impacting one’s daily life and well-being.

Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI)

When it comes to car accidents, Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) are a sobering concern. These injuries materialize when the head experiences a sudden and forceful impact, often seen in vehicular collisions. The repercussions of such incidents can range from relatively mild concussions to more severe and life-altering conditions, including contusions or even dangerous brain bleeding.

The physical and emotional toll of TBIs can be immense, affecting your daily life, employment, and overall well-being. A lawyer for car accidents can provide crucial assistance by navigating complex legal processes, gathering evidence, and negotiating with insurance firms to guarantee you obtain a fair settlement to cover medical expenses and other associated costs.

Broken Bones 

The forceful impact of car accidents can cause bone fractures in areas such as the ribs, arms, legs, and collarbone due to the significant pressure exerted during a crash. These fractures typically manifest with symptoms such as intense pain, noticeable bruising, and significant swelling. However, coping with such fractures can disrupt daily life, hindering mobility and causing discomfort. 

This is where a skilled car accident lawyer steps in to alleviate the burden. They can help you by ensuring that you receive the compensation you deserve, covering medical bills, rehabilitation, and lost wages, allowing you to focus on recovery and returning to your regular life with ease of mind.

Airbag Injuries 

Airbags are safety devices designed to cushion and protect passengers from impact, but their forceful inflation can cause injuries. These can range from minor abrasions and bruises to more severe issues like chemical burns from the propellant, broken bones, or even traumatic brain injuries. 

Factors leading to such injuries include proximity to the airbag, its deployment speed, and the angle of the body during impact. While airbags significantly reduce fatalities and severe injuries, their very mechanism, which relies on instantaneous inflation, can sometimes harm occupants, especially if seatbelts aren’t used or if the individual is positioned improperly.

Eye Crush

Eye crush injuries in car accidents refer to traumatic damage where the eye or surrounding structures are compressed due to forceful impact. They occur when an individual’s face hits a solid object like a steering wheel, dashboard, or window during a collision. The severity can range from minor to catastrophic, potentially leading to permanent vision loss. 

Amputation

Amputation injuries refer to the loss or removal of a body part, usually an extremity like an arm, leg, finger, or toe. In car accidents, these traumatic amputations can occur when a limb is crushed between objects, severed by sharp metal, or due to high-impact collisions. 

The extreme force or impact of a crash can lead to limbs being torn off or severely damaged, and surgical amputation becomes necessary. Additional factors, such as being ejected from the vehicle or becoming entrapped, can also contribute to these devastating injuries. 

Nerve Damage 

In a car accident, the forceful impact can jolt your body abruptly, causing your nerves to stretch, compress, or even tear. Imagine wires in a gadget getting frayed or disconnected. Similarly, when your nerves are damaged, they can’t transmit messages effectively. This could result in numbness, pain, muscle weakness, or even paralysis in certain areas of your body. 

Victims of car accidents who suffer from nerve damage may struggle with daily tasks, endure chronic pain, or may have to go through long-term physical therapy, leading to mounting medical bills as well as emotional trauma. 

Spinal Cord Injuries

When you’re in a car crash, you might get hurt in a way called a spinal cord injury. This happens when your body gets a hard hit, like when your car suddenly stops during a crash. Your spinal cord, which is like a message sender in your body, can get hurt during this big shakeup. These injuries can change your life a lot, either for a little while or forever.

Your spinal cord helps your brain talk to the rest of your body. So, if you get hurt in a car accident, you might have trouble moving, feeling things, or even end up with a long-lasting disability. These injuries may lead to:

• Disc Herniation: It happens when the inner core of a spinal disc protrudes and presses against spinal cord nerves. In car accidents, the spine can undergo rapid twisting, bending, or compression due to sudden impacts, often leading to disc rupture. For example, a rear-end collision can force the spine to move rapidly forward and backward, potentially causing disc herniation.

• Disc Bulges: Car accidents can lead your spine subjected to intense and abnormal forces, such as sudden impacts, jolts, or rapid deceleration, which can contribute to the weakening of spinal discs, resulting in these bulges. 

• Paralysis: In high-speed collisions or rollovers, the spinal cord can sustain catastrophic injuries when exposed to extreme forces, which may result in compression, bruising, or even severing of the spinal cord. Hence leading to paralysis and disrupting the spinal cord’s ability to transmit signals between the brain and the rest of the body.

Internal Injuries

These injuries affect your body’s inner workings, targeting vital components like organs, blood vessels, or the abdomen. They demand swift and expert medical care because these injuries may pose a risk to your well-being and can even be life-threatening.

Furthermore, the aftermath of a car crash can disrupt your daily life significantly. You may find yourself burdened with mounting medical bills in addition to the physical and emotional toll these internal injuries can take on you.

Cuts and Lacerations

When a collision happens, you may be thrown forward or sideways, coming into contact with sharp objects, shattered glass, or even the vehicle’s interior. These accidents can result in deep cuts and lacerations, sometimes severe enough to damage muscles, nerves, or blood vessels. The consequences are not just physical; they can include extensive scarring, ongoing pain, and the need for costly medical treatments. 

Burns

In the unfortunate event of a car crash resulting in fire or explosion, you may find yourself at risk of sustaining burns. These burns vary in severity, spanning from first-degree, which are superficial, to the more critical third-degree burns that can be life-threatening. In addition, these injuries may occur due to the intense heat generated during car accidents, affecting the occupants. 

If you’ve suffered second-degree burns, which are painful and often require extensive medical care, you could potentially seek compensation averaging around $100,000 to $300,000 in car accident cases. 

However, third-degree burns, being the most severe, can merit considerably higher compensation, often exceeding $1 million due to their devastating and long-lasting consequences.

Psychological Trauma

Injuries in car crashes are not only limited to physical but may also lead to profound psychological trauma. For example, experiencing the traumatic event of an accident can trigger conditions like PTSD, anxiety, and depression, which often linger long after physical wounds have mended. These mental health challenges can significantly impact your life, affecting your daily functioning, relationships, and overall well-being.