What Are Different Car Accident Injuries?
During a car accident, your body can sustain various types and levels of injury. You may suffer injuries that require medical attention, even in a minor fender bender. By learning about different car accident injuries, you can better differentiate the aches and pains resulting from the accident and those stemming from pre-existing medical or health conditions. Also, educating yourself on car accident injuries gives you a better idea of when to consider pursuing the at-fault party for compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and pain and suffering. You should not bear financial responsibility for another person’s negligence.
Types of Car Accident Injuries
Learn more about the different injuries one may sustain due to a car accident.
Knee Trauma
During a car accident, your knees may slam into the dashboard, causing potential damage to your ligaments and kneecaps. Such trauma may require the use of crutches or braces, and you may even require surgery to regain functionality.
Internal Bleeding
Common symptoms of internal bleeding include abdominal pain, feeling lightheaded, headaches, seizures, and deep-purple bruising. If you notice any indication of internal bleeding after your car accident, seek medical attention as quickly as possible, as this injury can become life-threatening.
Herniated Disc
You may not break a bone during your car accident, but you may suffer a herniated disc. This injury happens when vertebrae in your spine move out of place or rupture. Besides pain, herniated discs can trigger several complications. This includes bladder or bowel dysfunction, numbness, and loss of sensation in your inner thighs and the backs of the legs.
Whiplash
One of the most common car accident injuries, whiplash involves damage to the tendons, muscles, and ligaments. Any accident that suddenly jerks your body could cause whiplash, such as a minor rear-end crash. The strained muscles and tissues can become quite painful as they heal, which can take quite a while.
Cuts and Scrapes
Even minor motor vehicle accidents can cause small cuts and scrapes. This is especially true if loose items in your vehicle hit you during the incident. It is critical that you carefully check your body after an accident for scrapes, cuts, and abrasions, often identifiable by a sharp pain. Even small cuts can become infected, so treat them quickly and thoroughly.
PTSD
Just because you do not sustain physical injuries does not mean you were not psychologically scarred. PTSD can result after an accident, wherein you sustain mental and emotional harm. Symptoms of such psychological damage include experiencing chronic unease, difficulty sleeping, dissociation, and uncontrollable memories or nightmares of the accident.
What Happens to Your Body During a Car Accident?
The severity of injuries in a car accident largely depends on the amount of kinetic energy your body absorbs. While vehicles are designed to take on much of the impact’s energy, some of that force inevitably transfers to you and your passengers. When your body takes in more kinetic energy than it can safely withstand, injuries occur.
While seatbelts were designed to save lives, they can also fracture collarbones in some front-facing crashes. High-speed impacts, and the larger amounts of energy that accompany them, result in broken ribs and lung damage. Also, it is important to wear seat belts correctly, especially for shorter and larger people. Wearing a seatbelt lashed around your stomach means you have nothing to absorb energy in the event of a crash. Should a crash occur while a person wears a seatbelt incorrectly, ruptured organs could result if enough kinetic energy bleeds through from the vehicle.
Why Should You Seek Medical Treatment After Any Car Accident?
After a car accident, especially at low speeds, it’s tempting to think you can just head home, take a painkiller, and rest for a few days to recover. However, it’s essential to get medical attention. Adrenaline from the accident can mask pain and make injuries less obvious initially.
You now know how many ways a car accident can mess up your body. By getting prompt medical treatment, you take proper care of your current and future well-being. Some injuries take a while to show up, such as whiplash and concussions. The longer you wait to receive proper treatment, the worse your condition may become without you realizing it. Also, the longer you delay treatment, the more expensive it can be.
You may have to file an insurance claim after your accident. If so, visit a physician posthaste. By waiting, the insurance company may claim that your injuries are not serious because you did not seek immediate medical attention, thereby giving them a reason to deny your claim. You must remember that insurance companies are in the business of making money, not losing it. That is why they do everything they can to minimize your claim as much as possible. Even if they accept your claim and offer compensation, it may not be for the full amount or extent of your injuries and their resulting costs. This is why it is best to turn your case over to a legal professional familiar with the tactics that insurance companies use.
Speaking of legal professionals, another reason to seek immediate medical attention after an accident is so that you have time to gather viable evidence for a lawsuit. Medical records, such as patient records, X-rays, and doctor’s notes, provide proof of the type and extent of your bodily injuries. Without such evidence, it may be impossible for you to adequately demonstrate that you are in as much pain as you may claim, which means it may be impossible for you to receive adequate damages.
Work With an Experienced Local Lawyer
Were you recently involved in a car accident? Do not brush off any car accident injuries such as aches, bruising, discomfort, or even mental distress you exhibit in the aftermath. Doing so could cause undue financial and medical complications.
Submit a request online or call us today at (866) 345-6784 to get in touch with an experienced lawyer in your area!
About the Author
Aaron is a professional legal writer with a B.S. in English Education from Southern Illinois University – Carbondale. He has written, published, and edited thousands of legal articles for RequestLegalHelp, which has connected over 5 million people to legal help in the United States.
With over five years of experience writing thousands of legal articles for law firms across the U.S. and Canada, Aaron specializes in covering federal, state, and city-level legal issues ranging from auto accidents to wrongful terminations. Contact Aaron at [email protected] for article suggestions, collaborations, or inquiries.
