Most Common Car Accident Injuries
Car accident injuries can range from mild to severe, depending on the impact of the crash. Knowing if you’ve been injured is essential to getting the medical care you need and to receive proper compensation for your treatment.
Below, you’ll learn about common car accident injuries, how to recognize them, and how they can affect you.
Injuries to the Brain and Head
Not only are brain and head injuries among the most common injuries people sustain after car accidents, but they are also some of the most debilitating.
Traumatic brain injuries are caused when your head is hit or you hit an object with great force. Depending on how much brain damage you have sustained, your symptoms can range from mild to severe. Remember that you can have a brain injury even if you have no cuts, bruises, or other indications of trauma. This is because the impact can jostle your brain and cause internal damage that results in bleeding, swelling, or bruising of the brain itself.
If you’ve hit your head in an accident, make sure to seek medical attention right away.
Injuries to the Neck
Neck injuries are also very common after a car accident. These include cervical dislocation, disc injury, neck strain, and whiplash. The most common symptom of these injuries is pain and tension, but this may not appear for several days. Rather than waiting for whiplash to appear, visit a doctor as soon as possible for prompt assessment and treatment.
Injuries to the Spinal Cord
Spinal cord injuries are caused when bone fragments, ligaments, disc material, etc. are displaced and bruise or tear the tissue of your spinal cord. When these tears or bruises occur, axons (the nerve cells that transmit signals to and from your brain and body) are destroyed. These injuries can be serious, as they may cause you to lose feeling or function throughout your body. Often times, you’ll know that you’ve sustained this type of injury, but it’s a good idea to visit a medical professional to be sure.
Injuries to the Back
Lower back injuries are some of the most common injuries experienced after a car accident. They include less severe injuries like sprains and strains, as well as more serious issues like fractured vertebrae and herniated discs.
Make sure you seek medical assistance for any back pain after an accident, since these injuries may take time to appear. They can cause long-term pain and discomfort, so it’s important to treat these injuries promptly.
Injuries to the Face
During accidents, it’s common to cause injury to your face by hitting the windshield, steering wheel, dashboard, airbag, side window or car seats. Facial injuries may be minor, like scrapes or bruises, or major, like fractures or lacerations. Jaw and dental injuries can also result from car accidents.
Because facial injuries can be disfiguring, getting medical help right away is essential.
Injuries to Internal Organs
Internal injuries may affect your kidneys, bowels, liver, spleen, heart, lungs or aorta. Fractured ribs are also common, and can lead to punctured lungs and organs. Because internal injuries are life-threatening, it’s imperative that you seek medical assistance right away if you think you have suffered one.
If you are involved in a car accident that has severely injured you, or where someone you were with was seriously injured or killed, you may suffer from short or long-term psychological problems. These may include emotional distress, anxiety, depression or post-traumatic stress disorder. Again, psychological injuries may not be apparent immediately after an accident, so if you are having psychological symptoms, seek treatment as soon as possible.
Even if you’re unsure whether you’ve been injured in your accident, seeking medical assessment and treatment right away is essential. Not only can seeking medical assistance promptly speed up your recovery, but it can help you determine whether or not to seek legal assistance.
Once your condition has been assessed, it may also be a good idea to contact a personal injury lawyer to ensure that your medical bills will be covered. Most personal injury lawyers offer free consultations and can help you determine whether you have a case, what your rights are, and what types of compensation you are eligible for.
If you’ve been injured in an accident, book a free consultation with a car accident lawyer to understand your rights.
Content Updated: Originally published August 24, 2016
