The Six Most Common Car Crash Injuries

The Six Most Common Car Crash Injuries

According to the Association for Safe International Road Travel, over 2 million people are injured or disabled in car crashes throughout the United States annually. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has this number at more than 3 million, but regardless of the count, the astounding number of injuries that result from car accidents is abysmal and drivers should take every precaution into account before getting behind the wheel of their vehicle.

Numerous studies have shown that a person’s location within the car during the time of the accident has a direct effect on the type of injury sustained and its severity. Understandably, the closer someone is seated to the point of impact, the greater the likelihood of a more severe injury.

Aside from the passenger’s location within a vehicle, there are other factors that affect injury, including:

• Whether or not seat belts were worn
• The angle from which the car was hit (i.e. rear, side, or front)
• The direction the occupant was facing at the time of the accident (i.e. was the person’s head or burn turned in certain direction)
• The speed at which the crash occurred
• Whether or not airbags deployed

As every car collision is unique in its own right, and the type of injury incurred also varies. Generally speaking, injuries typically fall into two broad categories known as impact injuries and penetrating injuries. Impact injuries are the result of a person’s body hitting some interior portion of the car. Penetrating injuries are usually cuts and scrapes caused by glass or loose objects flying within the car.

While some injuries may not require any medical attention, more serious one’s can cause permanent damage and even result in some physical (or emotional) disability.

Six common car crash injuries include:

Head Injuries

Head injuries vary from simple muscle strains to severe concussions. An unexpected stop or change in direction in a vehicle usually results in the head moving suddenly and violently. If the impact was not very forceful, occupants may just experience a slight muscle strain around the neck and back, but if the head comes into contact with an object within the car, such as the steering wheel, a concussion or lacerations can occur.

Concussions occur when the brain is severely shaken within the skull. In a mild case, rest may be sufficient to allow healing, but in more serious impacts, surgery may be required to alleviate internal bleeding and pressure. If you experience symptoms like disorientation, vomiting, and severe headaches after an accident, it is vital that you seek hospitalization immediately.

Soft Tissue Injuries

Soft tissue injuries occur when the body’s connective tissue is damaged, and usually results in “whiplash”, or injury to the neck and back. When the muscle, ligaments, and tendons in your body are unnaturally stretched because of a sudden movement or stop caused by an accident, the force can result in neck pain, upper back pain, mid-back and lower-back muscle sprains, and even serious spinal injuries.

Chest Injuries

Chest injuries after a car accident are common and usually occur because of the position of the steering wheel or as a result of the seat belt tightening. Depending on the severity of the injury, a person might simply experience severe bruising or abrasions caused by the high level of force against the shoulder harness or seat belt.

Severe injuries can include fractures to the rib or sternum, injuries to internal organs, internal bleeding, torn cartilage, muscles, tendons or ligaments.

While seat belts certainly save lives, they do cause accidental injuries at times. If you feel any pain in your chest area, regardless of its intensity, it is in your own best interest to seek medical attention immediately. Failing to do so can make the injury worse, and in some cases, fatal.

Scrapes and Cuts

Car collisions can cause the glass on your windows to break or send loose objects hurtling through the air. Eyeglasses and ceramic items can easily cut your skin or cause other relatively minor injuries that may not require much medical treatment. Airbags deploying can also lead to lacerations that may require stitches.

Broken Bones

Serious injuries, such as broken bones, commonly occur in high velocity car accidents or roll overs. Broken bones can be especially dangerous as they may have caused internal damage that is difficult to perceive by EMT paramedics.

Common broken bone injuries include:

• Spinal injuries
• Skull fractures
• Broken legs
• Broken arms
• Broken ribs
• Hip fractures
• Broken and fractured wrists

Individuals suffering from broken bones require immediate emergency care that may result in multiple surgeries, extensive rehabilitation, and which may take a very long time to heal.

Emotional Injuries

A very serious and severe accident doesn’t just cause physical damages to the victims, but emotional problems as well. Financial burdens my results from steep medical bills and rehabilitation costs, causing emotional pain and suffering, such as depression. This is especially true in car accident survivor has seen their life drastically change because of serious and chronic injury.

Injured in an auto accident? You don’t have to be alone.

At J. Gonzalez Injury Attorneys, we know how scary it can be to get into a car accident and get injured. We know how tough it can be when medical bills and car damages can put your life on hold. Let the attorneys at J. Gonzalez Injury Attorneys fight for your rights for compensation and the due process you deserve.

Our personal injury lawyers in McAllen, Brownsville, and Rio Grande City will be there to help you get your life back in order.

Contact us today at (956) 630-6700 to get the process started on building your case.